Browsing by Author "Kisangau, Daniel P."

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    In Vitro Antimicrobial Assay Of Plants Used In Traditional Medicine In Bukoba Rural District, Tanzania
    (2007) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Hosea, Ken M.; Joseph, Cosam C.; Lyaruu, Herbert V. M.
    Plants used in traditional medicine in Bukoba Rural district in Tanzania were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Plant materials from eight plant species (Harungana madagascariensis (Lam) Poir., Jatropha curcas L., Lantana trifolia L., Plectranthus barbatus Andr., Pseudospondias microcarpa Engl., Psorospermum febrifugum Spach, Teclea nobilis Del. and Vernonia adoensis [Warp.] SL) were collected based on ethnomedical information provided by traditional herbal practitioners. Results of the study indicate that extracts from the eight plant species were active against at least one or more of the test organisms (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus [gram positive], Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa [gram negative] and Candida albicans [Yeast]). A profile of secondary metabolites (alkaloids, terpenoids, triterpenes, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, flavonols/flavones and /or chalcones, sterols and saponins) was obtained for three plant species (Jatropha curcas L., Plectranthus barbatus Andr., and Pseudospondias microcarpa Engl.). The paper discusses the probable therapeutic basis of these traditional plants based on their secondary metabolite profiles and for the first time draws research attention to Bukoba Rural district as a source for plants with potential pharmaceutical applications.
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    In Vitro Cytotoxicity of Some Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Medicine in Tanzania
    (2011) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Lyaruu, Herbert V. M.; Hosea, Ken M.; Joseph, C. C.; Bruno, L. N.; Devkota, Krishna P.; Bogner, T.; Sewald, Norbert
    Plants used in traditional medicine in Tanzania were screened for their cytotoxicity using the brine shrimp and CellTiter-BlueTM cell viability assays. Dichloromethane extracts of Capparis erythrocarpos, Cussonia arborea, Dracaena steudneri, Lannea schimperi, Pseudospondias microcarpa, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Sapium ellipticum and Zehneria scabra exhibited various cytotoxic activities against brine shrimp larvae. Only semi-purified fractions of C. erythrocarpos, C. arborea, D. steudneri, Lannea schimperi and S. ellipticum and one pure compound Lup-20(29)-en-3-one (1) from S.ellipticum were tested against K562 Leukaemia cell line using the CellTiter-BlueTM cell viability assay method. In the brine shrimp lethality assay, P. microcarpa was the most toxic plant with an LC50 value of 1.9 μg/ml (95%CI, 1.6-2.2 μg/ml) , while Z. scabra was the least toxic plant with LC50 value of 179.4 μg/ml (95%CI, 156.1-213.9 μg/ml). In the CellTiter-BlueTM cell viability assay, the mean % cell vitality growth for the fractions of each of the five plant species C. arborea, C. erythrocarpos, D. steudneri, L. schimperi and S. ellipticum were 43.1%, 67.2%, 82.1%, 52.3% and 87.6% respectively, with P<0.0001 and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 54.746-81.082 μg/ml. The IC50 concentration for compound Lup-20(29)-en-3-one (1) was 1.747x10-6 μM with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 3.019x10-7 to 1.011x10-4 μM. Results indicate that most of the extracts tested were relatively non-toxic hence supporting the inherent use of these plants in traditional medicine.
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    Screening of Traditionally Used Tanzanian Medicinal Plants for Antifungal Activity
    (2009) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Hosea, Ken M.; Lyaruua, Herbert V. M.; Joseph, Cosam C.; Mbwambo, Zakaria H.; Masimba, Pax J.; Gwandu, Catherine B.; Bruno, L. N.; Devkota, Krishna P.; Sewald, Norbert
    Fungal infections represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality especially in immunocompromised patients in the world today. Dichloromethane (DM) and aqueous (W) extracts of nine plants used traditionally for the treatment of fungal infections in Bukoba rural district in Tanzania were screened for antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus niger using agar well and disk diffusion methods. Dichloromethane extracts of Capparis erythrocarpos [CE] Isert (Capparaceae), Cussonia arborea [CA] Hochst. Ex A. Rich (Araliaceae), Dracaena steudneri [DS] Engl. (Dracaenaceae), Lannea schimperi [LS] (A. Rich) Engl. (Anacardiaceae), Rauvolfia vomitoria [RV] Afz (Apocynaceae), and Sapium ellipticum [SE] (Krauss) Pax (Euphorbiaceae) showed activity against all three fungi. Extracts of Rumex usambarensis [RU] (Dammer) Dammer (Polygonaceae) and Zehneria scabra [ZS] (L.f.) Sond. (Cucurbitaceae) had an activity limited to only one or two of the test organisms. Rhoicissus tridentata [RT] (L.f.) Wild & Drum (Vitaceae) was the only plant without activity. Fractions of the active extracts CE, CA, DS, LS, and SE exhibited higher antifungal activity against one or more of the three fungi. Four compounds isolated from S. ellipticum also exhibited antifungal activity against one or more of the three fungi. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs), determined using the microplate assay method, ranged between 0.4 and 50.0 μg/mL for crude extracts, 1.6 and 50.0 μg/mL for semi-purified fractions, and 0.12 and 1.0 μg/mL for pure compounds, as compared to 0.016–1.5 μg/mL for fluconazole. We confirm the potential of traditionally used plants as a source of new drugs for treatment of fungal infections.
