ABSTRACT
The role of plants in the promotion of health care system in Nigeria in gradually increasing. This research tries to document information on the plants and the methods of botanical preparations used in South-eastern Nigeria for the treatment of children’s ailments and also the pharmacological efficacy of some of the mostly mentioned plants. Structured questionnaires were administered to the herbal practitioners, nursing mothers and the adult dwellers to collect data on the names of plants used to treat the conditions, methods of preparation, duration of treatment, adverse effects (if any) and the method of administration of the extracted plant materials. A total of 135 plants belonging to 55 families were identified for the management of children’s health in the area. Common pediatric ailments which were said to be treated with herbal remedies by the respondents included malaria, fever, pneumonia, stomach ache, diarrhea, dysentery, measles, chicken pox/small pox, convulsion, jaundice, pile, ringworm, scabies, eczema, stubborn cough, scurvy, headaches, catarrh, wounds, boils, insect bites, food poison, cholera, and umbilical cord complications. Twenty-one (21) plants that were mostly mentioned were subjected to antimicrobial analysis against two human pathogens; Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using in vitro methods of the disc diffusion and micro-broth dilution methods. Four plants viz; Mangifera indica, Gongronema latifolium, Chromolena odorata and Cnestis ferruginea were screened for anti-diarrheal activities using standard methods which included castor oil-induced diarrhea, gastrointestinal motility test and castor oil-induced enteropooling tests. In the antibacterial screening, Uvarea chamae (leaf), Nauclea latifolia (leaf), Azadirachta indica (leaf) exhibited highest activity against E. coli, followed by Emilia sonchifolia (leaf), Musa sapientum (leaf), Annona muricata (leaf), Alstonia bonnie (leaf), and Nauclea latifolia (root).While Musa sapientum (leaf), Nauclea latifolia (leaf), Emilia sonchifolia (leaf), Azadirachta indica (leaf), Ocimuim gratisimum (leaf), and Uvarea chamea (Root) showed highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Uvarea chamea (leaf), Alstonia bonnei (leaf) and Bryophyllium pinnatum on disc difussion assay. In MIC assay, Azadirachta indica (bark), exhibited the highest antibacterial effect against E. coli with MIC value of 62.5µg/ml when compared with the standard drug erithromycin (5µg/ml), 62.5 µg/ml, U. chamea (leaf and root), and Mangifera indica (bark) showed activity against E. coli by having maximum lower concentrations of 125 µg/ml each and the leaf extract of N. latifolia and Sida acuta showed MIC value of 250 µg/ml, the rest of the extracts showed MIC values of 500 µg/ml - 100 0µg/ml above. In diarrhea assay, all the four plant extracts exhibited dose dependent effects on all the models with highest activity recorded in C. odrata which gave 66.1% protection from castor oil-induced diarrhea and 80.1% reduction in intra-luminal fluid accumulation. C. ferruginea gave 70.4% protection on gastrointestinal motility test, while M. indica and G. latifolium gave 61.1% and 61.5% which represented performance above 50%, indicating that all the four tested anti-diarrheal extracts hold potentials as anti-diarrheal agents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables x
