Antimicrobial, antioxidant activities, and total phenolic contents of Pycnanthus angolensis Sap and Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root extracts.

The death of many people in tropical countries can be attributed to microbial infection, probably, because synthetic antibiotics are failing in the treatment of most microbial infections, attributed to the ability of the microorganisms to mutate and adapt to harsh conditions. This study evaluated, in vitro, the antimicrobial activities, antioxidant potentials, and the total phenolic as well as phytochemical contents of aqueous and ethanol extracts of the root of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) and the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw) using selected standard bacteria strains (Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25,923), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (ATCC 15,305), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25,922), Salmonella typhi (ATCC 19,430), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27,853), and Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 49,565). The modified agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of the plant extracts. Chloramphenicol and tetracycline were used as positive controls. The extracts were screened for specific phytochemicals with total phenolic contents were determined using Folin Ciocalteu reagent test. The phytoconstituents observed were alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and saponins in both Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Pycnanthus angolensis. For the antimicrobial activities, all the test bacteria were susceptible to the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis except Proteus mirabilis. In the case of the Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, only S. aureus was susceptible to both aqueous and ethanol extracts. The total phenolic content, expressed in g/100 g GAE, recorded values of 55.427 ± 4.248 for the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis, and 11.642 ± 4.248 and 26.888 ± 4.248 for the aqueous and ethanol extracts of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, respectively. It is concluded that Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Pycnanthus angolensis are excellent candidates for further development of antimicrobial agents in the fight against microbial infections given the pressing need for novel efficacious agents.

Evaluation of the Modulatory Effect of Annona muricata Extracts on the Activity of Some Selected Antibiotics against Biofilm-Forming MRSA.

The study investigated the influence of Annona muricata extracts on the action of selected antibiotics against biofilm-forming MRSA. The various parts of the plant were processed into powder and extracted with ethanol or hot water and then screened for the presence of phytochemicals. The modulatory effect of the Annona muricata extract was also tested on some antibiotics against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The findings from this study revealed that the various parts of the Annona muricata extract (ethanolic and aqueous) contained different proportions of secondary metabolites. Varied antimicrobial activities were observed when the extract of the A. muricata was exposed to MRSA strain at a concentration of 100 mg/mL. The stem recorded the highest (17.00 and 18.00 mm) inhibitory activity against MRSA for both the aqueous and the ethanolic extract, respectively, and this was not different from the control, tetracycline. Again, the results on the modulatory action indicated that out of the 10 extracts of A. muricata, 4 of them antagonized the activity of ampicillin against the tested MRSA by a factor of 0.5 folds and the rest potentiated the drug within 1-4 folds, respectively. On the other hand, the various test extracts significantly potentiated the efficacy of streptomycin and tetracycline against the MRSA by a range of 1-32 folds with the aqueous root extract recording the highest synergistic effect and ethanol seed extract with the least effect. The findings of this study support the antibacterial activities of the A. muricata plant parts.

Parasitaemia estimation and prediction of hepatocellular dysfunction among Ghanaian children with acute malaria using haemoglobin levels.

Malaria is an important global health disease which puts individuals, particularly children, at a greater risk of mortality. Plasmodium falciparum is distinguished from the rest of the Plasmodia by its high level of parasitaemia. They infect liver cells (hepatocytes), and multiply into merozoites and rupture liver cells in the process, prior to infection of red blood cells. This study sought to estimate the extent to which P. falciparum parasitaemia correlates with hepatocellular dysfunction among Ghanaian children suffering from acute malaria in three malaria endemic districts in Ashanti Region and to predict liver dysfunction from the estimation of haemoglobin (HB) levels. A prospective uncontrolled before- and after study was conducted among under five years children with acute malaria (n = 300) and a control group (n = 20) within the same age brackets. The serum activities of liver enzymes such as aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) were measured in patients and control subjects. The study observed an inverse relationship between mean HB and parasitaemia (mean HB level of 10.34 ± 0.14 versus parasitaemia <10,000 parasites/µL as against 8.06 ± 0.16 versus parasitaemia ≥10,000 parasites/µL). The mean levels of AST, ALT, ALP and GGT were higher (p < 0.0001) in the serum of the infected children before treatment compared with post treatment. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was applied to establish that HB level at 10.9 g/dL predicted liver dysfunction with the area under the curve (AUC) being 0.75 ± 0.03 (P < 0.0001). The parasitaemia estimation and prediction of hepatocellular dysfunction in Ghanaian children with acute malaria could be done via HB levels.