Antituberculosis activity of medicinal plants belonging to the Fabaceae family used for the treatment of tuberculosis in Lesotho

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death in Southern Africa and 13th leading cause of death worldwide. It remains one of the top priorities of the World Health Organization. Southern Africa has a rich culture of using medicinal plants to treat diseases; however, the safety and efficacy of the medicinal plants used must be investigated and confirmed. In this study, three indigenous medicinal plants were investigated that are commonly used in traditional medicine against TB activity in Southern Africa. Crude plant extracts of Elephantorrhiza elephantina (Burch.) Skeels, Leobordea lanceolata (E. Mey.), and Trifolium burchellianum Ser. subsp. burchellianum roots were collected, prepared, and analysed for phytochemical screening, anti-inflammation activity, toxicity levels, and anti-TB activity. It was found that E. elephantina and T. burchellianum showed anti-inflammation activity at 200 μg/mL for room temperature water (H2O) extracts, while L. lanceolata did not show any anti-inflammatory activity. The E. elephantina extracts of methanol and H2O extracts showed no toxicity levels at the three different concentrations of 50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, and 200 μg/mL, but L. lanceolata and T. burchellianum showed toxicity in room temperature H2O extracts at 200 μg/mL. Unfortunately, none of the plant extracts showed any anti-TB activity against strains from the Latin American Mediterranean and East African Indian lineages found in the Free-State province.