title: Inhibitory activities of selected south west Nigerian medicinal plants against mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease prevalent in the tropics especially in Africa and Asia is one of the highest causes of morbidity and mortality and a global concern. With increasing resistance of the pathogen, to existing antituberculosis drugs and the synergy between TB infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the need for development of new drugs to cope with the infection is urgent.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Extracts from 16 plants identified and selected from the ethnomedicine of the Ijebus in Southwestern Nigeria as remedies for tuberculosis were evaluated for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plant extracts were screened against clinical isolate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using agar plate method on Middlebrook 7H11 medium and observed for 12 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The crude aqueous methanol extracts. showed varying degrees of activity at concentrations of 0.025 - 100 mg/mL. Ocimum grattisimum (leaf) demonstrated the highest activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.025 mg/mL. Two standard anti-tuberculosis drugs; rifampicin and isoniazid, included in the assay had MIC values of 0.01 mg/mL and 0.0005 mg/mL, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the study confirm the ethnopharmacological uses of some of the plants for TB indicating their potential as sources for the discovery of anti-tuberculosis drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. e.jaiyeoba@mail.ui.edu.ng
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Ajaiyeoba
authors.forename: S I B
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Cadmus
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Osiyemi
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Adesokan
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fadare
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Ogbole
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Olayemi
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Itiola
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D009549:Nigeria; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts