Herbal Plant Extracts Research Articles

An Approach Towards Quorum Inhibition in Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Herbal Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals

The principle cause of micro-organism contagion is virulence regulated by Quorum Sensing (QS) phenomenon. So the present study is aimed to discover the Anti-Quorum (AQ) sensing activity of 4 crude plant extracts and 3 pure phytochemicals. The AQ compound was found to be present in a few of the extracts which demonstrated inhibition against virulence pigment pyocyanin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 1688). Green Tea extract and Gallic Acid pure phytochemicals were found to be the potential compounds to give AQ activity with less effect on bacterial growth. As per the results attained by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), it can be concluded that caffeine could have Anti-Quorum activity.

Phytotherapy of Hypertension: An Updated Overview.

Cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the globe. Hypertension is the main risk factor that contributes to the development of many diseases. The use of herbal therapies, medicinal plants and their derivatives for the remedy and management of hypertension is well-recognized and popular among a wide part of the world population. The aim of the current review was to collect, treat, and critically analyze the published research studies relative to experimental and clinical investigations which have studied the blood pressure lowering abilities of medicinal plant derivatives in the last decade. This review was organized into three principal axes; the first axis was attributed to the in vivo and in vitro experimental studies; the second treated the clinical trials; while, the last one is devoted to analyze the mechanisms of action underlying the therapeutic antihypertensive effectiveness of phytochemicals. Different types of extracts and isolated molecules obtained from a large variety of species demonstrated their efficiency in improving the increase of blood pressure either experimentally or clinically. Medicinal species such as garlic (Allium sativum), celery (Apium graveolens), Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) and Ginseng (Panax) are among the most common and therapeutically used plant derivatives for controlling hypertension while Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Rosaceae are among the botanical families which were frequently studied in the last decade. Isolated compounds such as allicin and apigenin have received more interest in this field. Recent evidence from clinical trials suggests that a wide variety of herbal preparations and plant extracts or natural isolated compounds have a favorable therapeutic impact on blood flow. Interestingly, phytochemicals can either act directly on blood vessels via a vasorelaxant effect involving a variety of signaling cascades or indirectly through inhibiting or stimulating diversity of systems such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), renin-angiotensin system (RAS) or the diuretic activity. Hence, based on the findings of the present review medicinal plant derivatives could be used as preventive and curative agents in the case of cardiovascular disorders, particularly hypertension and could play a promoting function for the discovery of new antihypertensive agents. The analysis of the published data shows that a great effort remains to be done to investigate the medicinal plants cited as antihypertensive through published ethnopharmacological surveys. The analysis of the literature in this field shows the lack of standardization at the level of experimental study methods as well as the need to study purified molecules. Moreover, the mechanistic studies when they exist remain in the whole partial. On the other hand, few advanced clinical studies have been conducted. Finally, the determination of the efficacy/safety ratio remains absent in almost all studies.

Effects of coating pistachio kernels with mixtures of whey protein and selected herbal plant extracts on growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus and prevention of aflatoxin during storage

AbstractWhey protein concentrate (WPC) mixed with various concentrations of Shirazi thyme (ST), sage, and cumin seed (CS) extracts separately. Then pistachio kernels (PK) contaminated with Aspergillus flavus (Af) were coated with each extract and the Af mycelium and generated aflatoxins measured after 3, 5, and 7‐days at 20°C. The ST, sage, and CS had two major antioxidants of thymol (~27%) and carvacrol (~41%), α‐thujone (~28%) and camphor (~14%), and cumin‐aldehyde (~21%) and safranal (~20%), respectively. While the Af mycelium diameter on PK without extract became >90 mm within 3 days, it was shrunk after 7 days when the WPC‐coated PK had 4,000 ppm ST extract. When ST concentrations increased in WPC‐coated PK linearly, the Af growth and aflatoxins production decreased logarithmically. No aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) detected in PK after 9 days when the extract concentrations of ST, sage, and CS in WPC reached, respectively to 5,000, 4,500, and 6,500 ppm. Sage extract had significantly (p < .01) the highest TPC (lowest IC50) and preventing power for aflatoxin generation in comparison with ST and CS extracts. The PK will be safe and healthy if the extract concentration of sage, ST, and CS exceed 950, 1,400, and 1,700 mg/kg, respectively.

