Review of the Antifungal Potential of African Medicinal Plants

Dzoyem, Jean Paul; Kuete, Victor

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-38076-1_4

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Medicinal plants and their phytochemicals constituents have been used for their effective antimicrobial effects from ancient times, and there is an increasing trend for the development of plant-based natural products for the prevention and treatment of pathogenic diseases [ 10 ]. Several studies have reported the antifungal efficacy of different medicinal plant extracts [ 11 ]. In addition, a new alternative approach is the use of combination therapy between the available antifungal agents and medicinal plant extracts, and this strategy has shown promising results [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytochemical Analysis and Antifungal Potentiating Activity of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) against Cryptococcus neoformans Clinical Isolates

Bisso

Kayoka-Kabongo

Tchuenguem

et al. 2022

Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) has been used in African traditional medicine with numerous beneficial health effects. The extracts from loquat contain several bioactive compounds with a plethora of pharmacological properties. However, a scientific study on the activity against the aetiological agent of cryptococcosis has not yet been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the antifungal potential of various extracts from Eriobotrya japonica against clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. Quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analyses of extracts were made by following standard procedures. The broth microdilution method and the checkerboard methods were used to determine the antifungal activity and the combination of extracts with antifungals drugs. The methanol extract of seeds and the hexane extract of leaves exhibited the best significant antifungal activity with MIC values of 32 µg/mL. Furthermore, the combination of both extracts with nystatin and clotrimazole showed synergistic interactions with a 32-fold reduction in the MIC values of nystatin. Our findings indicate that Eriobotrya japonica extracts are a potential source of new antifungals that could be developed for use in the treatment of cryptococcosis. The anticryptococcal and antifungal activities potentiating activity of the studied extracts indicate their potential in the management of cryptococcosis. Further study should be considered to identify the bioactive principles against Cryptococcus neoformans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytochemical Analysis and Antifungal Potentiating Activity of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) against Cryptococcus neoformans Clinical Isolates

Bisso

Kayoka-Kabongo

Tchuenguem

et al. 2022

Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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“…Africa is richly endowed with medicinal plants that are utilized in the treatment of fungal diseases in traditional medicine and thus could be sources for standardized antifungal extracts and antifungal Schumach &Thonn (Piperaceae) (Ngane et al, 2003;Abdelgadir and Van Staden, 2013;Dzoyem and Kuete, 2013). The mortality rate associated with fungal diseases is high in Africa especially among those living with HIV/ AIDS (Park et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnobotanical survey and antifungal activity of Piper guineense used for the treatment of fungal infections in West-African traditional medicine

Mgbeahuruike

Holm

Vuorela

et al. 2019

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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Ethnobotanical relevance: Piper guineense occurs commonly in West Africa where it is used for fungal infections instead of the costly and not always accessible conventional antifungals. Fungal, yeast-based diseases are common in West-Africa especially among those living with HIV/ AIDS, and thus this study was performed in Imo state, SouthEastern Nigeria, where P. guineense is predominantly used for the treatment of fungal diseases, such as skin rashes, oral thrush and vaginosis. Aim of study: The scarce number of previous studies on the documentation of the traditional uses of P. guineense extracts for the treatment of fungal infections in Nigeria prompted this survey. The investigation focused on how traditional healers recognize and diagnose fungal infections, how P. guineense is collected, on the various parts used for the treatments, methods of preparations, administrations and treatments. In addition, an in vitro antifungal screening of P. guineense fruit and leaf extracts of various polarities, and piperine and piperlongumine, representing the main constituents in these extracts, were performed. Methods: A house to house ethnobotanical survey was conducted using questionnaires. Twenty traditional medical practitioners (TMP) and herb sellers from ten villages were interviewed. Four human pathogenic strains of yeast and Cryptococcus neoformans, a yeast-like basidiomycete causing meningitis in immunocompromised individuals, were used for the antifungal screening. Results: The traditional medical practitioners (TMP) and herb sellers explained that the leaves and fruits are the most commonly used plant parts for the treatments. The oral intake of the extracts in locally produced bamboo alcohol (Kai-kai) is the most common method of administration. In accordance with these recorded traditional uses, we found that extracts of P. guineense were growth inhibitory against the fungal strains with MIC values ranging from 39 to 2500 µg/mL. The lowest MIC value of 39 µg/mL was recorded for a methanol fruit extract against Candida albicans, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis. In addition, ethanol and hexane fruit extracts were effective against the growth of C. albicans and C. glabrata, respectively, with a MIC of 78 µg/mL. Piperlongumine and piperine were active against C. albicans with MIC values of 39 and 78 µg/mL respectively. Conclusion: P. guineense fruit and leaf extracts, as well as their piperamide alkaloid constituents piperine and piperlongumine, have interesting antifungal properties and could have potential as new antifungal scaffolds. Our results warrant further in-depth investigations to isolate and characterize piperamide alkaloids and other compounds responsible for the antifungal activity in the extracts.

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