Pterygota Macrocarpa and Cola Gigantea (Sterculiaceae)
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Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2012, Article ID 902394, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2012/902394 Research Article Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Pterygota macrocarpa and Cola gigantea (Sterculiaceae) Christian Agyare,1 George Asumeng Koffuor,2 Vivian Etsiapa Boamah,1 Francis Adu,1 Kwesi Boadu Mensah, 2 and Louis Adu-Amoah1 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana 2 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Correspondence should be addressed to Christian Agyare, [email protected] Received 15 February 2012; Accepted 31 March 2012 Academic Editor: Namrita Lall Copyright © 2012 Christian Agyare et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Pterygota macrocarpa and Cola gigantea are African medicinal plants used in traditional medicine for the treatment of sores, skin infections, and other inflammatory conditions including pains. This study therefore aims at investigating the antimicrobial properties of ethanol leaf and stem bark extracts of P. macrocarpa and C. gigantea using the agar diffusion and the micro-dilution techniques and also determining the anti-inflammatory properties of the extracts of these plants in carrageenan-induced foot edema in seven-day old chicks. The minimum inhibitory concentration of both ethanol leaf and bark extracts of P. macrocarpa against the test organisms was from 0.125 to 2.55 mg/mL and that of C. gigantea extracts was 0.125 to 2.75 mg/mL. Extracts with concentration of 50 mg/mL were most active against the test organisms according to the agar diffusion method. All the extracts of P. macrocarpa and C. gigantea at 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg body weight except ethanol leaf extract of C. gigantea exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effects (P ≤ 0.001). 1. Introduction for the management of several different disease conditions such as bacterial infections, parasitic infections, skin diseases, The search for newer antimicrobial agents from various hypertension, pains, and inflammation such as rheumatoid sources has become imperative because of the emergence arthritis [5–8]. of resistance strains of microorganisms against orthodox Several medicinal plants including their isolated com- antibiotics especially difficulty to treat infections from pounds have been found to exhibit biological activities resistant strains of bacteria [1] and also the fact that the number of scientists who are developing new antibacterial related to their traditional uses, for example, geraniin agents has dwindled, even as bacteria evolve ever more and furosin isolated from Phyllanthus mellerianus (Kuntze) clever mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics [2]. The Exell. have been found to possess wound healing properties recent search for new antibiotics includes various sources ascribed to this plant as wound healing agent [9]. Cryptole- such as the synthetic compounds, bioactive agents from pine, an alkaloid from Cryptolepine sanguinolenta,hasbeen aquatic microorganisms, and natural products including shown to possess antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities medicinal plants. In Africa and other developing countries, which have gone to confirm its medicinal uses as anti- it is estimated that 70 to 80% of people rely on traditional infective and antimalarial agent [10, 11]. healers and herbal practitioners for their health needs [3, 4] Pterygota macrocarpa K. Schum. belongs to the family and medicinal plants are the main source of remedies used Sterculiaceae and is known in local Asante-Twi language in this therapy. Some of these medicinal plants are used as kyereye in Ghana. It is a large tree that grows in dense 2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine semideciduous forests usually distributed in West Africa stem bark extract (PMBE) of P. macrocarpa were dissolved fromSierraLeonetoCameroun.Thesoakedleavesare in normal saline and methanol for acute anti-inflammatory used to treat stomachache, pains, and disorders of digestion. and antimicrobial determinations, respectively. Leaf decoctions are used for the treatment of gonorrhea and other urinary tract infections [12–14]. Traditionally, the 2.3. Preliminary Phytochemical Screening. Phytochemical bark is used in the management of haemorrhoids, dropsy, screening was conducted on both leaf and stem bark of swellings, edema, gout, leprosy, and pain [15]. The seeds of P. macrocarpa and C. gigantea to ascertain the presence of P. macrocarpa have been found to contain phytate, oxalate carbohydrates, tannins, sapogenetic glycosides, flavonoids, and