Anti-inflammatory and mutagenic evaluation of medicinal plants used by Venda people against venereal and related diseases

Ethnopharmacology relevance: Inflammation is a major risk factor for various human diseases including venereal diseases, often resulting in treatment complications. Plants have been traditionally used for treatment of many different diseases and have been successfully proven to be an alternative source in treatment of infectious diseases. Aim of the study: This study was aimed at evaluating the anti-inflammatory activities and the mutagenic properties of 12 medicinal plants used by the Venda people against venereal and related diseases. Materials and methods: The plants were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity against the cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and -2) enzymes and genotoxicity using the Ames test, with and without S9 (metabolic activation) against Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA98. Results: DCM and PE extracts of Adansonia digitata bark, Bolusanthus speciosus bark, Pterocarpus angolensis bark and Pap pea capensis leaves and EtOH and water extracts of Bolusanthus speciosus stem and Ekebergia capensis bark showed the best anti-inflammatory activity in both COX-1 and -2 assays at 250 mu g/ml. These were further evaluated at three other concentrations (31.25, 62.5, and 125 mu g/ml) to determine IC50 values. Water extracts of Ekebergia capensis bark showed the best IC50 value towards COX-1. The Ames test revealed that all plant extracts were non-mutagenic towards Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 except for Elephantorrhiza burkei and Ekebergia capensis that showed weak mutagenicity. Conclusion: The active plants may offer a new source of chemicals for the effective treatment of anti-inflammatory conditions related to venereal diseases. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.