ABSTRACT
Aim: This study investigates the wound healing activity of ethanol leaf extract of Erythrina senegalensis using excision wound model on albino rats. Methodology: Several herbal extract formulations were prepared with Petroleum Jelly ointment base. Cicatrin® powder (neomycin-bacitracin) was used as the positive control. The various ointment formulations were applied topically on the wounds daily for 21 days. Daily wound contraction and epithelialisation times were recorded for each group. The antibacterial activity of the extract was also evaluated against some bacteria species implicated in wound infections. The following test organisms were used: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Results: The Phytochemical analysis revealed that alkaloids were abundant in the extract. The herbal ointment at various concentrations showed significant (P<.05) increase in percentage wound contraction on day 9 – 21 compared with the control group that received only the ointment base. The contraction produced by 40% w/w of the extract was similar to that of Cicatrin® powder on day 6 – 21. The results also revealed significant (P<.05) reduction in epithelialisation time exhibited by the extract treated animals compared to those of the control group. The result of antimicrobial studies showed that the extract inhibited the test organisms at concentrations ranging from 200 to 12.5 mg/mL. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of the extract on the test isolates was recorded at 25mg/mL for both S. aureus and E. coli and 6.25mg/ml for K. pneumoniae. P. aeruginosa showed no susceptibility to both the extract and the control drug at the concentrations evaluated. Conclusion: The marked reduction of wound size and epithelialisation time by the extract is an indication of its wound healing potentials. Also, the antibacterial activity of this plant against bacterial species implicated in wound infections may contribute to the enhanced wound healing activity.
ABSTRACT
Aim: The study aimed at assessing the in vivo anti-plasmodial activity of aqueous extracts from Erythrina senegalensis and Khaya ivorensis, two plants used traditionally as bark decoctions in Cameroon to prevent and cure malaria. Methodology: The antiplasmodial activity of aqueous extracts of E. senegalensis and K. ivorensis was investigated using a murine malaria model (Plasmodium berghei / Anopheles stephensi / BALB/c mice), applying a protocol for assessing the prophylactic potential of the remedy. Treatments were administered orally to BALB/c mice for 9 days at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day. Mice were challenged on day 3 of treatment by exposure to P. berghei infected mosquitoes. The impact on parasitaemia was assessed on thin blood smears prepared on day 7 after exposure to infective bites. The acute toxicity of the plant extracts was tested according to the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD guidelines 423). Results: The plant extracts showed antiplasmodial activity, reducing parasitaemia by 40.4% to 56.3%, according to the extract. In particular, a combination of the two extracts at the dose of 100 mg/kg each provided a reduction of parasitaemia in treated mice by more than 50%, as compared to controls. The extract of E. senegalensis when used alone at 200 mg/kg/day reduced the parasitaemia by 40.3% +/- 7.2%, doubling the dosage increased parasite suppression to 56.3% +/- 5.1%. Toxicity studies yielded comforting results: up to a dosage of 2000 mg/kg no mortality occurred in treated mice. Also, animals treated during the antiplasmodial experiments did not reveal signs of toxicity and remained in good conditions up to the end of the experiments. Conclusion: The results suggest that the combination of E. senegalensis and K. ivorensis could be a valid plant combination for the preparation of a standardized, effective and affordable remedy against malaria, in particular for Cameroonian communities with limited access to modern drugs.