Browsing by Author "Okemo, Paul"

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    Anti-Mycobacterial and Toxicity Activities of Some Priority Medicinal Plants from Lake Victoria Basin, Tanzania
    (European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2012) Magadula, Joseph J.; Otieno, Joseph N.; Nondo, Ramadhani S.; Kirimuhuzya, Claude; Kadukuli, E.; Orodho, John A.; Okemo, Paul
    This study has evaluated ethanol extracts from five medicinal plants selected through ethnobotanical study from Lake Victoria basin, Tanzania for their in vitro antimycobacterial activity against two Mycobacterium species and cytotoxicity against brine shrimp larvae. Study Design: Laboratory experimental tests. Place and Duration of Study: Institute of Traditional Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between July 2010 and July 2011. Methodology: Five medicinal plants were selected from the priority list obtained from Lake Victoria basin, Tanzanian side. Collection, processing and drying of plant samples were done in the field with the assistance of a botanist while extraction and concentration of plant samples to obtain crude extracts were done in the laboratory following standard procedures. The plants included in this study are Antidesma membranaceum, Crassocephalum manii, Entada abyssinica, Croton dichogamus and Rubia cordifolia. The two fold microdilution method was used to determine the MIC values of extracts against Research Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2(2): 125-131, 2012 126 two Mycobacterium marker strains (Mycobacterium indicus pranii and Mycobacterium madagascariense). The cytotoxicity of plant extract was evaluated against brine shrimp larvae. Furthermore, the extracts were screened phytochemicaly to establish the group of compounds responsible for the activity.
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    Efficacy of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root extract on slow-growing rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    (Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 2012) Kirimuhuzya, Claude; Bunalema, Lydia; Waako, Paul; Tabuti, John R. S.; John, Orodho; Magadula Jangu, Joseph; Otieno, Nicholas; Okemo, Paul
    We report here, the results from total crude methanol extract as well as serial ether, chloroform, and methanol extracts of the root of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl) Schltr that were screened against three strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The strains used included the pan sensitive H37Rv, the rifampicin-resistant TMC-331 and a wild strain of Mycobacetrium avium (MA) isolated from a Ugandan patient. The disc diffusion method was used for susceptibility tests on solid Middle brook 7H10 while the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by the microtitre plate method using Middle brook 7H9 broth. We report that the total crude methanol extract showed the highest activity against H37Rv and TM-331 with complete clearance of quadrants at 50 mg/ml and zones of inhibition of 10.0 to 11 mm at 25 mg/ml concentration although it was not effective against M. avium. The corresponding MIC values were 1.17 mg/ml for H37Rv and 1.56 mg/ml for TMC-331. The values for isoniazid were 0.25 and 9.38 μg/ml for H37Rv and TMC-331, respectively, while for rifampicin the MIC value was 0.25 μg/ml for H37Rv but it was not active on TMC- 331. Acute toxicity test gave an LD50 of 758.5 mg/kg body weight while the phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids.
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    Local Management of Tuberculosis by Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Lake Victoria Region
    (The Open Complementary Medicine Journal, 2011) Orodho, John A.; Kirimuhuzya, Claude; Otieno, Joseph N.; Magadula, Joseph J.; Okemo, Paul
    Tuberculosis (TB) is now a global public health problem that has been exacerbated by the emergence of multiand extensively-drug resistant (MDR and XDR, respectively) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There have been claims in the region by Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) about being able to treat the symptoms of TB, but their work lacked proper documentation. A structured questionnaire was used to test the ability of (TMPs) to diagnose and treat symptoms of TB; the medicinal plants used treat TB symptoms, as well as the influence of socio-economic and cultural factors on the indigenous communities’ choice of treatment. A total of 99 TMPs and 22 TB patients were interviewed. Over 30 medicinal plants were mentioned as being used to treat symptoms of TB, an indication of wide knowledge on management of TB in the region. Treatment costs were found to influence the patients’ choice of TB treatment and a large proportion of the TMPs were found to be of advanced age (60-80 years of age). The conclusion was that TMPs have reasonable knowledge about TB and its management. There is urgent need to tap the indigenous knowledge from the custodians and scientifically validate it for future drug development.