In vitro screening of extracts from selected medicinal plants in Ghana for anti-leishmania properties

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January, 2016
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Abstract
Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoans of the Leishmania spp. It is a chronic infection that is associated with global morbidity and mortality. The main form of control, chemotherapy, is hampered by high toxicity of available drugs and emergence of resistant parasite strains. This study was aimed at screening some Ghanaian medicinal plants for anti-Leishmania activity. Plant extracts were prepared with ethanol and their anti-Leishmania activity tested at a concentration range of 1-100 µg/ml using the alamar Blue® assay (Invitrogen, USA). Out of 96 ethanolic plant extracts screened, 32 were found to have varying degrees of activity. The eight (8) extracts with the highest activity obtained from seven (7) plants, (Cassia alata [045L], Zanthoxylum xanthoxyloides [064R], Cola cordifolia [032L], Annona senegalensis [035L], Clausena anisata [036R], Bridellia ferruginea [038L] and Parkia clappertoniana [050SBL and 050L]) were selected and tested for their apoptosis inducing properties and effect on parasite morphology using FACS analysis and immunohistochemistry. None of the eight (8) extracts had induced apoptosis in Leishmania parasites but had varying effects on the parasites’ morphology. Extracts 035L caused kinetoplast disintegration while 032L, 038L, 050SBL and 050L caused nuclear fragmentation. Extract 045L, on the other hand, did not affect nuclear or kinetoplast division but rather inhibited cytokinesis. Five out of 7 plants whose extracts showed high activity were tested for the first time in this study. Data obtained from this study are useful as an initial database for Ghanaian medicinal plants with anti-Leishmania activity. This study recommends further analysis on the eight active extracts, for their potential as anti-Leishmania drug candidates.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Clinical Microbiology),
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