List of Figures xii
List of Plates xiii
Abstract xv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1
Background of the Study 1
1.2
Statement of Problem
3
1.3
Justification of Study 4
1.4
Aim and Objectives 5
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE 6
2.1 Historical
Development of Ethno-medicine 6
2.2 Plant
Metabolites as Potential Therapeutic Agents 8
2.3 Mechanism
of Actions of Plant Secondary Compounds 9
2.4 Antimicrobials 10
2.4.1 Plants
as source of antimicrobials 11
2.5
Importance of Antimicrobial
Susceptibility Test 14
2.6 Diarrhea 14
2.6.1
Causes 15
2.6.2 Diagnosis of diarrhea 15
2.6.3 Pharmaceutical anti-diarrheic agents
isolated from medicinal plants 16
2.7 Staphilococcus
aureus and Escherichia coli as
Agents of Diarrhea 18
2.7.1 Staphylococcus aureus 18
2.7.2 Escherichia coli 18
2.8 Botany
of Plants Under Study 19
2.8.1 Uvarea chamea 19
2.8.2 Gongronema latifolium
(Benth) 20
2.8.3 Chromolaena odorata 21
2.8.4 Annona muricata 22
2.8.5 Astonia boonei 23
2.8.6 Musa sapientum 23
2.8.7 Nauclea latifolia 24
2.8.8 Euphobia hirta 25
2.8.9 Pentaclethra macrophylla
(Benth.) 28
2.8.10 Bryophyllium pinnatum 29
2.8.11 Alchornea laxiflora 32
2.8.12 Cnestis ferruginea 32
2.8.13 Ocimum gratisimum 33
2.8.14 Costus afer 35
2.8.15 Mangifera indica 36
2.8.16 Tetrapleura tetraptera 37
2.8.17 Sida acuta 39
2.8.18 Azadirachta indica 40
2.8.19 Psidium guajava 41
2.8.20 Emilia sonchifolia 42
CHAPTER 3:
MATERIALS AND METHODS 44
3.1 Ethno
Botanical Survey 44
3.1.1 Survey
area 44
3.1.2 Collection
of surveyed data 44
3.2 Antibacterial
Analysis 44
3.2.1 Study
area 44
3.2.2 Collection
and identification of plant samples 45
3.2.3 Preparation
of plant samples 45
3.2.4 Bacteria strains 45
3.2.5 Culture media 46
3.2.6 Sterility proofing of extracts 46
3.3 Disk
Susceptibility Testing 46
3.4 Minimum
Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) 47
3.5 Anti-Diarrheal
Analysis 48
3.6 Extract
Preparation 48
3.7 Animals 49
3.8 Acute
Toxicity Testing 49
3.9 Castor
Oil–Induced Diarrhea 50
3.10 Gastrointestinal
Motility Test 50
3.11 Castor
Oil-Induced Enteropooling 51
3.12 Statistical
Analysis 52
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 53
4.1 Results 53
4.1.1 Survey 53
4.1.2 Antibacterial assay 71
4.1.3 Diarrhea 78
4.1.3.1 Acute toxicity 78
4.1.3.2 Effect of extracts on castor oil induced diarrhea 80
4.1.3.3 Effect of extracts on castor oil induced gastro-intestinal motility 86
4.1.3.4 Effect of extracts on castor oil induced enteropooling 92
4.2. Discussion 98
CHAPTER 5:
