Related Medicinal Plants Research Articles

БИОХИМИЧЕСКАЯ ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИЯ СИНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКОГО ДЕЙСТВИЯ БИОЛОГИЧЕСКИ АКТИВНЫХ ВЕЩЕСТВ ПО ОТНОШЕНИЮ К ПРОТИВОМИКРОБНЫМ СРЕДСТВАМ МЕТОДАМИ КОМПЬЮТЕРНОЙ ХИМИИ

Due to the widespread resistance of microorganisms to existing drugs, the need for the search and development of new antibacterial forms is extremely high. The use of complexes of natural compounds, characterized by a wide variety, and antibiotics can make it possible to obtain antimicrobial agents of a diverse chemical structure and mechanism of action, and ensure the emergence of new effective medicines.There is a large amount of evidence that biologically active substances (BAS) of plant extracts can improve the work of some antimicrobials, their effect is: the ability to disrupt the structure of the bacterial plasma membrane, causing the formation of pores and leakage of internal contents; changes in electric charge and polarity; increased permeability, change in fluidity and other phenomena responsible for antibacterial activity. Synthesis of antibacterial compounds based on chemical modification of antimicrobial agents by natural complexes is one of the promising methods in the fight against antibiotic resistance. In this work, the synergistic effect of biologically active substances (BAS) of medicinal plants in relation to antimicrobial agents, ceftazidime and fosfomycin was investigated using computer chemistry methods. The variаnt of the effect of BAS on both the antibiotic and penicillin-binding proteins or beta-lactamases as part of a complex with an antibiotic was evaluated, as a result of which protein inhibition, its conformational rearrangement, or a decrease in the required minimum concentration of the antibiotic could occur. Ceftazidime and fosfomycin were chosen as the studied antibacterial drugs. The ligands were 8 molecules (BAS) with antimicrobial properties, such as: allicin, gallic acid, dihydroquercitin, rutin, atropine, tannin, thymol and saponin. 2 proteins from the RCSB Protein Data Bank database belonging to two different classes of enzymes were selected as binding models. At the first stage, the molecules of the studied substances were optimized in a small approximation HF/3-21+G and the thermodynamic problem was calculated. The second stage was a configuration search, after which molecular docking took place, binding of the studied substances (ligands) with protein molecules in the AutoDock 4.2.6 program. As a result, it was possible to obtain several binding sites, the probability of which would be the greatest.

Antimalarial potential of five Nigerian medicinal plants: Repository versus curative activities

The conventional management of malaria in most endemic areas is based on phytomedicine. It is commonly believed that prevention is better than cure when it comes to disease management. Therefore, medicinal plants commonly used for treatment in herbal medicine are also used for prevention purposes. Hence, it is important to investigate the efficacy of medicinal plants in relation to the timing of their use. To document the medicinal plants used for treating malaria, a structured questionnaire-based ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria. The survey revealed the use of 31 plant species from 24 families, with origin in Omu-Aran, in herbal antimalarial recipes. Some of the identified plants were subjected to in vivo antimalarial bioassays. The aqueous and dichloromethane: Methanol (1:1) extracts of the leaves and stem bark of Morinda lucida and Nauclea latifolia, as well as the leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata, Tithonia diversifolia, and Lawsonia inermis were tested at doses of 100, 250 and 400 mg/kg against Plasmodium berghei Anka. The repository and curative tests were conducted to assess the residual and curative abilities of the extracts, respectively, with chloroquine as a reference drug. The tested extracts demonstrated better antiplasmodial activities in the repository tests, particularly the aqueous extracts. Only the organic extract of T. diversifolia at 100 mg/kg exhibited a high antiplasmodial activity with a percentage chemosuppression (PCS) value of 66.13%, while other extracts showed moderate (PCS: 30 – 60%) to no activity (PCS: <0%) in curative tests. In repository tests, only N. latifolia showed high activity with percentage chemoprophylaxis (PCP) values ranging from 61.51% to 81.69%, while other extracts generally showed moderate activities. Chloroquine showed strong chemosuppression (92.74 ≤ PCS ≤ 98.77) in curative tests but weak chemoprophylaxis (PCP <30%). The efficacy tests showed that most of the investigated medicinal plants were more effective for prevention rather than for curative purposes.

