title: Screening of Echinops ellenbeckii and Echinops longisetus for biological activities and chemical constituents.
abstract: Members of the genus Echinops in the family of Asteraceae are widely used in Ethiopian herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases and illness such as migraine, diarrhea, heart pain, different forms of infections, intestinal worm infestation and hemorrhoid. Hydroalcoholic extracts of the root, flower head, leaf and stem of Echinops ellenbeckii O. Hoffm. and Echinops longisetus A. Rich were investigated for their chemical constituents and biological activities. The presence of alkaloids, saponins, phytosterols, polyphenols and carotenoids in the different parts of the plants was observed whilst anthraquinones were not detected. The leaf extracts of both plants and stem extract of E. longisetus showed strong inhibitory activity against cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. None of the extracts were found to be active against Gram-positive organisms. The flower extract of E. ellenbeckii showed strong inhibitory activity against Candida albicans. Root and flower extracts of the plants investigated showed lethal activity against earthworms. Moreover, the extracts of the roots of both plants showed molluscicidal activity against schistosome-transmitting snail hosts. The biological activities observed were dose dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The Plant Biocentre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hymete
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rohloff
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019659:Asteraceae; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D005002:Ethiopia; D035264:Flowers; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008974:Mollusca / Q000187:drug effects; D008975:Molluscacides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018517:Plant Roots; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000517:prevention & control; D012908:Snails / Q000187:drug effects / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D008975:Molluscacides; D010936:Plant Extracts