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 108
5.1
Conclusion 108
5.2 Recommendations 109
References
Appendices
LIST OF TABLES
Page
2.1: Some
affirmed plants with antimicrobial potentials against diverse
drug
resistance strains 13
2.2: Pharmaceutical
products derived from indigenous medicinal plants used
in
the control of dysentery and diarrhea-like conditions 17
4.1: Demographic profile of respondents (450) 55
4.2: Plant families and number of species 56
4.3: Plants
used for the management of children’s diseases in south east 58
4.4: Ailments,
recipes, method of preparation, mode of administration
and
dosages 63
4. I.2: Antibacterial assay 73
4.5: Diameter
zone of inhibition (mm) 2mg/ml 75
4.6: Minimum
inhibitory concentration (MIC) (2mg/ml), range 1000µ/ml
4.9µ/ml 76
4.7: LD50 of extract A, B, C and D 79
4.8: Effect
of Mangifera indica on castor oil
induced diarrhea in mice 80
4.9: Effect
of Chromolena odorata on castor oil
induced diarrhea in mice 81
4.10: Effect
of Gongronema latifolium on castor
oil induced diarrhea in mice 82
4.11: Effect
of Cnestis ferruginea on castor oil
induced diarrhea in mice 83
4.12: Effect
of Mangifera indica on castor oil induced
gastro-intestinal motility 86
4.13: Effect
of Chromolena odorata on castor oil
induced gastro-intestinal
motility 87
4.14: Effect
of Gongronema latifolium on castor
oil induced gastro-intestinal
motility 88
4.15: Effect
of Cnestis ferrugenea on castor oil
induced gastro-intestinal motility89
4.16: Effect
of Mangifera indica on castor oil
induced enteropooling 92
4.17: Effect
of Chromolena odorata on castor oil
induced enteropooling 93
4.18: Effect
of Gongronema latifolium on castor
oil induced enteropooling 94
4.19: Effect
of Cnestis ferrugenea on castor oil
induced enteropooling 95
LIST OF FIGURES
4.1: Percentage
occurrence of plants used for the treatment of
children’s
disease 57
LIST OF PLATES
Page
4a: Disc
diffusion assay of N. latifolia (leaf),
N. latifolia (root), E.
sonchifolia (leaf), A. indica (leaf), U. chamea (leaf)
and A.
muricata (leaf) on E. coli 74
4b: Disc
diffusion assay of B. pinnatum (leaf), J. curcus (leaf), A. boonie
(leaf),
U. chamea (root), M. sapientum (leaf) and O. gratisimum (leaf) on
E. coli 74
4c: Disc
diffusion assay of C. odorata (leaf),
S. acuta (leaf), P. macrophyla
(leaf),
M. indica (bark), T. tetraptera (pod) and P. guajava (laef) on
E.
coli 74
4d: Disc
diffusion assay of A. indica (stem
bark), M. indica (leaf), C. afer
(leaf),
A. laxiflora (leaf), V. amygdalina (leaf), and E. hirta (leaf) on
E. coli 74
4.1a: Disc
diffusion assay of U. chamea (leaf), N. latifolia (root), N. latifolia
(leaf),
E. sonchifolia (leaf), A. indica
(leaf), and A. muricata (leaf) on
S. aureus 74
4.1b: Disc
diffusion assay of A. indica (stem
bark), A. indica (leaf),
C. afer (leaf), A. laxiflora (leaf), V.
amydalina (leaf), and E. hirta
(leaf)
on S. aureus. 74
4.1c: Disc diffusion assay of C. odorata (leaf), S. acuta (lea), P. macrophyla
(leaf), M.
indica (bark), T. tetraptera
(pod) and P. guajava (laef) on
S. aureus. 74
4.1d: Disc
diffusion assay of U. chamea (root), O. gratisimum (leaf),
A.
boonie (leaf), M. sapintum
(leaf), B. pinnatum (leaf), and J. curcus
(leaf) on S. aureus 74
4.2a: Row
A- T. tetraptera (pod), B – A. laxiflora (bark), C- M. indica (bark),
D- S.
acuta (leaf), E-A. indica (bark),
F- U. chamea (root), G- U. chamea
(leaf), H- N. latifolia (leaf). 77
4.2b: Row
A- B. pinnatum (leaf); B- A. muricata (leaf), C- A. indica
(leaf),
D- P. macrophylla (leaf), E- E. hirta (leaf), F- C. afer
(leaf), G- M. sapientum, H- P. guajava. 77
4.2c: Row
A- A. boonei, B- C. odorata (leaf), D- E- Positive control
(Erythromycintab). 77
4.2d: Row
A- A. boonei, B – A. laxiflora (bark), C- M. indica (bark),
D- A. indica (bark), E- U.
chamea (leaf), F-P.guajava,
G- A. indica (leaf), H- S. acuta
(leaf). 77
4.2e: Row
A- M. sapientum (leaf), B- P.
macrophylla (leaf), C- E. hirta
(leaf), D- E. sonchifolia (leaf), E- C. afer (leaf). 77
4.2f: Row
A-N. latifolia (root), B- B. pinnatum (leaf), C- A. muricata
(leaf), D- N. latifolia (leaf), E- C.
odorata, F- T. tetraptera
(pod), G-H, Erithromycin 77
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