Ethnobotany Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.136.59.112:4000/handle/123456789/135

Browse

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Antimicrobial activity of South African Podocarpus species
(2008-06-28) Abdillahi, H.S.; Stafford, G.I.; Finnie, J.F.; Staden, J. Van
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Several species of Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae) are utilized in treating ailments across the world. In Africa, four species are used traditionally in both animal and human health Aim of the study: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of Podocarpus species against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans. Materials and methods: Six solvents of varying polarity were used for extraction. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the microdilution bioassay and for antifungal activity, the microdilution bioassay and (M27-P) broth dilution were used. Results: All species exhibited antimicrobial activity with MIC values of less than 1 mg/ml. Inhibition against Gram-positive bacteriawas stronger with an MIC value of 98 g/ml while for Gram-negative bacteria, the highest inhibitionwas against Klebsiella pneumoniae with an MIC value of 0.33 mg/ml. All species exhibited strong antifungal activity with the best MIC being 30 g/ml after 48 h. Conclusions: All four species exhibited strong inhibition against all tested microbials, based on Aligiannis et al. [Aligiannis, N., Kalpotzakis, E., Mitaku, S., Chinou, I.B., 2001. Composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of two Origanum species. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 40, 4168–4170] classification they can be classified as strong inhibitors.
Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Podocarpus sensu latissimo (s.l.)
(Elsevier, 2009-09-02) Abdillahi, H. S.; Stafford, G.I.; Finnie, J.F.; Staden, J.Van
The genus Podocarpus sensu latissimo (s.l.) was initially subdivided into eight sections. However, based on new information from different morphological and anatomical studies, these sections were recognised as new genera. This change in nomenclature sometimes is problematic when consulting ethnobotanical data especially when selecting plants for pharmacological screening, thus there is a need to clear any ambiguity with the nomenclature. Species of Podocarpus s.l. are important timber trees in their native areas. They have been used by many communities in traditional medicine and as a source of income. Podocarpus s.l. is used in the treatment of fevers, asthma, coughs, cholera, distemper, chest complaints and venereal diseases. Other uses include timber, food, wax, tannin and as ornamental trees. Although extensive research has been carried out on species of Podocarpus s.l over the last decade, relatively little is known about the African species compared to those of New Zealand, Australia, China and Japan. Phytochemical studies have led to the isolation and elucidation of various terpenoids and nor- and bisnorditerpenoid dilactones. Biflavonoids of the amentoflavone and hinokiflavone types have also been isolated. Nor- and bis-norditerpenes are said to be taxonomic markers for this genus. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shown antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, larvicidal, plant and insect growth regulation activities. Various studies have yielded important natural bioactive products and two of them are worth mentioning. Taxol, a significant anticancer agent has been isolated from Podocarpus gracilior and totarol, a diterpenoid isolated from various species and now commercially produced as a potent antibacterial and antioxidant agent. Findings from this review supports the use of an ethnobotanical and chemotaxonomical approach in selecting plants for pharmacological screening since most of the species in the differentmorphological groups have similar uses. Also the isolated compounds have chemotaxonomic value amongst the groups. Some of the biological activities identified from extracts and compounds isolated from Podocarpus s.l. support the rationale behind the medicinal uses of these species.