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• Ethnoveterinary medicine is extensively used amongst rural farmers in Limpopo. • Data on plant use to treat animals was collected from inhabitants of Sekhukune area. • Many plants are used for a multitude of ailments, and applied mainly orally. • Some remedies comprised combinations of plants, warranting further study. Ethnoveterinary medicine is extensively used to manage livestock ailments in many rural areas in Africa, particularly in areas where access to orthodox veterinary healthcare is limited, but it remains poorly documented. Indigenous knowledge of plants used to treat livestock respiratory and dermatological infections of livestock was investigated in the Sekhukhune district of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, ethnoveterinary data were collected from 5 farmers and 30 traditional healers. During the survey, we identified 24 plant species from 15 families traditionally used to treat various veterinary diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis and influenza, as well as chronic conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, wounds, boils, abscesses and skin irritation. Three ethnobotanical indices (informant consensus factor (ICF), use-value (UV), and relative frequency of citation (RFC) were used for the quantitative analysis of data. The plant preparations were given to the livestock orally for respiratory ailments and topically for dermatological disorders. The most commonly used plant parts were leaves (91%), bark (25%) and roots (29%), and in many cases more than one plant part was used to prepare the remedies. Eucalyptus camaldulensis was the most preferred species for respiratory infections with UV and RFC of 1. Aloe marlothii, Malva parviflora, Citrus limon, Aloe zebrina and Aloe globuligemma were also widely used species for both types of infections. Some medicines were used for more than one disease, most likely because they have a broad spectrum of action and are widely available. This provides motivation for exploring the use of such medications in primary livestock healthcare systems in the country to reduce the cost of orthodox treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tithonia diversifolia and T. rotundifolia belong to the Asteraceae family and are native to Mexico and Central America. These plants have become invasive in parts of tropical Africa and Asia where they have become an ecological, agricultural and economic burden. Tithonia diversifolia is exploited by locals in its native and most parts of its invasive range as a source of medicines; however, T. rotundifolia is only used for medicinal purposes in one country in the native range (Venezuela) and none in the invasive range. Although T. diversifolia has been studied for different biological activities, little or no attention has been given to T. rotundifolia. This study compared the antimicrobial activity, phytochemistry, identification of bioactive compound(s) and toxicity levels of different leaf extracts and fractions of T. diversifolia and T. rotundifolia. Methods: Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against seven pathogenic bacteria, four non-pathogenic Mycobacterium species and three fungal species using serial microdilution assays. Phytochemical contents were determined through standard methods of analysis. UPLC/MS was used to analyse the fractions to identify possible bioactive compounds that may be responsible for bioactivity, while toxicity tests were carried out using the colorimetric MTT assay and the Ames test. Results: Both species had a range of antimicrobial activity against bacterial, mycobacterial and fungal species. However, T. rotundifolia displayed better activity against most of the strains tested with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging between 0.01 and 0.07 mg/ml. Both species were rich in phenolics, flavonoids and tannins. Tagitinin A was identified as the main compound present in both species, and this compound may be responsible for the antimicrobial activity displayed. Toxicity tests showed that T. diversifolia was cytotoxic at concentrations used in this study, while T. rotundifolia was not. Both species did not show any mutagenic/genotoxic effects. Conclusion: The above results suggest that both species may be further developed as a source of antimicrobials for the treatment of infections caused by opportunistic pathogens. They may also serve as alternatives to highly exploited plant species with the same medicinal properties. However, T. diversifolia should be used with caution as it may be toxic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks are haematophagous arthropods which rank closely with mosquitoes in their capacity to transmit disease pathogens of importance to animals and humans. Current control of ticks is based on the routine use of synthetic chemicals administered to animals or their environment. However, years of use and overuse of these chemicals have resulted in the development of resistance in these parasites and negative environmental impacts, hence the need for cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives with alternate modes of action. There has been a large interest in using plants for these purposes. Peer-reviewed articles on plants evaluated for their tick repellent and/or acaricidal activities against immature and adult stages of ticks were collected from nine scientific databases with the aim of reviewing the bioassays employed. Search words included “acaricidal”, “tick repellent”, “antitick assays” and “phytomedicine”. Many different methods were used to determine repellency and acaricidal activity. These include, among a few others, petri dish, tick climbing, olfactometer, larval packet and immersion