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    Traditional Knowledge, Use Practices and Conservation of Medicinal Plants for HIV/AIDS Care in Rural Tanzania
    (2011) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Herrmann, Thora M.; Lyaruu, Herbert V. M.; Hosea, Ken M.; Joseph, Cosam C.; Mbwambo, Zakaria H.; Masimba, Pax J.
    HIV/AIDS pandemic is currently the most socio-economic challenge that faces Tanzania as it affects mostly the young and most economically productive population. People living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania are susceptible to fungal and bacterial opportunistic infections, which are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the country. Despite the government's intervention to provide ARVs to people living with HIV/AIDS, many of them especially those living in the rural areas can neither afford them due to poverty nor access them due to distance to health centers. Moreover, resistance of opportunistic microbial pathogens to conventional medicines and the serious side effects associated with antiretroviral drugs are also a major drawback to the management of HIV/AIDS in the country. Due to these factors, many people opt to use of traditional medicines. This paper highlights the use and conservation of herbal remedies to manage HIV/AIDS pandemic in Tanzania. Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out in Bukoba Rural District to explore the traditional ethno-medical knowledge, the use and conservation of medicinal plants in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections and to determine whether levels of harvesting are sustainable. The district is currently an epicenter of HIV/AIDS and although over 90% of the population in the district relies on traditional medicines to manage the disease, this traditional knowledge still remains largely unknown. Seventyfive plant species belonging to 66 genera and 40 families were found to be used to treat one or more HIV/AIDS related diseases in the district. Eight plant species were tested in-vitro for their antifungal activity against three major fungal pathogens, Candida albicans (C.P. Robin) Berkhout, Cryptococcus neoformans (San Felice) Vuill., and Aspergillus niger Tiegh. Three of them were further tested in-vivo for their anti-Candida activity. With decreasing natural stocks of medicinal plants, and based on the results, this study further provides concrete recommendations for the conservation of these important non-timber forest products and the region's medicinal plant biodiversity.
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    Use of Traditional Medicines in the Management of HIV/AIDS Infections in Tanzania: A Case in Bukoba Rural District
    (BioMed Central, 2007) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Lyaruu, Herbert V. M.; Hosea, Ken M.; Joseph, Cosam C.
    Background: Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out to document herbal remedies used in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections in Bukoba Rural district, Tanzania. The district is currently an epicenter of HIV/AIDS and although over 90% of the population in the district relies on traditional medicines to manage the disease, this knowledge is impressionistic and not well documented. The HIV/AIDS opportunistic conditions considered during the study were Tuberculosis (TB), Herpes zoster (Shingles), Herpes simplex (Genital herpes), Oral candidiasis and Cryptococcal meningitis. Other symptomatic but undefined conditions considered were skin rashes and chronic diarrhea. Methods: An open-ended semi-structured questionnaire was used in collecting field information. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the ethnobotanical data collected. Factor of informant consensus (Fic) was used to analyze the ethnobotanical importance of the plants. Results: In the present study, 75 plant species belonging to 66 genera and 41 families were found to be used to treat one or more HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. The study revealed that TB and oral candidiasis were the most common manifestations of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections affecting most of the population in the area. It unveils the first detailed account of ethnomedical documentation of plants focusing the management of HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. Conclusion: It is concluded that the ethnopharmacological information reported forms a basis for further research to identify and isolate bioactive constituents that can be developed to drugs for the management of the HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections.
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    Use of Traditional Medicines in the Management of HIV/AIDS Opportunistic Infections in Tanzania
    (2007) Kisangau, Daniel P.; Lyaruu, Herbert V. M.; Hosea, Ken M.; Joseph, Cosam C.
    Background: Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out to document herbal remedies used in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections in Bukoba Rural district, Tanzania. The district is currently an epicenter of HIV/AIDS and although over 90% of the population in the district relies on traditional medicines to manage the disease, this knowledge is impressionistic and not well documented. The HIV/AIDS opportunistic conditions considered during the study were Tuberculosis (TB), Herpes zoster (Shingles), Herpes simplex (Genital herpes), Oral candidiasis and Cryptococcal meningitis. Other symptomatic but undefined conditions considered were skin rashes and chronic diarrhea. Methods: An open-ended semi-structured questionnaire was used in collecting field information. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the ethnobotanical data collected. Factor of informant consensus (Fic) was used to analyze the ethnobotanical importance of the plants. Results: In the present study, 75 plant species belonging to 66 genera and 41 families were found to be used to treat one or more HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. The study revealed that TB and oral candidiasis were the most common manifestations of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections affecting most of the population in the area. It unveils the first detailed account of ethnomedical documentation of plants focusing the management of HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. Conclusion: It is concluded that the ethnopharmacological information reported forms a basis for further research to identify and isolate bioactive constituents that can be developed to drugs for the management of the HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections.