This study presents antimicrobial properties of Uvaria chamae roots, commonly used for the treatment of various infections in south Benin. Their constituents were extracted and then fractionated in order to isolate the active ingredients. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed against several multidrug-resistant bacteria using the Mueller Hilton well agar diffusion method. Results showed that ethanol extracts were highly active against Gram-positive cocci. This activity was more extensive than that measured from conventional broad-spectrum antibiotics. Indeed, vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were all sensitive to this root extract. The aim of this study was to link the antimicrobial activity of the root to chemical structures. The ion mobility mass spectrometry analysis revealed for the first time the presence of ten chalcone and dihydrochalcone structures responsible for the antimicrobial activity of Uvaria chamae ethanol extracts. Two structures were described here for the first time in these roots. These findings confirm and justify the medical properties of these roots used as a traditional medicine.

Aim::This study aimed to report medicinal plants that are likely to be used in the control of salmonellosis.Materials and Methods::A cross-sectional study was conducted in Southern Benin. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 150 farmers and 100 traditional therapists in seven high municipalities. This step helped to collect plants that are used in the treatment of animal salmonellosis and typhoid fever in human.Results::The results revealed a low level of use of medicinal plants among breeders who prefer antibiotics such as oxytetracycline (53.55%), tylosine + sulfadimerazine (15.30%), and alphaceryl (19.13%). However, plants such as Moringa oleifera (leaves), Carica papaya (leaves and seeds), and Vernonia amygdalina (leaves) were mostly used by some farmers. From traditional therapists, 57 plant species of 32 families were identified as typhoid fever cures; among which Leguminosae, Asteraceae, and Euphorbiaceae were predominant. Persea americana (22.72%), V. amygdalina (7.57%), and Corchorus olitorius (7.57%) were the most cited by traditherapists for the treatment of typhoid fever in human.Conclusion::This study provides a database for further studies on the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of Benin plant species on Salmonella spp. These evaluations will guarantee the availability of new therapeutic solutions for populations.

SummaryObjectives. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and chemical properties of some medicinal plants used in the fight against enteropathogens in Benin.Methods. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Senna siamea, Uvaria chamae, Lantana camara and Phyllantus amarus were tested on 10 bacterial strains. Well diffusion technique, coupled with the microdilution determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (CMB) was used for antibacterial testing. The larval cytotoxicity was evaluated by using Artemia salina crustacean larvae. flavonoids and polyphenols were also assayed by the method using aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) and the method using the folin-Ciocalteu reagent, respectively.Results. The results of the study revealed that extracts had an effective antibacterial activity at 100 mg/mL, with MIC between 100 and 25 mg/mL and CMB between 100 and 50 mg/mL. The inhibition diameters of the extracts varied between 7.5 and 21 mm. The ethanolic extract of Phyllantus amarus leaves showed the best antibacterial activity. None of the extracts tested was found to be cytotoxic at the dose of 20 mg/mL. The aqueous Uvaria chamae root extract has the highest polyphenol content (231.896552±0.27586207 in μg EAG/100 mg extract), whereas the aqueous leaf extract of Uvaria chamae is the richest in flavonoids (41.061082 0.43180737 in μg ER/100 mg of extract).Conclusions. These interesting results can be used in the development of improved traditional medicines against enteropathogens. IntroductionInfections caused by enteropathogens are serious forms of infectious pathology. They are a major public health problem that causes millions of deaths a year. This is the case, for example, of foodborne illnesses, causing 17 million deaths a year worldwide, more than half of which come from the African continent (37). Diarrheal diseases are also the cause of 550 million patients each year, including 220 million children under 5 years of age (37). Salmonella, shigella and klebsielles are amongst others epidemiologically active enterobacteria involved in serious infectious diseases.Health management of enteropathogenic diseases is achieved through the use of antibiotics, but their inadequate and often anarchic use has resulted in bacterial resistance (24,36). Indeed, recent data from the bibliography abound with descriptions of bacteria that are multiresistant or even toto-resistant to antibiotics. The number of these bacteria is increasing in both industrialized and developing countries (32). This development of microbial resistance to antibiotics has led researchers to carry out alternative investigations to identify other effective natural remedies against various pathologies in the plant kingdom (18). It has therefore proved essential to look for new antibacterial substances that are effective and have a broad spectrum of action. One of the effective strategies for this research is to explore plants used in traditional Correspondence: Victorien T. Dougnon, Lecturer-Researcher in Microb...

The use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine is a common practice in developing countries. However, this unregulated or poorly rational use may present a dose-dependent risk of toxicity to humans. This study aimed to explore the phytochemical and toxicological characteristics of ten (10) plant species used in the traditional treatment of infectious diarrhea in Benin. The acute toxicity of aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of Khaya senegalensis, Daniellia oliveri, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Vernonia amygdalina, Manihot esculenta, Ocimum gratissimum, Senna italica, Diospyros mespiliformis, Pterocarpus erinaceus, and Anacardium occidentale was evaluated following the OECD 423 protocol at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg. This safety test was complemented by a larval cytotoxicity test. Hematological and biochemical examinations, as well as a histological study of the liver and kidneys, were performed. Larval cytotoxicity was assessed by the sensitivity of Artemia salina larvae to different concentrations of the plant extracts studied. Testing for chemical compounds was performed on the basis of differential staining and precipitation reactions. The mean lethal concentration (LC50) was determined by the probit method. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the plants studied revealed the presence of catechic tannins, gallic tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and sterol-terpenes, alkaloids, saponosides, and reducing compounds. This composition varied according to the plants studied. Acute toxicity data indicated that there was no mortality and no structural and functional alterations of the liver and kidneys of treated animals. Larval cytotoxicity data suggest that the plants studied are not cytotoxic (LC50 ≥ 0.1 mg/mL). These observations reflect the safety of these plants and justify their use in traditional medicine in the treatment of many diseases including diarrheal diseases.

The rise in antimicrobial resistance increases researchers' interest in medicinal plants used for traditional treatment of infectious diseases. The study is based on ten (10) medicinal plants mostly cited in the treatment of diarrhea in West Africa: Khaya senegalensis, Anacardium ouest L., Cassia sieberiana DC., Pterocarpus erinaceus, Diospyros mespiliformis, Ocimum gratissimum, Manihot esculenta, Vernonia amygdalina Delile, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, Daniellia oliveri. The objective is to make a review on ethnopharmacological, pharmacological, toxicological and chemical data that enhance these medicinal plants in the fight against diarrheal infections. Specific keywords were used for bibliographic research in Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and other databases. Generalities relating to diarrheal infections and scientific data on the ten selected plants in the fight against diarrheal infections were sought. From the results, it emerges that each of the ten plants has been listed as useful in the traditional treatment of diarrheal infections.