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Anti-mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of polyherbal medicines used for the treatment of tuberculosis in Eastern Cape, South Africa


Elizabeth B. Famewo
Anna M. Clarke
Ian Wiid
Andile Ngwane
Paul van Helden
Anthony J. Afolayan

Abstract

Background: The emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has become a global public health problem. Polyherbal medicines offer great hope for developing alternative drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Objective: To evaluate the anti-tubercular activity of polyherbal medicines used for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Methods: The remedies were screened against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using Middlebrook 7H9 media and MGIT BACTEC 960 system. They were liquid preparations from King Williams Town site A (KWTa), King Williams Town site B (KWTb), King Williams Town site C (KWTc), Hogsback first site (HBfs), Hogsback second site (HBss), Hogsback third site (HBts), East London (EL), Alice (AL) and Fort Beaufort (FB).

Results: The susceptibility testing revealed that all the remedies contain anti-tubercular activity with KWTa, KWTb, KWTc, HBfs, HBts, AL and FB exhibiting more activity at a concentration below 25 μl/ml. Furthermore, MIC values exhibited inhibitory activity with the most active remedies from KWTa, HBfs and HBts at 1.562 μg/ml. However, isoniazid showed more inhibitory activity against M. tuberculosis at 0.05 μg/ml when compare to the polyherbal remedies.

Conclusion: This study has indicated that these remedies could be potential sources of new anti-mycobacterial agents against M. tuberculosis. However, the activity of these preparations and their active principles still require in vivo study in order to assess their future as new anti-tuberculosis agents.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; in vitro activity, polyherbal medicines, South Africa


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eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905