In Vitro Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Activities Of Alchornea Cordifolia (SCHUMACH And Thonn.) Mull. Arg. And Antrocaryon Klaineanum Pierre Extracts

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts recipe of Alchornea cordifolia and Antrocaryon klaineanum. A preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out. Methods: The total phenols content was determined by the Folin Ciocalteu reagent method, while the antioxidant activity of both extracts was characterized by the 2-2diphenyl-1-picrilhidrazil (DPPH) and β-carotene assays. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was evaluated as the inhibition of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) denaturation and antiproteinase activity. Results: The aqueous extracts of Alchornea cordifolia and Antrocaryon klaineanum contained more polyphenols [270 mg Ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g dry weight (dw)] than the hydroethanolic recipe extract (262.41 mg AAE/g dw) at the same concentration level. On the other hand, the aqueous and hydroethanolic recipe extract had the same radical scavenging activity with the antiradical power of 0.851 and 0.830, respectively. Similarly, the recipe extract had the same reducing activity with reducing the power of 94.2±2.03 mg EAA/g dw and 97.4±4.16 mg EAA/g dw for the aqueous and hydroethanolic recipe extract of Alchornea cordifolia and Antrocaryon klaineanum respectively. For the anti-inflammatory activity it was observed that both extracts possess the same activity as Diclofenac® with an IC50 of 50.21 μg/ml. The phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, phenols and tannins, which may account for their activities. Conclusion: The plant recipe extract studied possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials, which may be beneficiary to its consumers.

Prophylactic and Curative Potency of Alchornea laxiflora Extract on Plasmodium berghei Infected Swiss Albino Mice

Background:Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in Nigeria and in Africa at large as everyone is at risk of the infection. Objectives: This study was carried out to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of Alchornea laxiflora leaf extracts against Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Materials and Methods:In vivoantimalarial assay on chloroquine-sensitive P. berghei-infected mice was carried out by oral administration of graded doses (200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 600mg/kg) of methanolic and chloroform extracts using chloroquine and distilled water as positive and negative control respectively. Prophylactic potential in residual infection and curative assay against established infectionwere tested in P. berghei-infected mice. The assay was performed using 4-day suppressive standard test. Results:The prophylactic efficacy of methanolic and chloroform leaf extacts showed percentage chemosuppression of 72.37% and 66.32% respectively at oral dose of 600mg/kg. The methanol leaf extract of A. laxifloradisplayed the highest curative activity of percentage chemosuppression of 98.36% at oral dose of 600mg/kg. The extracts displayed dose-dependent significant (p ≤ 0.05 antiplasmodial activity as compared to the control. Haematological analysis revealed an increase in packed cell volume, red blood cell, haemoglobin and white blood cell counts on dose-dependent manner in the treated mice compared to the negative control mice. Conclusion:The high suppressive values obtained in this study show that the tested leaf extracts of Alchornea laxiflora might be a good alternative drug for the treatment of malaria infection in Nigeria.

Medicinal plants from the genus Alchornea (Euphorbiaceae): a review of their ethnopharmacology uses and phytochemistry / Plantas Medicinales del género Alchornea (Euphorbiaceae): Review de los usos etnofarmacológicos y fitoquímicos

The genus Alchornea compromises 55 accepted and other two unresolved species (Alchornea acerifera Croizat and Alchornea oblonga Müll. Arg.) which well various ecosystems over all the continents, with a special pantropical distribution. Numerous reports of ethnopharmacological uses of species belonging this genus exist mainly in Africa and Brazil, to treat different inflammatory and infectious diseases: arthritis, dysentery, infectious diseases, inflammation, intestinal disorders, fractures, leprosy, malaria, management of ringworm affections, muscle pain, rheumatism and ulcer. The genus Alchornea, contains different secondary metabolites and they have been reported such as: Alkaloids, terpenes and steroids, phenolic acid, saponins, principaly. The aim of the present review is to provide gathered and organized information with pharmacological, toxicological, traditional and phytochemical traits of plants from the Alchornea genus in order to define the biological potential of the genus and to define a state-of-art-platform stating the perspectives for further pharmacological/chemotaxonomical studies.

