the role of plants in the treatment of diseases caused by micro-organisms based in the natural...

8/20/2019 The Role of Plants in the Treatment of Diseases Caused by Micro-Organisms Based in the Natural Products

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The role of plants in the treatment of

diseases caused by micro-organisms based

in the natural products

(pure and applied chemistry)

CHAPTER OE

!TRO"#CT!O

$%$ &AC'RO# O *T#"+

1.1.1 Phyllantus

This is a genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It was first

identified in Central and Southern India in 18 th century. It is

called carry me seed, stone-breaker, wind breaker, gulf leaf

flower or gala of wind, (haratiya 1!!"#.

There are o$er %&& genera with o$er ',&&& secies in the

Euphorbiaceae world wide. The Phyllantus is one of the genus

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that falls under this enormous family. Phyllantus has about

)'&-8&& secies, found in troical and subtroical regions.

*reen medicine is safe and more deendable than the costly

synthetic drugs, many of which ha$e ad$erse side effects

(+oseh and a, "&1&#. The use of medicinal lants by man for

the treatment of diseases has been in ractice for a $ery long

time. Screening of comounds obtained from lants for their

harmacological acti$ity has resulted in the isolation of

innumerable theraeutic agents.

$er '&/ of all modern chemical drugs are of natural

lant roduct origin and is essential in drug de$eloment

rograms of the harmaceutical industry (urton et. al 1!8%#.

$%$%, Phyllantus amarus (P. amarus)

P. amarus is an erect annual herb of not more than one

and half feet tall and has small lea$es and yellow flowers. It is

a broad medicinal lant that has recei$ed world-wide

recognition (Sri$idiya and 0eri$al, 1!!'#.



In herbal medicine, P. amarus has reortedly been used

to treat aundice, diabetes, otitis, diarrhea, swelling, skin ulcer,

gastrointestinal disturbances and blocks 23 olymerase in the

case of heatitis $irus during reroduction, (luwafemi, and

ebiri, "&&8#.

In 2igeria, it is called 4yomokeisoamankedem5 in 6fik,

4Iyin lobe5 in 7oruba and 46bebenio5 in ini (6tta, "&&8#. In

traditional medicine, it is used for its heatorotecti$e, anti-

diabetic, antihyertensi$e, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and

anti- microbial roerties (3deneye et al9 "&&:#. The lant is

also used in the treatment of stomach disorders, skin diseases

and cold (;okwaro, 1!):9 Iwu, 1!!%#. It has anti-diarrhoea

effect (detola and 3koenu, "&&&#. Its anti-$iral acti$ity

against heatitis $irus has been established (Thyagaraan et

al9 1!88, <ang et al9 1!!'#, anti- carcinogenic (+oy and

;uttan, 1!!8#, anti mutagenic acti$ities (+oy and ;uttan,

1!!8#, antilasmodial (Soh et al. "&&!#.

0lants contain numerous constituents, some tend to

ossess some le$el of to=icity. Cases of this to=icity in lants

ha$e been reorted (Santo= et al9 1!!', Shaw et al9 1!!),



;alowit, 1!!)#. P. amarus has been classified among

lants with a low otential for to=icity, with an >'& a$eraging

"&&&mg?kg 1day (;rithika and @erma, "&&!#.

$%$% Phyllantus niruri (P. niruri)

P. niruri is commonly called stone breaker, also known as

4Chanca iedra5. It belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. P.

niruri is similar to P. amarus. It is a wide sread troical lant

commonly found in coastal areas that grows A&-)&cm tall

(Chukwuma, "&1"#.

In 2igeria, it is called enyikwonwa and ngwu in Ibo,

yokeso amanke edem in 6fik, geeron- tsemtsaayee in Bausa,

ehin olobe and yin-olobe in 7oruba (Chukwuma, "&1"#.

3lthough P. niruri is considered a roblematic weed to

formers it is a $aluable medicinal lant. (udhia and Triathi,

"&&"#, and holds a reuted osition in both 3yur$edic and

nani system of medicine. ecently, it has attracted the

attention of researchers, because of its heatorotecti$e

(ability to re$ent damage to the li$er# roerties. 2o effecti$e



secific theray is a$ailable for $iral Beatitis but P. niruri has

shown clinical efficiency in $iral Betatis (0aranae, "&&1#.

P. niruri is an annual lant, its stem is angular with

numerous distichous, elliticoblong lea$es. Dlowers are yellow

and $ery numerous9 monoecious with 1-% staminate flowers

and solitary istillate flower borne a=illary. Druits casule, $ery

small, globose, smooth, seeds %-gonous, longitudinally ribbed

on the back. Seed to seed cycle occurs in two or four weeks

(Caius 1!8:#, (3gharkar 1!!1#. Its root, lea$es, fruits, milky

uice and whole lants are used as medicine. 3ccording to

3yur$edic system of medicine it is considered acrid, cooling,

alei=iharmic and useful in thirst, bronchitis, lerosy, anemia,

urinary disharge, anuria, boiliousness, asthma, for hiccus, and

as a diuretic. 3ccording to nani system of medicine, it is

stomachic and good for sores and useful in Chromic dysentery.

Druits useful for tubercular ulcers, wounds, sores, scabies and

ring worm (3gharkar 1!!1, ;rishanamurty 1!!%#. The fresh

root is belie$ed to be an e=cellent remedy for aundice.

In many arts of India, it is commonly used for the

treatment of snake bite. The acti$e comounds hyllanthin



and hyohyllanthim, nirtetralin and hyltetralin ha$e been

isolated from lea$es, (astogi and Eehrotra, 1!!1#. The lant

is used as a fish oison. In many arts of India esecially in

deserts, the roots mi=ed with Commiphora mukul are gi$en to

camels to cure indigestion. The decoction of lea$es and stem

are used for dying cotton black, (Singh et al9 1!!:#.

P. niruri is one of the medicinal lants used to treat

malaria in India and 2igeria. P. niruri has been used

traditionally to treat $arious illnesses including renal stones,

gastrointestinal disturbance, cough, heatitis, gonoorhea, fe$er

and malaria. It has also been reorted to osses hyoglycemic

acti$ity (Bukuri, et al9 1!88#, angiotension con$erting enyme

inhibition (eno, et al9 1!88#, liid lowering acti$ity (;hanna,

et al9 "&&"#, anti BI@ acti$ity (Fian cutron, et al9 1!!:# and

anti cancer acti$ity (*iridharan, et al9 "&&"#.

$%, Aim and ob.ecti/es



This study is aimed at showing which of the lants abo$e

is more effecti$e in the treatment of diseases caused by micro-

organisms based in the natural roducts resent in them.

The secific obecti $es include9

a. etermination of antibacterial effect of P. amarus and P.

niruri.

b. etermination of anti fungal effect of P. amarus and P.

niruri.

the role of plants in the treatment of diseases caused by micro-organisms based in the natural...

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