Browsing by Author "Buwa-Komoreng, Lisa Valencia"

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    Antibacterial evaluation of South African Aloe ferox (Mill)
    (AOSIS Publishing, 2024-03-15) Goge, Sipho; Singh, Karishma; Buwa-Komoreng, Lisa Valencia; Coopoosamy, Roger M.
    Background There has been an alarming increase in infections because of multidrug resistance. Several multidrug-resistant microbes are becoming more resistant to medications with several side effects. There is an urgent requirement for natural, safer and inexpensive antimicrobial agents. Aim The study sought to examine the effects of the antimicrobial activity of Aloe ferox (A. ferox) in different regions across South Africa. Method The antimicrobial activity was determined using the agar disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined using the microplate dilution method. 100 mg of dry extract was dissolved in 1 mL of ethanol, ethyl acetate and aqueous to obtain the concentration of 100 mg/mL dilutions (1:10, 1:100 and 1:500), respectively. Results The aqueous extracts showed antibacterial activity against all Gram-positive bacteria. Ethanol extracts showed greater inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria than ethyl acetate extracts. Ethanol showed inhibition on Gram-negative bacteria, that is, Protea vulgaris, Escherichia coli and S. sonnei. Aqueous and ethanol extracts displayed strong inhibition at the concentration of 1:10 against all fungal species across regions. Conclusion A. ferox showed inhibition to varying degrees across all the regions. The concentrations of A. ferox active ingredient used in traditional medicine differ by region. The study validates the potential difference in the antimicrobial activity of A. ferox across different geographical regions.
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    Investigating the in vitro Anticancer Potential and Phytochemical Constituents of Cheilanthes hirta Swartz Plant Extracts
    (2024-10-30) Aladejana, Elizabeth Bosede; Macaula, Nande; Lamula, Siphamandla Q.; Aladejana, Adebowale Emmanuel; Wium, Mariet; Paccez, Juliano; Zerbini, Luiz Fernando; Buwa-Komoreng, Lisa Valencia
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    Proximate, Vitamins, Minerals and Anti-Nutritive Constituents of the Leaf and Stem of Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet: A Folk Medicinal Plant in South Africa
    (MDPI, 2022-10-20) Afuape, Abolaji Olajumoke ; Afolayan, Anthony Jide; Buwa-Komoreng, Lisa Valencia
    Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet (Asteraceae) is a perennial shrub used in South African folk medicine to combat human diseases such as diabetes, coughs, asthma, and diarrhoea, and for wound treatment. This study evaluated the leaf and stem of H. odoratissimum for their nutritive and anti-nutritive qualities using the standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and colorimetry. Crude fat and protein were high in the leaf (7.61% and 7.82% DW), but low in the stem (2.25% and 3.4%), respectively. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content was significantly higher in the stem (68.5%) compared to the leaf (43.6%), while non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) in the leaf (24.93%) was higher than in the stem (15.67%). Mineral analysis showed that both the leaf and stem of H. odoratissimum are good sources of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Appreciable amounts of vitamins B2, C and E in the leaf and stem supports the folkloric utility of the plant in the traditional treatment of wounds, coughs and colds. A tolerable amount of phytate in both leaf (0.36%) and stem (1.06%) might be a factor for safer consumption of the plant as food and medicine. These findings suggest the use of the plant as a source for dietary supplementation and ethnomedicinal applications.