RESUMO
Plants used in traditional medicine in Bukoba Rural district in Tanzania were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Plant materials from eight plant species (Harungana madagascariensis (Lam) Poir., Jatropha curcas L., Lantana trifolia L., Plectranthus barbatus Andr., Pseudospondias microcarpa Engl., Psorospermum febrifugum Spach, Teclea nobilis Del. and Vernonia adoensis [Warp.] SL) were collected based on ethnomedical information provided by traditional herbal practitioners. Results of the study indicate that extracts from the eight plant species were active against at least one or more of the test organisms (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus [gram positive], Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa [gram negative] and Candida albicans [Yeast]). A profile of secondary metabolites (alkaloids, terpenoids, triterpenes, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, flavonols/flavones and /or chalcones, sterols and saponins) was obtained for three plant species (Jatropha curcas L., Plectranthus barbatus Andr., and Pseudospondias microcarpa Engl.). The paper discusses the probable therapeutic basis of these traditional plants based on their secondary metabolite profiles and for the first time draws research attention to Bukoba Rural district as a source for plants with potential pharmaceutical applications.
RESUMO
The effect of kadosero; a crude mineral used by traditional healers as a supplement to plant extracts against microbial infections was evaluated. A sample of kadosero from a local market was both analyzed for its basic composition and its role on bioactivity of plant extract. Titrimetric; Gravimetric and Atomic Absorption Spectrometric analyses were used to determine contents of the mineral kadosero. Disc Diffusion Assay was used for bioactivity screening in-vitro. Chemical analysis of kadosero revealed the presence of (0.0038mg/g); Fe2 (0.0027mg/g); Cl- (232.683mg/g) and Na+ (151.25mg/g). In-vitro tests revealed that supplementing extract of Balanites aegyptiaca with a mineral kadosero by using untreated well water reduced number of bacterial from 100 colony forming units to nil at a mass of a mineral between 60-100 mg. On the other hand; a mineral kadosero did not increase bioactivity of the extract of B. aegyptiaca against the test microbes in agar disc diffusion assay. This was attributed by interaction between the mineral kadosero and nutrient agar medium. The crude mineral kadosero can be supplemented to other plant extracts used locally for treatment of general bacterial infections for increased bioactivity. Further study is recommended to determine mechanisms for bacterial vulnerability to this mineral supplement