Vernoa Hildebranditii, Acacia stuhlmannii and Moringa Oleifera Leaf and Root-bark Extracts Exhibit Antimicrobial Effects on Selected Diarrheagenic Microorganisms

Infectious diseases are the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is increasing concern of indiscriminate use of antibiotics and incidences of multiple antibiotic resistances in human pathogens. The potential of higher plants as source of new drug leads has been demonstrated but is still under explored. In Africa and most developing countries, traditional medicine still forms the backbone of rural medicinal practice. Although a number of American and Asian countries medicinal herbs have been evaluated scientifically and their medicinal properties demonstrated. In Africa, attempts to evaluate medicinal plants in relation to their biological activities and medicinal usefulness are limited. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has led to increased use of herbal medicine as an alternative to combat various ailments. This study aimed at determining the antimicrobial activity of Vernoa hildebrandtii, Acacia stuhlmannii and Moringa oleifera leafy and root bark extracts using disc diffusion technique. Crude extracts were obtained from dried powder by single solvent maceration with ethanol and water. Bioassays were used to evaluate the bioactivity of the extracts against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureas. Antimicrobial activity was determined by measuring the zones of growth inhibition in mm. Moringa aleifera root water extract was the most potent fraction with bioactivity arrange of between 6-32 mm followed by Acacia stuhlmannii root bark water extracts with bioactivity range between 12-31 mm and Moringa oleifera root bark with bioactivity range of between 6-29 mm. Vernoa hildebrandtii leave alcohol and Acacia stuhlmannii Taub root bark- alcohol extract had bioactivity range of between 9-28 and 5-28, respectively. However, Acacia stuhlmannii leaf extracts did not show any antimicrobial activities. The antimicrobial effects of the plant extracts were dose dependent. These findings validate what have been known about Moringa oleifera. They also demonstrate potential biochemical agents in Vernoa hildebrandtii and Acacia stuhlmannii extracts in the management of diarrheagenic microorganisms

Effect of Seasonal Variation on Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with Medicinal Plants in Central Himalayan Region of India

This research paper assesses the effect of seasonal variation on mycorrhizal fungi. Based on the richness of medicinal plants in Himalayan region, this research work considered three medicinal plants i.e. Catharanthus roseus Linn., Ocimum spp. and Asparagus racemosus Willd. The study was conducted at five districts of Uttarakhand state of India viz. Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar, Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar and Almora. To account for seasonal variations, soil and root samples were collected in months of Jan-Feb, May-June and Sep-Oct from year 2006 to 2008. Furthermore, the study was directed to collect information about the distribution of VAM fungi in the medicinal plants in relation to spore population. This research work evaluated and analyzed the effect of temperature, altitude and seasonal conditions. The undisturbed natural vegetations revealed maximum spore numbers followed by cultivated and non-cultivated regions. Similarly, root colonization by VAM fungi was observed at higher levels in natural vegetations and cultivated sites in comparison to non-cultivated lands. The monthly and seasonal temperature varied and had considerable effect on VAM fungal population. The data obtained in the present study undoubtedly indicate that the sea-sonal variation in VAM fungi is significant with few exceptions. VAM fungi in medicinal plants differ in the manner and extent with which root colonization rate occurs and also differ in their capacity to form propagules. Most of the study reveals that host plant had much more effect on spore population. Number of spores also varied with the growing season of the host plant. During the present study most of the sites showed a general increase in spore number from Sep-Oct to Jan-Feb.