Herbal components of Japanese Kampo medicines exert laxative actions in colonic epithelium cells via activation of BK and CFTR channels

Japanese Kampo medicines Junchoto and Mashiningan are mixtures of numerous herbal plant extracts and empirically known to exert laxative actions by stimulating fluid secretion in the colonic epithelium. However, it is unknown which and how the herbal components of these crude Kampo drugs are effective to stimulate ion effluxes causing fluid secretion. Here, we selected four herbal components of Junchoto and Mashiningan, Mashinin (MSN), Kyonin (KYN), Tonin (TON), and Daio (DIO), which are putatively laxatives, and examined their effects on the ion channel activity of human colonic epithelial Caco-2 cells. Patch clamp analyses revealed that MSN activated whole-cell current characteristics of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel, whereas KYN, TON, and DIO activated the large-conductance and voltage-activated K+ (BK) channel. Furthermore, electronic cell sizing showed that MSN induced secretory volume decrease (SVD) sensitivity to a CFTR blocker, whereas TON, KYN, and DIO induced SVD sensitivity to a K+ channel blocker. In conclusion, MSN and TON, KYN, and DIO promote fluid secretion from colonic epithelial cells by activating CFTR and BK channels. Thus, Japanese Kampo medicines, Junchoto and Mashiningan, exert anti-constipation actions by inducing KCl efflux through the combined actions of CFTR- and BK-stimulating herbal components.

Herbal Alternative for Kidney Stone Diseases

Kidney stone disease is an increasing disorder of humans. It affects about 12% of the world population. Epidemiological data have shown that calcium oxalate is the predominant mineral in a majority of kidney stones. [1] It has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal failure. Kidney stones result from a succession of several physicochemical events including super saturation, nucleation, growth, aggregation, and retention within the kidneys. Kidney stones may cause extreme pain and blockage of urine flow .The average life time risk of stone formation has been reported in the range of 5-10 %.Recurrent stone formation is a common part of the medical care of patients with stone disease.[2] Kidney stone disease is usually treated with medications that may cause a number of side-effects. Even improved and besides the high cost that imposes, compelling data now suggest that exposure to shock waves in therapeutic doses may cause acute renal injury, decrease in renal function and an increase in stone recurrence. Data from in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials reveal that phytotherapeutic agents could be useful as either an alternative therapy in the management of urolithiasis. The present review therefore critically explains the potential usefulness of herbal medicines in the management of urolithiasis.
 Keywords: Kidney stones, Calcium oxalate, Herbal plant extracts, Alternative medicine

Synergistic effect of herbal plant extract (Hibiscus sabdariffa) in maintain the antioxidant activity of decaffeinated green tea from various parts of Assam

In the present study, two extraction methods, hot water extraction and ethyl acetate extraction were used to decaffeinate fresh green tea leaf (Camellia assamica) collected from four parts of Assam, NE-India. Both type of extraction methods have significant effect on the antioxidant activity of decaffeinated green tea. Amongst the four samples, Dhekiajuli sample have highest antioxidant activity and total polyphenol as well as flavonoid contents. During hot water extraction (100°C for 3min), in decaffeinated green tea, the antioxidant activity decreases to 996.1 ± 26.12mM TE/g green tea and 1165 ± 31.25mM TE/g green tea from 1403.07 ± 70.15mM TE/g and 1587.1 ± 79.355mM TE/g green tea as observed for caffeinated green tea by DPPH and FRAP assay respectively. Again more antioxidant activity (ranges from 996.1 ± 15.8 to 1421.3 ± 71.06mM TE/g) was recorded for ethyl acetate extracts compared to hot water extracts of samples. However, the loss in antioxidant activity, due to decaffeination of green tea in our study was minimize by using herbal plant extract, Hibiscus sabdariffa along with the tea extract which shows a synergistic effect.

Screening of immuno-modulatory potential of different herbal plant extracts using striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) leukocyte-based in vitro tests

Many medicinal plants have been shown to possess biological effects, including immuno-modulatory activities on human and other mammals. However, studies about the potential mechanisms of plant extracts on the humoral and tissular immunities in fish have received less attention. This study aimed to screen the immunestimulating properties of 20 ethanol plant extracts on striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus leukocytes. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and head kidney leukocytes (HKLs) of striped catfish (50 ± 5 g per fish) were stimulated at 10 and 100 μg of each plant extract per mL of cell culture medium. Several humoral immune parameters (lysozyme, complement and total immunoglobulin) were examined at 24-h post stimulation (hps). Furthermore, the responses of four cytokine genes, namely il1β, ifrγ 2a and b, and mhc class II were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hps. The results showed that lysozyme, complement as well as total immunoglobulin levels in both PBMCs and HKLs were regulated by some of the plant extracts tested in a concentration-dependent manner; some plant extracts induced the highest immune responses at the low dose (10 μg mL−1) while others were more efficient at high dose (100 μg mL−1). Among the extracts, five extracts including garlic Allium sativum L. (As), neem Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Ai), asthma-plant Euphorbia hirta L. (Eh), bhumi amla Phyllanthus amarus Schum. et Thonn (Pa), and ginger Zingiber officinale Rosc (Zo) induced significant changes in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine (il1β), antiviral cytokines (ifrγ 2a and b) and adaptive immune cytokine (mhc class II) in striped catfish cells. Pa always modulated the strongest expression of the four cytokines in PBMCs and HKLs over the whole experimental period (p < 0.05), whereas Zo did not stimulate the mhc class II expression in striped catfish leukocytes throughout experimental periods. These in vitro results demonstrated that some plant extracts could differently modulate great potential immune response in fish, supporting their applications in further in vivo experiments.

An iridium(III) complex/G-quadruplex ensemble for detection of ochratoxin A based on long-lifetime luminescent

A G-quadruplex-based platform has been developed for the time-resolved monitoring of ochratoxin A (OTA). The simple platform displays good sensitivity for OTA with a detection limit of 40 nM via steady-state emission spectroscopy. Notably, the platform showed a detection limit of 10.8 nM via time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES), which is about 4 times more sensitive than steady-state mode. Moreover, the probe showed excellent selectivity for OTA over other mycotoxins. Furthermore, OTA was successfully detected in actual herbal plant extracts samples. Our platform is the first to detect OTA using TRES to distinguish between the target signals versus the auto-fluorescence of real samples. This platform shows improved detection speed, accuracy and sensitivity with simple operation, low cost, and no requirement for complicated pre-processing.

ABC, a patented innovation in the infusion of teas and herbal plants: enrichment of Camellia sinensis leaves with dry extracts from herbal plants

Tea and herbal infusions have been known for millennia for their health benefits. However for plants and active ingredients (of mineral and animal origin), it is necessary to consume very large quantities to achieve what is called the health claim dose, i.e., the dose for which the effect on health claim is established. Camellia sinensis leaves is traditionally used as plant infusion. This article aims to review the innovation afforded by the ABC (Bio Concentrate Assets®) patent. The ABC patent has developed an exclusive method of enriching organic tea leaves with organic herbal dry plant extracts using organic acacia gum. This method allows the coupling of concentrated dry extracts from medicinal plants on the Camellia sinensis leave extracts using acacia gum (arabic gum) and to reach to low enough health claim doses thanks to a higher concentration of active ingredients (tested until 10 ingredients). An example of ABC application is provided in a brief overview of manufacturing process for the "Gingo® tea" preparation. The main advantages of the ABC patent application are discussed. In conclusion, the ABC process offers a real breakthrough in the market of teas and herbal teas for health and wellness.

Green synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Cassia fistula and its antibacterial activity

Green synthesis of titanium oxide nanoparticles has more advantages when compared with the chemical method. This work reports a green synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) by the herbal plant extracts of Cassia fistula. Then the green synthesized NPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The result of the SEM image shows that the nanoparticles are spherical in shape. The antibacterial activity was done on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

A comparison of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: A network meta-analysis protocol.

Introduction:Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) have been commonly used in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in East Asia. Several systematic reviews have been conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of CHM in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. However, their comparative efficacy is still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA) to systematically compare the advantages of different CHM in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.Methods and analysis:The following electronic databases will be searched in this study: Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan-fang Database. Search terms include (Chinese herbal medicine or Chinese patent medicine or medicinal plants or phytotherapy or traditional medicine or Chinese herbal drugs or plant extracts or herbal medicine or herbal extract or herb or traditional Chinese medicine) and (primary dysmenorrhea or dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation) and (randomized controlled trial). The language will be limited to Chinese and English, and the search date will be up to May 2019. The included studies must be randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with patients diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea. CHM must be used as interventions in the experimental group. While in the control group, studies that used a different herbal medicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or placebo will be included. The primary outcomes include clinical efficacy and visual analog scale (VAS), and the secondary outcomes include adverse events and quality of life. Four reviewers will independently extract the data and assess the qualities of the studies. Statistical analysis will be conducted with R package for each outcome.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval is not required as this NMA is based on published studies. The completed NMA will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.Trial registration number:PROSPERO CRD42018095254.

Visualization of Aspalathin in Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) Plant and Herbal Tea Extracts Using Thin-Layer Chromatography.

Aspalathin, the main polyphenol of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), is associated with diverse health promoting properties of the tea. During fermentation, aspalathin is oxidized and concentrations are significantly reduced. Standardized methods for quality control of rooibos products do not investigate aspalathin, since current techniques of aspalathin detection require expensive equipment and expertise. Here, we describe a simple and fast thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method that can reproducibly visualize aspalathin in rooibos herbal tea and plant extracts at a limit of detection (LOD) equal to 178.7 ng and a limit of quantification (LOQ) equal to 541.6 ng. Aspalathin is a rare compound, so far only found in A. linearis and its (rare) sister species A. pendula. Therefore, aspalathin could serve as a marker compound for authentication and quality control of rooibos products, and the described TLC method represents a cost-effective approach for high-throughput screening of plant and herbal tea extracts.

Borneo herbal plant extracts as a natural medication for prophylaxis and treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection in tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus).

Background: The combination of some plant extracts to prevent and treat bacterial infections is gaining momentum, because of effectiveness against certain bacteria. This study aims to describe the antibacterial and immunostimulant abilities of Boesenbergia pandurata (BP), Solanum ferox (SF) and Zingiber Zerumbet (ZZ) plant extracts to treat and prevent Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection on Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus). Methods: Tilapia (initial weight 15±2 g) were injected intramuscularly (0.1 ml/fish) with a combination of A. hydrophila and P. fluorescens at a density of 1×10 5 CFU ml -1 of each bacteria. Treatment trials were performed at day 7 post-injection with each combined extract, while the prevention trial was performed by including the combined extract into the commercial diet for six and seven days prior to injection. Various extract combinations were 60 mg SF extract/kg feed with 40 mg ZZ/kg feed (SF60/ZZ40), SF50/ZZ50, BP90/SF10, and BP50/SF50. Haemato-immunological parameters were performed for four weeks. Results: In prevention trials, tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 showed a significant increase of white and red blood cells. Similarly, significantly increased haematocrit was found in tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 in the treatment trial but not in the prevention trial. In both trials, haemoglobin of tilapia was not affected by any combined extracts but decreased the number of bacteria. Phagocytic index, respiratory burst, lysozyme activity and survival rate of fish fed combined extracts were found significantly higher than controls. The amount of pathogenic bacteria in fish fed combined extracts was lower than the control at week 4 ( P<0.05). In both trials The percentage of survival rate and relative percent survival of tilapia fed SF 50/ZZ 50, showed the optimum results compared to the other combinations. Conclusions: The combined extract in feed, especially SF50/ZZ50 has a positive effect on the tilapia's innate immune system of tilapia to treat and prevent bacterial infections.

Protein-Protected Gold Nanocluster-Based Biosensor for Determining the Prooxidant Activity of Natural Antioxidant Compounds.

In this work, chicken egg white protein (CEW)-protected gold nanoclusters (CEW-AuNCs) were prepared from CEW and HAuCl4 to measure the Cu(II)-induced prooxidant activity of antioxidant compounds such as epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, catechin, rosmarinic acid, resveratrol, ascorbic acid, and glutathione. These compounds reduced Cu(II) to Cu(I), and the latter was mainly bound to thiol groups in the CEW-AuNC structure. As the protein-bound Cu(I) may act as a catalytic center for generating reactive oxygen species, the Cu(II) reducing ability of antioxidants is an indirect measure of their prooxidant potency. The bound Cu(I) may be released with the cuprous-selective ligand neocuproine (Nc), forming the basis of a spectrophotometric method measuring absorbance at 450 nm wavelength of the Cu(I)–Nc chelate. The developed method involved a one-pot synthesis and determination without preseparation and was applied to binary synthetic mixtures of studied antioxidant compounds and to certain herbal plant (green tea, linden, echinacea, and artichoke leaf) extracts to determine the total prooxidant activities. The obtained results were statistically compared with those of the literature Cu(II)–Nc assay using a calcium proteinate-based solid biosensor. The developed biosensor was durable, reliable, easily applicable, and of low cost and wide linear range and could determine the prooxidant activities of natural antioxidant samples with high reproducibility.

Antibacterial potential of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of herbal plants against Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae the cause of black spot disease in mango

Antibacterial potential of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of herbal plants against Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae the cause of black spot disease in mango

Borneo herbal plant extracts as a natural medication for prophylaxis and treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection in tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus)

Background: The combination of some plant extracts to prevent and treat bacterial infections is gaining momentum, because of effectiveness against certain bacteria. This study aims to describe the antibacterial and immunostimulant abilities of Boesenbergia pandurata (BP), Solanum ferox (SF) and Zingiber Zerumbet (ZZ) plant extracts to treat and prevent Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection on Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus). Methods: Tilapia (initial weight 15±2 g) were injected intramuscularly (0.1 ml/fish) with a combination of A. hydrophila and P. fluorescens at a density of 1×10 5 CFU ml -1 of each bacteria. Treatment trials were performed at day 7 post-injection with each combined extract, while the prevention trial was performed by including the combined extract into the commercial diet for six and seven days prior to injection. Various extract combinations were 60 mg SF extract/kg feed with 40 mg ZZ/kg feed (SF60/ZZ40), SF50/ZZ50, BP90/SF10, and BP50/SF50. Haemato-immunological parameters were performed for four weeks. Results: In prevention trials, tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 showed a significant increase of white and red blood cells. Similarly, significantly increased haematocrit was found in tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 in the treatment trial but not in the prevention trial. In both trials, haemoglobin of tilapia was not affected by any combined extracts but decreased the number of bacteria. Phagocytic index, respiratory burst, lysozyme activity and survival rate of fish fed combined extracts were found significantly higher than controls. The amount of pathogenic bacteria in fish fed combined extracts was lower than the control at week 4 ( P<0.05). In both trials The percentage of survival rate and relative percent survival of tilapia fed SF 50/ZZ 50, showed the optimum results compared to the other combinations. Conclusions: The combined extract in feed, especially SF50/ZZ50 has a positive effect on the tilapia's innate immune system of tilapia to treat and prevent bacterial infections.

Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial Activity and Antimicrobial Finishing of Polyherbal Extract on Nonwoven Wound Dressing

Terminalia bellerica, Withania somnifera, Madhuca longifolia and Sygyzium cumini was selected for the current study based on its potent antimicrobial activity. The poly herbal plant extract was tested against nine clinical bacterial strains that are responsible for the wound infections. The FTIR and GCMS studies of the poly herbal plant extract revealed the presence of functional groups such as phenols, alcohol, amines, carbonyl group and components responsible for antimicrobial properties respectively. The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of bioactive principles such as alkaloids, flavanoids, phenols, steroids and tannins. The poly herbal extract was then coated on the TencelR nonwoven fabric using pad-dry-cure method. The antimicrobial efficacy of the coated fabrics exhibited better inhibitory activity against all the test organisms under the standard AATCC 147. The coated fabric also showed 8 mm zone of inhibition against Candida albicans. The results recommend the use of poly herbal plant extract can potentially be used as a substitute to synthetic agents. Also, it can be employed in non-implantable medical textiles such as wound dressings to prevent the microbial infestation and also to reduce the bio burden in wound therapy.

Infusion of herbal plant extracts for insomnia and anxiety causes a dose-dependent increase of NO and has a protective effect on the renal cellular stress caused by hypoxia and reoxygenation

Infusion of herbal plant extracts for insomnia and anxiety causes a dose-dependent increase of NO and has a protective effect on the renal cellular stress caused by hypoxia and reoxygenation

Borneo herbal plant extracts as a natural medication for prophylaxis and treatment of Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection in tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus).

Background: This study aims to describe the antibacterial and immunostimulant abilities of Boesenbergia pandurata (BP), Solanum ferox (SF) and Zingiber Zerumbet (ZZ) plant extracts to treat and prevent Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens infection on Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus). Methods: Tilapia (initial weight 15±2 g) were injected intramuscularly (0.1 ml/fish) with a combination of A. hydrophila and P. fluorescens at a density of 1×10 5 CFU ml -1 of each bacteria. Treatment trials were performed at day 7 post-injection with each combined extract, while the prevention trial was performed by including the combined extract into the diet for six and seven days prior to injection. Various combinations of extract-60 ml SF extract/kg feed with 40 ml ZZ/kg feed (SF60/ZZ40), SF50/ZZ50, BP90/SF10, and BP50/SF50-were mixed with a commercial diet and used in both treatment and prevention trials. Haematological and immunological parameters were performed every week for four weeks. Results: In prevention trials, tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 showed a significant increase of white and red blood cells from weeks 2 to 4. Similarly, significantly increased haematocrit was also found in tilapia fed SF50/ZZ50 in the treatment trial but not in the prevention trial. However, haemoglobin of tilapia in both trials was not affected by any of the various combinations of extract in the diet. Furthermore, phagocytic, respiratory burst, lysozyme activity indexes and survival rate of fish fed with combined extracts were found to be significantly higher than controls. Moreover, the amount of pathogenic bacteria in fish that were fed combined extracts was also lower than the control and was significantly different at week 4. Conclusions: This study indicates that the addition of combined extract into feed has a positive effect on the tilapia's immune system. The SF50/ZZ50 combination appears to improve the innate immune system of tilapia to treat and prevent bacterial infections.

English

Interest is renewed in herbal medicine since it is believed it has less side effects and is safer. In addition, there has been continued demand to obtain more drugs from plant sources to alleviate various ailments of mankind. This study is aimed at investigating the antimalarial activity in an herbal cocktail and individual plant extracts contained on Plasmodium berghei in infected Wistar rats. Thirty five Wistar rats randomly assigned into seven groups of five were used. The cocktail and individual aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica, Mangifera indica, Carica papaya, and Citrus limon were orally administered to the infected Wistar rats weighing an average of 200 g at standard doses of 100 mg/kg/day for seven days, with the exception of aqueous leaf extract of A. indica which was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day. The therapeutic effects of the cocktail and the individual extracts against P. berghei were investigated and the effects on the liver were histologically assessed. Biochemical assays for liver markers aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) were also assessed. The results showed that the cocktail and individual extracts possess antimalarial activity, by reducing the degree of parasitaemia, inducing recovery of hepatic cells and reduction of malaria associated liver pathology. Administration of the extracts did not significantly alter the level of albumin and total protein, no increase was observed in AST activity (P > 0.05). Significant increase was observed in the ALT activities among the rats administered with the cocktail or that which contained extract (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, the cocktail and the individual extracts possess antimalarial activity, thus justifying their usage in traditional medical practice. Extensive studies for validation of various medicinal plants used in treating malaria should be further conducted Key words: Plasmodium berghei, cocktail, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total protein, albumin.