Planta Med 2013; 79 - PE22
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1352041

Assessing the antibacterial activities and toxicity effects of hydroethanolic extract of Calliandra portoricensis

SO Ogbonnia 1, VN Enwuru 2, GO Mbaka 3, FE Nkemehule 1, JE Emordi 4, P Onyebuchi 2
  • 1University of Lagos, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 2University of Lagos, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
  • 3Lagos State University, Department of Anatomy, Lagos, Nigeria.
  • 4University of Lagos, University of Lagos, College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria

C. portoricensis root is used in the traditional medicine and often administered for a very long period in the treatment of urinary tract infections, dysmenorrhea and other diseases. This study evaluated the antibacterial properties of hydroethanolic root extract of C. portoricensis and its safety through acute and subchronic studies in animal. The antibacterial sensitivity was evaluated at 150, 300 and 600 mg/ml concentrations of the extract on Enterococcus facaelis, Streptococcus pneumoniae (ATCC 49619), Pseudomonas species (ATCC 27853). Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Kleibsiella species in Agar diffusion method.

E. facaelis and S. pneumoniae only were susceptible with the following diameter of diffusion 15, 12.5 and 11.5 mm for E. facaelis and 12.5, 10.0 and 7.5 mm for S. pneumoniae while the minimum inhibitory concentrations were 52.2 mg/ml and 6.4 mg/ml respectively.

The acute toxicity was evaluated orally in different groups of Swiss albino mice in the dose range of 0.5 g to 20.0 g/kg body weight and observed continuously for 4h and hourly for the next 12h and 6hrly for 56hrs (1). Subchronic toxicities were carried out in Wistar rats fed with doses 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg bodyweight of the extract for 30 days and the effects on some biochemical parameters and some tissue histology evaluated. The lethal median dose (LD50) was determined to be 5.0 g/kg body weight.

Significant decrease (p < 0.05) in low density lipoprotein cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferases, alanine aminotransferases and creatinine was observed while there was increase (p < 0.01) in high density lipoprotein cholesterol and total protein levels in all the treated groups. The LD50 value obtained implied that the extract was slightly toxic (2) but generally no deleterious effects were observed.

References:

[1] Ogbonnia et al. (2012) Agric Bio J North Am., 3(6), 237 – 246

[2] Klaasen et al. (1995) 8Ed. Mc Graw Hill USA: 13 – 33