title: Pharmacological assessment of the medicinal potential of Acacia mearnsii De Wild.: antimicrobial and toxicity activities.
abstract: Acacia mearnsii De Wild. (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of microbial infections in South Africa without scientific validation of its bioactivity and toxicity. The antimicrobial activity of the crude acetone extract was evaluated by both agar diffusion and macrobroth dilution methods while its cytotoxicity effect was assessed with brine shrimp lethality assay. The study showed that both bacterial and fungal isolates were highly inhibited by the crude extract. The MIC values for the gram-positive bacteria (78.1-312.5) μg/mL, gram-negative bacteria (39.1-625) μg/mL and fungal isolates (625-5000) μg/mL differ significantly. The bacteria were more susceptible than the fungal strains tested. The antibiosis determination showed that the extract was more (75%) bactericidal than bacteriostatic (25%) and more fungicidal (66.67%) than fungistatic (33.33%). The cytotoxic activity of the extract was observed between 31.25 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL and the LC(50) value (112.36 μg/mL) indicates that the extract was nontoxic in the brine shrimp lethality assay (LC(50) > 100 μg/mL). These results support the use of A. mearnsii in traditional medicine for treatment of microbial infections. The extract exhibiting significant broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and nontoxic effects has potential to yield active antimicrobial compounds.
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Research Centre, Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Olufunmiso O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Olajuyigbe
authors.affiliation: Phytomedicine Research Centre, Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Afolayan
mesh_terms: D000045:Acacia / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001156:Artemia / Q000187:drug effects; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D003603:Cytotoxins; D010936:Plant Extracts