title: Ethnopharmacological study of plants from Pondoland used against diarrhoea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea are common world wide, including in Bizana, South Africa where the majority of rural dwellers depend largely on water from unprotected sources. The people from Bizana use medicinal plants as their first line of health care to cure and prevent diarrhoea.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To record and document plants used for the treatment of diarrhoea in Bizana, to evaluate antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of selected plant extracts as well as to perform genotoxicity testing of evaluated plants.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ethnobotanical approach was used to select plants used for treating diarrhoea in Bizana for pharmacological assays using questionnaires. Nine plants were selected for bioassays based on their frequency index and the fact that they have never been evaluated against diarrhoea causing-microorganisms. The petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM), 70% ethanol (EtOH), and water extracts were evaluated for antibacterial (Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri) activity using the microdilution technique, their ability to inhibit COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. Genotoxicity was evaluated using the Salmonella microsome assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study revealed that 34 plant species belonging to 27 families are used for the treatment of diarrhoea in Bizana. The extracts showed good inhibitory activity with MIC values ranging from 0.39 to 12.5mg/ml. The best activity was exhibited by DCM extracts of Rapanea melanophloeos, and EtOH extracts of Ficus craterostoma and Maesa lanceolata with MIC values of 0.098mg/ml. The inhibitory activity against COX-1 enzyme was higher than COX-2, with 19 plant extracts for the former and 7 for the latter. All the tested plant extracts were not mutagenic at all concentrations tested against all tester strains of bacteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In view of the fact that the plants were selected based on their ethnobotanical usage for treating diarrhoea, the activities reported here goes a long way in validating the plants for traditional use.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Madikizela
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ndhlala
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Finnie
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Staden
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008752:Methylene Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012763:Shigella flexneri / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013019:South Africa; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000930:Antidiarrheals; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol; D008752:Methylene Chloride; C004544:naphtha