Antimicrobial, Anthelmintic Activities and Characterisation of Functional Phenolic Acids of Achyranthes aspera Linn.: A Medicinal Plant Used for the Treatment of Wounds and Ringworm in East Africa

Abstract

Achyranthes aspera Linn. (Amaranthaceae) commonly known as Prickly Chaff flower (English) is traditionally used for treating a number of ailments. Different parts of the plant are used in treating wounds and ringworm in East Africa and elsewhere for a number of ailments. In this study, leaf extracts of A. aspera collected from two different geographical locations (Ciaat, Eritrea and Ukulinga, South Africa) were evaluated for antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic activities and the plant characterized for functional phenolic acids as well as protein binding capacity. The pathogens used in the tests were, two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae), two Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), a filamentus yeast-like fungus (Candida albicans) and a free-living nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans). The water and acetone extracts of the samples collected from Ciaat exhibited good antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic activity (MIC < 1 mg/ml) except the water extract against E. coli which showed moderate activity. In contrast, the extracts collected from Ukulinga exhibited moderate to weak activities except for the acetone (aq.) extracts which had good activity against some of the tested organisms. UHPLC-MS/MS revealed variation in the levels of some functional phenolic compounds, with rutin, chlorogenic acid and genistein not being detected in the extracts from Ukulinga. The variation was also observed in the protein binding capacity, which could offer a predictive wound healing model. All extracts from plant samples collected at Ciaat expressed significant dominant potency compared to similar extracts from Ukulinga.

Phytochemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extracts ofPterospartum tridentatumandMentha pulegiumagainstStaphylococcus aureusIsolates

“…These results have shown an important class of phytochemicals in both plant species. The presence of high levels of taxifolin, ginestin, and ginestein, all frequently associated with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anthelmintic activity [ 27 – 31 ], made this plant extract very interesting from bioactive point of view. Taxifolin, a flavanol subclass of flavonoids [ 28 ], is abundant in several types of plants and is an interesting potential component of dietary supplements or antioxidant-rich functional food [ 29 ].…”

Qualitative Phytochemical Fingerprint and Network Pharmacology Investigation of Achyranthes aspera Linn. Extracts

“…It is an erect annual herb that grows up to 0.3-1 m in height with stiff branches and thick and elliptic leaves. The plant bears greenish white flowers [5][6][7]. The plant is commonly harvested and used by traditional healers for alleviating fever, especially malarial fever, wound, blood clotting, dysentery and hypertension among others [5,8,9].…”

“…In the Ivory Coast, decoction preparations are also used to treat diabetes and as diuretic [4]. The plant is also used to cure tonsillitis, head wounds, ringworm, diarrhea and asthma in the Eastern Africa region [6].…”

“…Biological investigations have also revealed that A. aspera possess antibacterial [6,10], antifungal, thyroid-stimulating, antiperoxidative [7], anti-inflammatory [9,11], antiarthritic [11], immunomodulatory [12,13], wound healing [14], antiobesity [15], anticonvulsant [16], anticancer [8] and hepatoprotective [17] properties. Several classes of phytochemicals such as saponins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and terpenoids [6,8,9,14,16] have been reported to occur in this plant.…”

In silico Approach for Anti-Thrombosis Drug Discovery: P2Y1R Structure-Based TCMs Screening

“…Vitexin and caffeic acid showed significant antiplatelet aggregation activity and were relatively selective inhibitors of platelet aggregation induced by AA and collagen (Afifi and Abu-Dahab, 2012; Lee and Bae, 2015). Rutin, naringin and quercetin, three flavonoid glycosides, were metabolized to phenolic acids via aglycones by human intestinal microflora and have been considered natural prodrugs with anti-platelet activity since the 1990s (Ndhlala et al, 2015). Esculetin is a derivative of coumarin and exists as glycosides and caffeic acid conjugates in Cimicifugae Rhizoma ( Cimicifuga foetida L.) and many other medicinal plants.…”