title: Plants used to treat skin diseases in northern Maputaland, South Africa: antimicrobial activity and in vitro permeability studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ethnobotanical claims of medicinal plants used in northern Maputaland are limited. Objectives To establish scientific validity for a selection of the plants used in Maputaland to treat skin diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aqueous and dichloromethane-methanol extracts were prepared from 37 plant species which were collected from four rural communities in Maputaland. Antimicrobial screening was performed on extracts against 12 dermatological relevant pathogens using the micro-titre plate dilution assay. Their combined effect was evaluated by determining the sum of the fractional inhibitory concentrations (ΣFICs). Chemical analysis was undertaken using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and investigated in vitro across excised intact porcine skin using the ILC07 automated system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The organic extract of Garcinia livingstonei T. Anderson (Clusiaceae) was found to be the most antimicrobially active displaying an average broad-spectrum MIC value of 270 μg/mL. The combination of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hotsch. (Anacardaceae) with Syzygium cordatum Hochst. ex C. Krauss (Myrtaceae) displayed synergistic effects. The four antimicrobially active organic extracts were found to possess mainly anthraquinones, flavonoids, tannins and saponins. The organic extracts of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) and S. cordatum were found to have more compounds capable of permeating intact skin after 10 min of exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 80% of the organic extracts tested displayed a correlation between the antimicrobial efficacy and the reported traditional uses of the plants. Furthermore, the traditional use of topically applied plant preparations is validated as some compounds from the active plants are capable of permeating the skin in vitro.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa.
authors.forename: Sibongile
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nciki
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa.
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vuuren
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa.
authors.forename: Armorel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Eyk
authors.affiliation: b Department of Botany , University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa , South Africa.
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Wet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010539:Permeability; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013019:South Africa; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Combinations; ethnobotany; minimum inhibitory concentration; phytochemical