bioassays. Tick climbing repellency and adult immersion bioassays were most commonly used. Ethanol was the most widely used solvent and Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus ) microplus was the most commonly studied tick across all the reviewed papers. It is unclear whether the outcome of these experiments on a one-host tick can be applied to other species of ticks that infest animals and humans. Also, most of the assays on repellency did not discriminate between olfaction and tactile chemoreception-based repellency and though some of the observed methods were similar, results differ significantly. These aspects will need further evaluation. Standardized laboratory methods are required to enable the valid comparisons between results from different laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Athrixia phylicoides DC. (Asteraceae) is used medicinally in South Africa to treat a plethora of ailments, including heart problems, diabetes, diarrhoea, sores and infected wounds. It is also prepared in the form of a tea (hot decoction) taken as a refreshing, pleasant-tasting beverage with commercialization potential. Methods: Extracts of the dried ground aerial parts were prepared using organic solvents (diethyl ether, dichloromethane/methanol, ethyl acetate and ethanol) and water. These extracts were subjected to HPLC, TLC and bioautography analysis with the aim of linking a range of peaks visualized in HPLC chromatography profiles to antibacterial and antifungal activity of the same extracts. Results: HPLC revealed a group of compounds extracted by more than one solvent. Compounds identified include inositol, caffeic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, hymenoxin and oleanolic acid. The organic extracts displayed similar TLC profiles, and bioautography indicated approximately five antibacterial compounds, but only two antifungal compounds in these extracts. Bioautography indicated that cold water extracted the least antimicrobial compounds. Conclusions: Several previously unknown compounds were identified in Athrixia phylicoides extracts, and bioautography indicated a number of antibacterial and antifungal compounds. There were notable differences in chemical composition and bioactivity between the organic and aqueous extracts. Further research is necessary to fully characterize the active components of the extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ptaeroxylon obliquum (Thunb.) Radlk, sneezewood, is a commonly used medicinal plant in South Africa for the treatment of parasitic infections in animals, tuberculosis (TB) and related symptoms, and other microbial infections. In this study anthelmintic, antifungal, antimycobacterial, larvicidal and cytotoxic activities of the acetone leaf extract of P. obliquum , solvent-solvent derived fractions of the extract and isolated compounds (obliquumol and a mixture of lupeol and β-amyrin) were determined. The in vitro anthelmintic activity was tested against Haemonchus contortus ova and larvae using the egg hatch inhibition and larval development assays. The antifungal activity was investigated using a serial microplate dilution method against Aspergillus fumigatus, Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans. Antimycobacterial activity was evaluated by a tetrazolium violet-based broth microdilution method against pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis. The larvicidal activity was evaluated against Aedes aegypti. Cytotoxicity was determined using human liver (C3A) and Vero African green monkey kidney cell lines. Obliquumol (ptaeroxylinol acetate) was more effective than the crude acetone extract against H. contortus ova and larvae with an LC 50 of 95 μg/mL against the larvae. Obliquumol had very good antifungal activity with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values from 2 to 16 μg/mL. Lupeol and β-amyrin mixture also had good activity against C. neoformans and C. albicans with an MIC of 16 μg/mL against both fungi. The crude extract and fractions had average to weak antimycobacterial activity against the two pathogenic mycobacteria with MICs of 313–625 μg/mL for the extract and fractions tested. Obliquumol had good activity with an MIC of 63 μg/mL against pathogenic M. tuberculosis ATCC 27115. The acetone crude extract was toxic against Vero cells with an CC 50 of 14.2 μg/mL. Obliquumol and the mixture of lupeol and β-amyrin were not toxic against both Vero and C3A cells at the highest concentration tested of 200 μg/mL and had good selectivity index values against the opportunistic fungal pathogens. No tested samples had any larvicidal activity against A. aegypti at the concentrations tested. The activity noted against H. contortus may support the ethnoveterinary use of this plant against animal parasites in South Africa although aqueous extracts were not active. The activity of obliquumol against opportunistic fungal pathogens was also promising. The cytotoxicity of the acetone leaf extract, however, raises concerns about the traditional use of P. obliquum to treat a wide range of diseases although if an aqueous extract is used the toxicity concern may not be relevant. [Display omitted] • Obliquumol was more effective than P. obliquum acetone leaf extract with LC 50 = 95 μg/mL against Haemonchus contortus larvae. • Obliquumol had very good antifungal activity with MIC values of 2 μg/mL-16 μg/mL. • Lupeol and β-amyrin mixture had good activity against both Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans with MIC of 16 μg/mL. • P. obliquum acetone leaf extract was toxic against Vero cells with CC 50 = 14.2 μg/mL. • Obliquumol was not toxic against both Vero and C3A cells at the highest concentration tested of 200 μg/mL [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]