Anti-Mycobacterial Activity on Middlebrook 7H10 Agar of Selected Congolese Medicinal Plants

Abstract

In recent years, Tuberculosis (TB) has re-emerged as a serious public health problem worldwide. The disease spreads more easily in overcrowded settings and in conditions of malnutrition and poverty. The emergence of multidrug resistant and lengthy therapy reduces the patient compliance which comprises TB control strategies. In the current study, the leaves of Terminalia ivorensis, Carapa procera, Fagara macrophylla, Anacardium occidentale, Ficus spp. and Drepanoalpha® were extracted using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol in order to assess their anti-mycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and Mycobacterium tuberculosis spp. on Middlebrook 7H10 agar using a qualitative approach where the activity was determined by the presence or the absence of growth on the plate. The phytochemical screening was used for the identification of the major groups of compounds found in the extracts. The methanolic extract displayed a good activity on both strains than the petroleum ether and ethyl acetate. The presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, anthocyanins, quinones known to be of medicinal importance points out a possible source for anti-mycobacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance. The in vitro findings of this study provide a partial support for the use of these plants in the management of various infectious diseases as lead to drug discovery and should be reiterated and recommended for a clinical trial using an animal model.