Speaker
Description
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Antileishmanial and Wound Healing Properties of Selected Medicinal Plants
( Joseph Famiyeh Eduful, Vivian Etsiapa Boamah, Nicholas Adjei Bae, Hayford Odoi, Yaw Duah Boakye, Theresa Agana, Christian Agyare)
Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.
Email: joefameyeh8@gmail.com
Background:
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, produces chronic skin lesions that are often slow to heal. These lesions serve as entry points for opportunistic microorganisms, leading to secondary infections that complicate treatment and delay recovery. Beyond leishmaniasis, wounds remain a pressing global health concern, intensified by aging populations, chronic conditions, and the shortage of accessible, effective therapies. Against this backdrop, medicinal plants are increasingly being explored for their wound-healing, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiparasitic potential.
Aim:
To investigate the antimicrobial, antioxidant, antileishmanial, and wound-healing properties of aqueous extracts of Chromolaena odorata, Carica papaya, Anona senegalensis, Diospyros mespiliformis, Piliostigma thoningii, and Anchomanes difformis.
Methods:
Plant materials were collected, air-dried, and extracted with water. Extracts were screened for phytochemicals and tested against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Candida albicans to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentrations (MBC/MFC), and time-kill kinetics. Antileishmanial activity was evaluated using the MTT assay, antioxidant activity by DPPH radical scavenging, and wound-healing efficacy in guinea pigs through excision wound contraction and histological assessment.
Results:
Active extracts demonstrated MIC values of 1.562–6.25 mg/mL and MBCs of 25–50 mg/mL, while weaker extracts showed higher thresholds. Antioxidant IC₅₀ values ranged from 107.2 to 246 µg/mL, and antileishmanial IC₅₀ values were 2.134–46.2 µg/mL. All extracts significantly (p<0.0001) enhanced wound contraction, supported by histological evidence of collagen formation.
Conclusion:
The findings support the traditional use of these plants for managing infections, mitigating oxidative stress, controlling leishmanial lesions, and promoting wound repair.
Keywords: Antimicrobial, Wound healing, Antileishmanial, Antioxidant