Heavy Metal Content in Soil and Medicinal Plants in High Traffic Urban Area

The heavy metals (Zn, Pb and Zn) concentrations in soil and medicinal plant samples from Aba city, Nigeria using atomic absorption spectrophotometer UNICAM 919 model was evaluated in a randomized complete block design. The results showed that there was a clear accumulation of metals in soil and medicinal plants in relation to vehicular emission in the city. A highest concentration of Zn (133.56±7.70 mg/kg) in soil was obtained from X2, Pb (29.71±1.56 mg/kg) and Cd (21.11±1.28 mg/kg) was in X5. The levels of Zn, Pb and Cd in soil were 15.85±18.03 - 133.56±7.70 mg/kg, 10.06±0.36 - 29.71±1.56 mg/kg and 1.07±0.08 - 21.11±1.28 mg/kg, respectively. In medicinal plants, the highest concentration of Zn was obtained in Azadiractha indica (34.58±2.07 mg/kg), Pb was in Psidium guajava (10.47±0.93 mg/kg) and levels of Zn, Pb and Cd were 9.02±1.40 - 34.58±2.07 mg/kg, 1.55±0.35 - 10.47±0.93 mg/kg and 0.02±0.0 - 1.44±0.11 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of metals in soil and medicinal plant were in decreasing order: Zn>Pb>Cd. Zinc in soil significantly correlated positively with Zn (0.956, p<0.01) and Cd (0.631, p<0.01) in plants; Pb in soil significantly correlated positively with Zn (0.825, p<0.01), Pb (0.810, p<0.01), Cd (0.578, p<0.05) in plants. The level of Cd in soil reflected significant pollution compared to concentrations in soils of urban cities in developing countries.

Diversity and distribution of medicinal plants in North Sinai, Egypt

The present study aims to assess plant diversity and distribution of medicinal plants in relation to environmental factors at three geomorphological districts (Mediterranean coast, anticlines, and inland) and five main habitats (salt marshes, sand dunes, sand plains, wadis, and gorges) in North Sinai. The results revealed that North Sinai harbors 281 species with high taxonomic diversity (species/genera = 1.49) and high percentage of rare and very rare species (67%). Mediterranean coastal district and anticlines district are more diverse than inland district. Medicinal plants constitute 43% of North Sinai flora. Species richness, Shannon-Weiner H, and Margalef indices measurements indicated that gorges are the most diverse habitat in North Sinai followed by wadis. Plains have intermediate diversity followed by sand dunes. The lowest diversity indices were recorded at salt marshes habitat. Beta diversity measurements, using Wilson and Schmida index (�T), indicated significant changes in floristic compositions between different habitats. The lowest changes were among sand plain, wadi, and gorge habitats. North Sinai habitats support about 100 to 120 medicinal plant associations. The main dominant species include Artemisia monosperma, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Lycium shawii, Retama raetam, Stipagrostis scoparia, Tamarix nilotica, Zygophyllum album, and Zygophyllum dumosum. Soil physical properties in addition to soil salinity and topographic variations are the main driving factors controlling the distribution of medicinal plants in North Sinai. About 60% of medicinal plants are threatened due to intensive collection and other human activities. The threatened medicinal plants including Acacia pachyceras, Acacia tortilis, Anastatica hierochuntica, Asclepias sinaica, Capparis spinosa, Chiliadenus montanus, Citrulus colocynthis, Ephedra alata, and Juniperus phoenicea along with their habitats should have the first priority in management and conservation plan of medicinal plants in North Sinai. Public and private involvement in management and utilization of medicinal plants in sustainable way is essential to combat human pressures on these valuable natural resources.

Traditional practices, beliefs and uses of medicinal plants in relation to maternal–baby health of Criollo woman in central Argentina

Objective to present information on traditional practices and medicinal uses of plants for treating health diseases related to the reproductive cycle of Criollo women living in the hills of the province of Córdoba; and to interpret these uses in the context of this population's folk medicine. Design data were collected during several field trips to the study area based on the guidelines of a research project that included ethnographic and ethnobotanical aspects of the study area. Setting a rural community of central Argentina. Participants a total of 62 peasants were interviewed on the basis of a semi-structured system. Repeated open and extensive interviews were also undertaken with seven women who had previously worked as midwives in areas of difficult access. Findings this study found that 12 different female diseases and complaints are treated using a total of 48 plant species belonging to 27 botanical families, with 71 different medicinal uses. The traditional beliefs and practices associated with maternal–baby health care in rural areas highlights the existing combination of principles reformulated from humoral medicine, the use of analogical reasoning, and ontological and functional interpretations of morbid processes. The principle of Hypocratical opposition and hot–cold categorisation are significant criteria that rule over the practices of mother and child health care during birth and puerperium. Implications for practice consequences of traditional knowledge on the health care of peasant women are discussed, based on the analysis of traditional practices from a peasant's point of view.