El género Alchornea comprende 55 especies aceptadas y otras dos especies por confirmar (Alchornea acerifera Croizat y Alchornea oblonga Müll. Arg.) qué habitan en diversos ecosistemas en todos los continentes, con una distribución pantropical especial. Existen numerosos reportes de usos ethnofarmacologicos de especies que pertenecen a este género en Africa y Brasil, en el tratamiento de diferentes enfermedades inflamatorias e infecciosas: la artritis, la disentería, los desórdenes intestinales, las fracturas, la lepra, la malaria, dolor del músculo, reumatismo y úlcera. En el género Alchornea, se han reportado diversos tipos de metabolitos secundarios tales como: alcaloides, terpenos y esteroides, ácidos fenolicos, saponinas, principalmente. El objetivo de esta revisión fue de compendiar y organizar la información farmacológica, toxicológica, de usos tradicionales y de fitocompuestos de plantas del género de Alchornea en el orden de definir el potencial biológico del género y establecer la plataforma del estado-de-arte con las perspectivas de los futuros estudios farmacológico/quimiotaxonómicos que se podrían realizar.

The Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) Muell. Arg Inhibits the Development of Dyslipidaemia and Hyperglycaemia in Dexamethasone-Induced Diabetic Rats.

Poor lipid and glucose regulation increases the risk for the development of major cardiovascular diseases and other organ damage. The study evaluated the serum glucose and lipid lowering effects of the 70% (v/v) ethanolic leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia (ALC) using the dexamethasone-induced diabetic rat model. Thirty six female Sprague-Dawley rats (180-200g; n=6) were rendered hyperglycaemic with dexamethasone (10 mg/kg, sc) once daily for 8 days except the normal control. Each group received either normal saline 0.5 ml/rat, ALC (250 mg/kg, p.o. or 500 mg/kg, p.o.), glibenclamide (5 mg/kg, p.o.) or atorvastatin (5mg/kg, p.o.) as treatment once daily for 8 days. Fasting blood glucose (FBS) readings were recorded at baseline, day 4, 6 and 9. Blood was collected for the estimation of serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) on day 9. The diabetic control group had significantly raised FBS levels (8.20 ± 1.04 mmol/l; ***p<0.001). Glibenclamide (5.20 ± 0.29; ***p<0.001) and the extracts [(ALC 250 mg/kg, p.o.; (5.35 ± 0.95 mmol/l); *p<0.05); ALC 500 mg/kg, p.o.; (5.98 ± 1.12 mmol/l); *p<0.05)] prevented an increase in FBS level. The herbal extracts also reduced the level of serum lipids of rats treated. The 70% (v/v) ethanolic leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia has some potential for use in lipid and glucose control.

The Effects of Extracts of Christmas Bush (Alchornea cordefolia) on Sickle Cell Hemoglobin.