tannins [16]. steroids, and alkaloids [23, 24]. The tannins content was Cola gigantea A. Chev. belongs to the family Sterculiaceae determined according to the method of Glasl [25] using and is commonly known as giant cola and local Asante- pyrogallol (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, purity 99.5%, Tw i name is watapuo in Ghana. It is a large tree in HPLC) as reference compound. dry semideciduous forests in West Africa and the West Indies. The nuts (mostly called kola) are often used to 2.4. Determination of Antimicrobial Activity treat whooping cough, asthma, malaria, and fever. Other traditional uses include increasing the capacity for physical 2.4.1. Agar Diffusion Method. The antimicrobial activities exertion and for enduring fatigue without food, stimulating of the extracts (PMLE, CGLE, PMBE, and CGBE) and a weak heart, and treating nervous debility, weakness, lack reference drugs (chloramphenicol and clotrimazole (Sigma, of emotion, nervous diarrhea, depression, despondency, Deisenhofen, Germany)) were determined using the agar brooding, anxiety, and sea sickness [12, 14, 15, 17]. Kola diffusionmethod[26]. Nutrient agar (Oxoid Limited, United nut is the name of the mature fruits of the Cola species Kingdom) and Sabouraud agar (Oxoid Limited, United [18] and has a bitter flavour and high caffeine content Kingdom) media were used for both determinations of [19, 20], and when the fruit is ingested, it acts as stimulants antibacterial and antifungal activities, respectively. 0.1 mL and thus creates an ecstatic and euphoric state [20]. The of 18 h culture of the test organisms (Escherichia coli ATCC caffeine present acts as a bronchodilator, expanding the 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus bronchial air passages [21].Thesefruitsarealsochewed aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis NCTC 10073, and in communities during traditional ceremonies and also are clinical fungal agent, Candida albicans, were used to seed known to reduce hunger pangs. The ethanol leaf extract of C. nutrient agar and Sabouraud agar plates, respectively. In each gigantea has been shown to be active against Candida albicans of these plates, 4 equidistant wells (10 mm) were cut out and phytochemical screening of the leaf extract indicated using sterile cork borer and were filled with 200 µLeachof the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, the different concentrations of extracts and reference drugs and cardenolides [22]. The aim of this study is to investigate and allowed to diffuse at room temperature for 1 h. The zones ◦ the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanol of inhibition were measured after 24 h incubation at 37 C ◦ stem bark and leaf extracts of P. macrocarpa and C. gigantea. (for bacteria) and after 72 h at 30 C (for fungi). The activities of the methanol (solvent) alone were also determined. 2. Materials and Methods 2.5. Determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Using Microdilution Technique. The MICs of the 2.1. Plant Material and Chemicals. Stem bark and leaves of extracts (PMLE, CGLE, PMBE, and CGBE) against the Pterygota macrocarpa and Cola gigantea were collected in test bacteria were determined using the microdilution July, 2007, from the Bobiri Forest Reserves of the Forestry technique as described by Eloff [27] and modified by Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) near Kubease, Ashanti Agyare and Koffuor [26]. Test solutions (100 mg/mL) of Region, Ghana, and identified and authenticated by Dr. A. both extracts were prepared, test solution (25–100 µL) was Asase, Department of Botany, University of Ghana, Ghana. serially diluted with distilled water to 100 µg/mL, and Unless stated otherwise, all the chemicals were purchased 50 µL of an 18 h old culture of one of the test bacteria from Sigma (Deisenhofen, Germany). grown in nutrient broth (Oxoid Limited, United King- dom) was added to each well in the microplates. The 2.2. Preparation of Extracts. Theplantmaterialswereair covered microplates were incubated at 37◦Cfor24h.To dried and powdered, and 200 g each of the dried powdered indicate growth, 30 µL of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- material of P. macrocarpa and C. gigantea was extracted, diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT, thiazolyl blue) dis- respectively, with 70% ethanol (1.5 L) using Soxhlet appa- solved in distilled water was added to the microplate wells ratus. The ethanol extracts obtained were evaporated to and incubated at 37◦C for 30 min. C. albicans was cultivated dryness under reduced pressure and kept in a dessicator. in Sabouraud dextrose broth (Oxoid Limited, United King- The yields of the stem and leaf extracts of P. macrocarpa