Triumfetta welwitschii is a plant used traditionally for the treatment of fever and diarrhoea. Previous work has shown that T. welwitschii has antibacterial activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate T. welwitschii extract for anticancer activity against Jurkat T cells. The Jurkat T cell line is used to study acute T cell leukaemia. An antiproliferation assay, determination of induction of apoptosis, the determination of the effect of the combination of the extract and GSH, and effects of the extract on DNA leakage were conducted. T. welwitschii was found to decrease cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. T. welwitschii caused apoptosis in the Jurkat T cells as shown by DNA fragmentation. When T. welwitschii was combined with reduced GSH, it was found that the growth of the Jurkat T cells was significantly reduced compared to untreated cells after 72 h of treatment. This was unexpected, as cancer cells have elevated levels of GSH compared to normal cells. The results of this study show that T. welwitschii is a potential source of compounds that may serve as leads for anticancer compounds.

Antibiotic resistance has increased sharply, while the pace for the development of new antimicrobials has slowed down. Plants provide an alternative source for new drugs. This study aimed to screen extracts from Cissus welwitschii and Triumfetta welwitschii for antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. The tests conducted included a susceptibility determination test, analysis of the effect of T. welwitschii on cell wall integrity, and transport across the membrane. It was found that the T. welwitschii methanol extracts were more effective than the water extracts and had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration at 0.125 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL, respectively, against E. coli and B. cereus. The C. welwitschii extract caused the most drug accumulation in E. coli. In B. cereus, no significant drug accumulation was observed. Nucleic acid leakage in B. cereus and E. coli and protein leakage in E. coli were observed after exposure to the T. welwitschii extract. The extracts from T. welwitschii had greater antibacterial activity than the extracts from C. welwitschii. T. welwitschii may be a potential source of lead compounds for that could be developed into antibacterial agents.

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Fungal infections have been rising due to the increasing number of immunocompromised patients and intensive use of some antifungal agents. Lampranthus francisci is an ornamental succulent plant. In Zimbabwe, the fresh sap from the leaves is used to treat fungal scalp infections. The activity of L. francisci fresh and dry acetone, ethanol, hydroethanolic, and aqueous extracts against Candida albicans and Candida krusei was determined. Mouse peritoneal cavity cells and sheep red blood cells were used to investigate L. francisci’s toxicity profile. The hydroethanolic extracts were the most effective extracts against C. albicans. The fresh ethanol extract was the most effective extract against C. krusei. The dry acetone extract, dry ethanol extract, and the fresh and dry aqueous extracts promoted the growth of C. krusei. The hydroethanolic extracts caused haemolysis of sheep cells. The hydroethanolic extracts promoted the growth of the mouse peritoneal cavity red blood cells. Both aqueous extracts increased the density of the mouse cells, but only the fresh extract increased the metabolism of the mouse cells. L. francisci has some fungicidal activity and boosts the growth of immune cells, thus validating its use in ethnomedicine. L. francisci extracts are potential leads for the isolation of immune stimulatory compounds.