The study aims at determining the antisicking effectiveness of the extracts of the leaves of a herbal medicinal plant Alchornea cordefolia. The plant is widely distributed in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The study is designed to involve phytochemical exploration, the nutrient and mineral compositions, the free amino acid, ascorbic acid and the amino acid constituents. Apart from these, the rates of sickle cell hemoglobin polymerization were assayed with different fractions of extracts and compared with the control to ascertain their antisickling effectiveness. Sickle cell blood samples were donated by a total of forty patients (25 males and 15 females) of ages (17-32 years) whose sickle cell status were confirmed by electrophoresis of sickle cell blood by staff of the hematology unit of the centre . The donors were co-opted into the study by the personnel of the sickle cell unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Nigeria. The determination of the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio was to assess the oxygen affinity of sickle cells or drepanocytes. The antisickling properties of leaf extracts of Christmas bush (Alchornea cordefolia) were investigated. Results from phytochemical analysis of crude aqueous extract (CAE) revealed the presence of flavonoids (4.2±0.1%), alkaloids (5.7±0.12%), saponins (4.60±0.10%), tannins (6.50±0.1%), phenol (3.0±0.10%) and oxalate (5.47±0.1%). Proximate composition showed the following results: moisture (11.05±0.0%), ash (6.8±0.1%), crude fat (6.03±0.0%), protein (6.10±0.0%), fiber (24.5±0.2%) and carbohydrates (44.50±0.2%). Assay of mineral composition, revealed a preponderance of such, which include: Potassium (150.30 mg/100g), Sodium (228.20 mg/100g), Calcium (1.60 mg/100g), Magnesium (2.40 mg/100g) and Phosphorus (1.00 mg/100g) of dry weight of sample. The determination of the antisickling effects of the extracts of Alchornea cordifolia was assessed based on the inhibition of sickle cell hemoglobin polymerization and the improvement of Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio. Fifty grams (50 g) of the powdered sample was used for the batch extraction procedures with chloroform, methanol, butanol and distilled water to obtain the fat soluble fraction (FAS), the butanol soluble(BUS) and water soluble fractions (WAS) respectively. The FAS, BUS and WAS fractions exhibited profound antisickling effectiveness by inhibiting the HbSS polymerization to varying degrees from (47.50% for the BUS to 98.12% for the WAS fractions respectively in 20 min. The WAS and FAS fractions improved the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio remarkably, except the BUS fraction . Thin layer chromatographic (TLC) analysis revealed the following amino acids - Phenylalanine, Alanine, Glutamate, Histidine, etc. The total free amino acid concentration of the fractions were as follows: the FAS (526.8 mg/100g); the WAS (79.33mg/100 g and the BUS (15.65 mg/100 g). The total vitamin C concentration was found to be 1929.18 mg/100 g of sample. Alchornea cordefolia leaf extracts, with the preponderance of micro and macronutrients, vitamins, amino acids and others, may be very beneficial for the management of sickle cell disease.

Antistaphylococcal Activity of N-Butanol and Aqueous Sub-Fractions of Alchornea cordifolia Leaves.

Aims: To carry out the antistaphylococcal activity of n-butanol and aqueous sub-fractions of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. And Thonn.) Müll. Arg. leaf extract against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Study Design: Characterization and antibiotic susceptibility determination of the test S. aureus isolates, extraction of A. cordifolia leaf, partitioning of the extract, Zones of inhibition and Minimum Inhibitory and Bactericidal Concentrations determination. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. February 2010 to October 2011. Methodology: A. cordifolia leaves were collected from Abuja, Nigeria. The activity of the ethanol extract, N-butanol (NSF) and aqueous (ASF) sub-fractions of the plant leaf against five clinical staphylococcal isolates and the standard Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591 were determined using agar-well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined by the Kirby- Bauer-CLSI modified disc agar diffusion technique (DAD). Results: The diameter zones of inhibition showed by ethanol extract against the test staphylococcal isolates ranged between 12 mm - 26 mm, while the diameter zones of inhibition observed from N-butanol sub-fraction and aqueous sub-fraction against the isolates were between 11 mm - 36.5 mm and 11 mm - 35 mm respectively. The diameter zones of inhibition of the sub-fractions against the standard MRSA ATCC 33591 ranged from 11 mm – 27.5 mm. The diameter zones of inhibition of the test antibiotics ranged from 10 mm to 23 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (M. I. C.) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (M. B. C.) values produced by ethanol extract were higher than those of the sub-fractions. N-butanol sub-fraction produced the lowest M. I. C and M. B. C. values of 0.625 mg/ml – 1.25 mg/ml and 1.25 mg/ml – 2.5 mg/ml respectively. The M. I. C. and M. B. C. values of the N-butanol sub-fraction against the standard strain ATCC 33591 were 1.25 mg/ml and 2.5 mg/ml respectively. Conclusion: The tested N-butanol and aqueous sub-fractions of A. cordifolia leaf were active against the S. aureus strains at low concentrations. The plant can be a possible candidate in the search for alternative antistaphylococcal agents.

Antimicrobial Activity of the Aqueous and Ethyl Acetate Sub-Fractions of Alchornea cordifolia Leaf.

