Nowadays, essential oils are recognized as safe substances and can be used as antibacterial additives. Salvia sclarea is one of the most important aromatic plants cultivated world-wide as a source of essential oils. In addition to being flavoring foods, Salvia sclarea essential oil can also act as antimicrobials and preservatives against food spoilage. Understanding more about the antibacterial performance and possible mechanism of Salvia sclarea essential oil will be helpful for its application in the future. But so far few related researches have been reported. In our study, Salvia sclarea oil showed obvious antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) of seven pathogens were 0.05 and 0.1 % respectively. In addition, Salvia sclarea oil also exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and meats. After treated with Salvia sclarea oil, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images can clearly see the damage of cell membrane; the intracellular ATP concentrations of E. coli and S. aureus reduced 98.27 and 69.61 % respectively, compared to the control groups; the nuclear DNA content of E. coli and S. aureus was significantly reduced to 48.32 and 50.77 % respectively. In addition, there was massive leakage of cellular material when E. coli and S. aureus were exposed to Salvia sclarea oil. Salvia sclarea essential oil damaged the cell membrane and changed the cell membrane permeability, leading to the release of some cytoplasm such as macromolecular substances, ATP and DNA. In general, the antimicrobial action of Salvia sclarea essential oil is not only attributable to a unique pathway, but also involves a series of events both on the cell surface and within the cytoplasm. Therefore, more experiments need to be done to fully understand the antimicrobial mechanism of Salvia sclarea essential oil.

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Antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of Salvia sclarea essential oil

Respiratory ailments are major human killers, especially in developing countries. Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease causing a threat to human healthcare. Many South African plants are used in the traditional treatment of TB and related symptoms, but there has not been a sufficient focus on evaluating their antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of plants used traditionally to treat TB and related symptoms against microorganisms (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium aurum A+) associated with respiratory infections using the microdilution assay. Ten plants were selected based on a survey of available literature of medicinal plants used in South Africa for the treatment of TB and related symptoms. The petroleum ether, dichloromethane, 80% ethanol, and water extracts of the selected plants were evaluated for antibacterial activity. Out of 68 extracts tested from different parts of the 10 plant species, 17 showed good antimicrobial activities against at least one or more of the microbial strains tested, with minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 0.195 to 12.5 mg/mL. The good antimicrobial properties of Abrus precatorius, Terminalia phanerophlebia, Indigofera arrecta, and Pentanisia prunelloides authenticate their traditional use in the treatment of respiratory diseases. Thus, further pharmacological and phytochemical analysis is required.

https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/840719.pdf

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Extracts from Plants Used Traditionally in South Africa to Treat Tuberculosis and Related Symptoms

Resistance of bacteria and fungi to antibiotics is one of the biggest problems that faces public health. The present work was designated to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of saponins from Melanthera elliptica and their synergistic effects with standard antibiotics against pathogenic phenotypes. The plant extract was prepared by maceration in methanol. The methanol extract was partitioned into ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts. Column chromatography of the n-butanol extract followed by purification of different fractions led to the isolation of four saponins. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectra analysis, and by comparison with those from the literature. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts/compounds alone and their combinations with tetracycline and fluconazole were evaluated using the broth microdilution method through the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum microbicidal concentration. Four compounds: 3-O-β-d-glucuronopyranosyl-oleanolic acid (1), 3-O-β-d-glucuronopyranosyloleanolic acid 28-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (2), 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl(1 → 2)-β-d-glucuronopyranosyl oleanolic acid (3) and 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl(1 → 2)-β-d-glucuronopyranosyl oleanolic acid 28-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (4) were isolated. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 showed the largest antibacterial activities (MIC = 8–128 μg/mL) whereas compound 4 displayed the highest antifungal activities (MIC = 8–16 μg/mL). The antibacterial activities of compounds 1 and 2 (MIC = 16–32 μg/mL) against multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli S2 (1) and Shigella flexneri SDINT are equal to those of vancomycin (MIC = 16–32 μg/mL) used as reference antibiotic. The present study showed significant antimicrobial activity of compounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 against the tested microorganisms. The saponins act in synergy with the tested standard antibiotics. This synergy could lead to new options for the treatment of infectious diseases and emerging drug resistance.

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Antimicrobial activities of saponins from Melanthera elliptica and their synergistic effects with antibiotics against pathogenic phenotypes

Twelve medicinal plants and a commercially used drug Ivermectin were examined for insecticidal activity against Melophagus ovinus sheep ked at different time intervals using in vitro adult immersion test. The findings show that at 3.13 µL/mL, 6.25 µL/mL and 12.5 µL/mL concentration of Cymbopogon citratus, Foeniculum vulgare and Eucalyptus globulus essential oils respectively, recorded 100% mortalities against M. ovinus within 3 hour of exposure. Significantly higher insecticidal activity of essential oils was recorded (P = 0.00) when compared to 10  μ g/mL Ivermectin after 3-hour exposure of M. ovinus at a concentration of ≥1.57  μ L/mL, ≥3  μ L/mL, and ≥12.7  μ L/mL essential oils of C. citratus, F. vulgare, and E. globulus, respectively. Among essential oils, C. citratus has showed superior potency at a three-hour exposure of the parasite (P = 0.00) at a concentration of ≥0.78  μ L/mL. Strong antiparasitic activity was recorded by aqueous extract of Calpurnia aurea (80% mortality) at a concentration of 200 mg/mL within 24 h among aqueous extracts of 9 medicinal plants. The results indicated all the four medicinal plants, particularly those tested essential oils, can be considered as potential candidates for biocontrol of M. ovinus sheep ked.

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Insecticidal Activity of Some Traditionally Used Ethiopian Medicinal Plants against Sheep Ked Melophagus ovinus

Miombo woodlands cover about two thirds of Mozambique national territory. They provide a wide collection of goods and services to the formal and informal economies. A review on the traditional uses of 15 Miombo tree species in human and animal health, as well as the status of research towards the identification of bioactive compounds is presented. Among the 15 species selected, 12 have been screened for their biological activity and/or pharmacological properties and/or toxicity. The information gathered in this work is a key to further exploit potential new uses and future opportunities for research and valorization of the selected species.

	Key words: Ethnobotanical, medicinal plants, Miombo woodlands, non timber forest products.

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Woody species from the Mozambican Miombo woodlands: A review on their ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological potential

Purpose: To evaluate the antibacterial potentials of fourteen ethnobotanically selected plants traditionally used in different parts of Cote d’Ivoire for the treatment of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal disorders. Method: The antimicrobial activity of the extracts of the plant was tested against a collection strain of Salmonella typhimurium, a clinical strain of Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by macrobroth dilution method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. Results: All the plants had bactericidal activity against at least one of the test microorganisms with both MIC and MBC ranging from 2.5 to > 80 mg/ml. Among the plant extracts, Terminalia glaucescens . (Combretaceae) Bersama abyssinica subsp. paullinioides (Melianthaceae ) and Abrus precatorius (Fabaceae) showed the most promising broad spectrum antibacterial properties, inhibiting all of the strains tested, especially S. Typhi and P. aeruginosa , with MBC ranging from 2.5 to 5 mg/ml. Conclusion: The findings provide support for the use of these plants in traditional medicine for treatment of typhoid fever and gastrointestinal disorders, and are thus, potential sources of drugs that would need to be subjected to further studies. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Ivorian medicinal plants, MIC, MBC.

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Gek Bolou

Papers

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of 14 Medicinal Plants in Côte d’Ivoire