Background: Rabies, endemic in most African and Asian countries, is a viral zoonosis that causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths a year, despite the existence of safe and effective vaccines. In most developing countries people believe to cure rabies with different traditional and religious treatment rather than seeking effective post exposure prophylaxis. Purpose: To investigate the phytochemical constituents, acute toxicity and antirabies activity of crude extracts of the leaves of Justicia schimperiana and Ricinus communis and the stem bark of Croton macrostachyus. Methods: To test the presence of various phytochemicals, standard procedures were used. For the determination of acute toxicity and in vivo antirabies activities, Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) Guideline No.423 was used. Different concentrations of extracts (0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4 and 12.8 mg/ml) were tested for their cytotoxic effect on Vero cells through 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. The in vitro antirabies assay was carried out based on the minimal cytotoxic concentration of extracts. Results: The phytochemical screening result has revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, tannins and terpenoids in all plant extracts screened but lack saponins. All the extracts were slightly toxic in Swiss albino mice model but non cytotoxic in Vero cell lines. The antirabies assay result showed that all plant extracts had a moderate to good antirabies potential. The methanol extracts exhibited higher antirabies activity compared to the other extracts under investigation. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the studied plants have possessed different phytochemicals that helps in their antirabies potential. Utilization of these pharmacological properties involves further investigation of these active ingredients by implementation techniques of extraction, purification, separation, crystallization and identification.

In the past with the advent of antibiotics, bacterial diseases have been under control. However rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant this success is reversing and searching for newer antibacterial agents is currently a top priority. This study was, thus, aimed at assessing the anti-microbial activities of two traditional medicinal plants: Vernonia myriantha and Olinia rochetiana. The crude extracts were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activities and phytochemical content. The extracts were tested against selected 3 clinical and 4 standard test bacterial strains by using agar well-diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The ethanol leaves and stem-bark extracts of O. rochetiana inhibited the growth of all bacterial strains at a concentration of 250mg/mL. The inhibition zones ranged from 20.33±0.57mm for clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa to 25.66±0.57mm for standard Salmonella typhi strains. The values for these same extracts were 20.66±2.51mm and 24.33±1.15mm for standard P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus strains respectively. The chloroform extract was similarly effective against all of the strains with inhibition zones between 19.00±1.73mm against P. aeruginosa and 22.66±2.51mm for S. aureus. Comparatively, the ethanol extract of O. rochetiana had the highest MIC (7.81mg/mL) and MBC (62.50mg/mL) were noted against P. aeruginosa. On the other hand, chloroform extract of O. rochetiana leaf showed the highest MIC (15mg/mL) and MBC (125mg/mL) were recorded against P. aeruginosa. The ethanol extract of V. myriantha showed growth inhibition only on S. aureus (21.00±1.7mm). Both plants tested for terpenoids and glycosides showed positive result, but none for resin.

Lepidium sativum plants are available abundantly in all part of Ethiopia and traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments. The work done on essential oil chemical characterization and biological activity of this plant are still insufficient reports in Ethiopia. Therefore the aim of the present study was to carry out essential oil chemical characterization and antibacterial activities of the seeds extracts and oils of L. sativum obtained from the local area Kersu Kebele, Goma Wereda, Jimma zone. The study was conducted by extraction of the seeds with organic solvents n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The study performed on extraction of essential oil of the seed through hydrodistillation and investigation of phytochemical constituents of each solvent extract. The n-hexane extract (oil) and the essential oil of the seed extract were analyzed with GC-MS and 11 components were obtained from each types of oil. 7, 10, 13-hexadecatrienoic acid (64.42%) and Indol (63.78%) were the major components of n-hexane extracted and essential oil of the seeds respectively. Moreover both oils were held unsaturated fatty acid, saturated fatty acid and aromatic derivative compounds. The preliminary phytochemical test revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, anthraqunnes, and tannins. Antibacterial activities of the essential oil were implemented by disc diffusion method against one Gram positive bacterium Stphylococus aureus and three Gram negative bacteria: E.coli, Proteus mirabilis and Klibsiella pneumoniae. The inhibition zones of the samples were compared with standard drug ceftriaxone. The essential oil showed antibacterial activities on all the tested bacteria.