Aims: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of ethyl acetate and residual aqueous fractions of the methanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia leaf against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600, Escherichia coli ATCC 11775 and Candida albicans ATCC 18804 in comparison to standard antibiotics. Study design: Extraction of Alchornea cordifolia leaf, partitioning of the extract, susceptibility tests (Zones of inhibition) and Minimum Inhibitory and Bactericidal Concentrations determination. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicinal Plant Research and Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Idu – Abuja, Nigeria and Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, July and October. Methodology: The leaves of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) Muell. Arg. were collected, dried at room temperature and extracted with methanol using a soxhlet extractor. The methanol extract was partitioned between ethyl acetate and distilled water to obtain an ethyl acetate sub-fraction (EAF) and an aqueous residual fraction (AF). Agar well diffusion and agar dilution methods according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) were used to test the antimicrobial activity of the ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions of Alchornea cordifolia against the above mentioned microbial species. Results: Both fractions; ethyl acetate and residual aqueous fractions of the methanol extract showed antimicrobial activity against the standard organisms viz: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600, Escherichia coli ATCC 11775 and Candida albicans ATCC 18804. The highest activity was observed for the ethyl acetate fraction against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600 with zone of inhibition of 27 mm, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (M.I.C) of 1.25 mg/ml and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (M. B. C) of 2.5mg/ml. Conclusion: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600, Escherichia coli ATCC 11775 and Candida albicans ATCC 18804 were susceptible to the ethyl acetate sub-fraction and residual aqueous fractions of the methanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia leaf.

Mutagenicity of two species of the genus Alchornea measured by Salmonella microsome assay and micronucleus test / Mutagenicidade de duas espécies do gênero Alchornea avaliadas através de ensaios com Salmonella microssomo e teste do micronúcleo

Some species of the plant genus Alchornea (family Euphorbiaceae) are widely used in popular medicine, mainly in South America and in Africa. Several kinds of biological activity have been seen in the species: antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, cytotoxic against tumor cell lines and inhibitory to the replication of HIV-1 and HIV-2. In Brazil, the species Alchornea castaneaefolia Willd. A. Juss. and Alchornea glandulosa Poepp. & Endl. are used by the local population to treat rheumatism, arthritis and muscular pains. In view of the popular use of these plants as medicines and the potential risks from their consumption, we assessed the mutagenic potential of chloroform and methanol extracts of the leaves of these plant species, employing the in vivo micronucleus test and the Ames assay. The data obtained showed that the chloroform extracts were not mutagenic. The methanol extract of A. castaneaefolia was mutagenic to strain TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium and the methanol extract of A. glandulosa to strains TA98 and TA97a. The methanol extracts of both species of Alchornea were mutagenic in vivo at the largest dose employed. The probable mutagenic agents involved were the aglycone quercetin and amentoflavone, present in both species.

Algumas espécies de plantas do gênero Alchornea (Euphorbiaceae) são conhecidas por apresentarem as atividades biológicas: antioxidante, antifúngica, antiinflamatória, antibacteriana, citotóxica para células tumorais e inibidoras da replicação dos vírus HIV-1 e HIV-2. São também amplamente usadas na medicina popular na America do Sul e África. No Brasil, Alchornea castaneaefolia Willd. A. Juss. e Alchornea glandulosa Poepp. & Endl. são usadas para tratamento do reumatismo, artrite e dores musculares. Devido ao uso medicinal dessas plantas e o potencial risco do seu consumo indiscriminado, no presente trabalho foi avaliada a atividade mutagênica dos extratos metanólico e clorofórmico das folhas, empregando o teste do micronúcleo in vivo e o teste de Ames. Os resultados mostraram que o extrato clorofórmico não apresentou mutagenicidade, porém, o extrato metanólico de A. castaneaefolia foi mutagênico para a linhagem TA98 de Salmonella typhimurium e o extrato metanólico de A. glandulosa para as linhagens TA98 e TA97a. O extrato metanólico de ambas as espécies também apresentaram mutagenicidade positiva nos ensaios in vivo na maior concentração usada. Os prováveis agentes mutagênicos envolvidos foram a quercetina aglicona e amentoflavona presentes em ambas as espécies.