Plants Used for the Traditional Management of Cancer in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: A Review of Ethnobotanical Surveys, Ethnopharmacological Studies and Active Phytochemicals.

Cancer occurrence is rapidly increasing all over the world, including in developing countries. The current trend in cancer management requires the use of herbal remedies since the majority of anticancer drugs are known to be costly, with unwanted side effects. In the Eastern Cape province, the use of medicinal plants for cancer management has been climbing steadily over the past two decades due to their cultural belief, low cost, efficacy, and safety claims. With the aim of identifying some potential anticancer plants for probable drug development, this study was undertaken to review plants reported by ethnobotanical surveys in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa for the traditional management of cancer. Information regarding plants used for cancer management in the Eastern Cape province was obtained from multidisciplinary databases and ethnobotanical books. About 24 plant species belonging to twenty families have been reported to be used for the traditional management of cancer in the Eastern Cape province. Among the anticancer plant species, only 16 species have been explored scientifically for their anticancer activities. This review authenticated the use of anticancer plant species in the Eastern Cape province and, therefore, identified several promising unexplored species for further scientific evaluation.

Cytotoxic, Cellular Antioxidant, and Antiglucuronidase Properties of the Ethanol Leaf Extract from Bulbine asphodeloides.

Bulbine asphodeloides (L.) Spreng (Xanthorrhoeaceae family), popularly known in South Africa as "ibhucu" or "Balsamkopieva," is a perennial plant traditionally used to treat skin diseases, including sunburns, rough skin, dressing burns, itches, and aging. The present study reports the cytotoxic, cellular antioxidant, and antiglucuronidase properties of the ethanol leaf extract from B. asphodeloides. The cytotoxic effect of the plant extract on human dermal fibroblast (MRHF) cells was evaluated by the bis-Benzamide H 33342 trihydrochloride/propidium iodide (Hoechst 33342/PI) dual-staining method. A validated biological cell-based assay was used to determine the cellular antioxidant activity of the extract. The antiglucuronidase and metal chelating activities were evaluated using standard in vitro methods. Lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced RAW 264.7 cell model was used to determine the anti-inflammatory effect of the plant extract, and the immune-modulatory activity was performed using RAW 264.7 cells. The extract demonstrated no cytotoxic effect towards the MRHF cells at all the tested concentrations. Furthermore, the extract also possessed significant cellular antioxidant and antiglucuronidase activities, but a weak effect of metal chelating activity in a dose-dependent manner. However, the extract showed no significant anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulatory activities. Overall, the results showed that B. asphodeloides may be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of skin diseases, therefore supporting its ethnomedicinal usage.

Are plants used in the Eastern Cape province for cosmetics fully commercialized?

Plants have been used for years for various cosmetic purposes. In the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, a large proportion of the population reliant (to some extent) on botanical resources for beauty and health. Despite the use of these botanical resources for various cosmetic purposes, only a few have been fully commercialized or used as ingredients in cosmetic formulation. The present study aimed to review plant species that are fully explored commercially for cosmetic products in the Eastern Cape province. A survey of cosmetic products with plant-based ingredients was done covering the major supermarkets (SPAR, Shoprite, and Pick n Pay), cosmetic shops (Clicks), and pharmacies in the Eastern Cape province, and electronic databases including Embase, Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, SciFinder®, Springer, Science Direct, and Web of Science were used as data sources for ethnobotanical information. Surprisingly, out of 150 plant species used by both Xhosa men and women for various cosmeceutical purposes, only six plant species have been used commercially with regard to cosmeceutical application. These plants species belong to five major plant families, namely Lamiaceae (two species), Asphodelaceae (one species) Cucurbitaceae (one species), Oleaceae (one species), and Verbenaceae (one species). The findings revealed that the use of Eastern Cape plants for cosmetic purposes has not been fully explored commercially. Thus, there is a need for cosmeceutical industries to explore these species commercially in order to develop new possible cosmetic products for local and international markets.

In Vitro Antidiabetic Activity and Mechanism of Action of Brachylaena elliptica (Thunb.) DC.

In South Africa, the number of people suffering from diabetes is believed to be rising steadily and the current antidiabetic therapies are frequently reported to have adverse side effects. Ethnomedicinal plant use has shown promise for the development of cheaper, cost-effective antidiabetic agents with fewer side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic activity and mechanism of action of aqueous leaf extract prepared from Brachylaena elliptica. The potential of the extract for cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay in HepG2 cells. The effects of the plant extract on glucose utilization in HepG2 cells and L6 myotubes, triglyceride accumulation in 3T3-L1, INS-1 proliferation, glucose metabolism in INS-1 cells, and NO production in RAW macrophages were also investigated using cell culture procedures. The inhibitory effects of the extract on the activities of different enzymes including alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), collagenase, and CYP3A4 enzymes were evaluated. The extract also tested against protein glycation using standard published procedure. The plant extract displayed low level of toxicity, where both concentrations tested did not induce 50% cell death. The extract caused a significant increase in glucose uptake in HepG2 liver cells, with efficacy significantly higher than the positive control, berberine. The crude extract also displayed no significant effect on muscle glucose uptake, triglyceride accumulation in 3T3-L1, glucose metabolism in INS-1 cells, alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, DPP-IV, lipase, protein glycation, and collagenase compared to the respective positive controls. The extract displayed a proliferative effect on INS-1 cells at 25 µg/ml when compared to the negative control. The plant also produced a concentration-dependent reduction in NO production in RAW macrophages and also demonstrated weak significant inhibition on CYP3A4 activity. The findings provide evidence that B. elliptica possess antidiabetic activity and appear to exact its hypoglycemic effect independent of insulin.