Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activities of ethanol extracts of selected traditional Chinese medicinal herbs

Objective:To evaluate in ritro antimicrobial activities of selected 58 ethno-medicinal plant extracts with a view to assess their therapeutic potential.Methods:A total of 58 traditional Chinese medicinal plants were carefully selected based on the literature review and their traditional use.The antimicrobial activities of ethanol extracts of these medicinal plants were tested against fungi(Aspergillus funigaius),yeast(Candida albicans),gram-negative(Acirelobacter haumannii and Pseudornnruis aeruginosa)and gram-positive bacteria(Staphglococcus aureus).The activities were tested at three different concentrations of 1.00,0.10 and 0.01 mg/mL.The data was analysed using Gene data Screener program.Results:The measured antimicrobial activities indicated that out of the 58 plant extracts,15 extracts showed anti-fungal activity and 23 extracts exhibited anti-bacterial activity.Eight plant extracts have exhibited both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities.For instance,Eucommia ulmoides,Pohgonum cuspidcrtum,Poria cocas and Uncaria rhineophylla showed activity against both bacterial and fungal strains,indicating their broad spectrum of activity.Conclusions:The results revealed that the ethanol extracts of 30 plants out of the selected 58 possess significant antimicrobial activities.It is interesting to note that the findings from the current study are consistent with the traditional use.A clear correlation has also been found between the antimicrobial activity and the flavonoid content of the plant extracts which is in agreement with the literature.Hence.the results presented here can be used to guide the selection of potential plant species for the isolation and structure elucidation of novel antimicrobial compounds in order to establish the structure-activity relationship.This in turn is expected to lead the way to the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents for therapeutic use.

Effects of four Indian medicinal herbs on Isoniazid-, Rifampicin- and Pyrazinamide-induced hepatic injury and immunosuppression in guinea pigs

AIM: To evaluate and compare the hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory effects of Curcuma longa (CL), Ocimum sanctum (OS), Tinospora cordifolia (TC) and Zizyphus mauritiana (ZM) on liver injury and immunosuppression induced by Isoniazid (INH), Rifampicin (RIF) and Pyrazinamide (PZA). METHODS: Duncan Hartley guinea pigs, weighing 700-1050 g, were treated orally with 50 mg/kg of INH, 100 mg/kg of RIF and 300 mg/Kg of PZA for 21-d. 200 mg/kg (bw) of each herb crude extract was administered to the herb control group and 2-h previous to INH + RIF + PZA (AKT) doses to the Herb + AKT groups. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspertate aminotransferase (AST) bilirubin and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were assessed on d 0 and 21 in all the groups. Phagocytic % (P%), Phagocytic Index (PI) and Chemotactic Index (CI) were also measured as immunologic parameters. Histological analysis was carried out to assess injury to the liver. RESULTS: The AKT treated control group showed hepatotoxicity as judged by elevated serum AST 5-fold, AST/ALT ratio 4-fold, ALP 2-fold and hepatological changes, such as focal necrosis, portal triaditis and steatosis. Immune function was suppressed as judged by decreased P% (51.67 ?1.68 vs 40.61 ?1.28, P < 0.01), PI (2.0725±0.05 vs 0.61±0.05, P < 0.001) and CI (1.8525±0.04 vs 0.695±0.07, P < 0.001). All four herb treated groups showed normal liver histology, enzyme levels and increased P%, while PI and CI were enhanced in the TC and ZM treated groups, respectively. CL + AKT, TC + AKT and ZM + AKT showed nearly normal histology with minimal inflammation and microvesicular steatosis, while OS + AKT showed partial protection. Hepatotoxicity was prevented by restricting the rise of AST by 2-fold in CL + AKT and TC + AKT groups and by 3-fold in OS + AKT and ZM + AKT groups, AST/ALT by 2-fold and ALP to normal levels in all four groups. All four herb + AKT groups showed normal to enhanced neutrophil function. CONCLUSION: All four herbs showed hepatoprotective potential and prevented immunosuppression. CL and TC showed the highest hepatoprotective activity, while TC and ZM showed strong immunostimulatory activity.