Antioxidant Dll Tumbuhan Yaman

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Journal of Ethnopharmacology 111 (2007) 657666

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activitiesof selected medicinal plants from Yemen

Mohamed Al-Fatimi a, Martina Wurster c,Gudrun Schroder b, Ulrike Lindequist c,

a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pharmacy Section, Department of Pharmacognosy, Aden University, Aden, Yemenb Friedrich Loffler Institute of Medical Microbiology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany

cInstitute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

Received 4 September 2006; received in revised form 9 January 2007; accepted 13 January 2007

Available online 19 January 2007

Abstract

Ninety crude extracts, including dichloromethane, methanol and aqueous extracts from 30 medicinal plants used in the Yemeni ethnomedicine to

treat common infections, were screened in vitro for antimicrobial activities against three Gram-positive bacteria and two Gram-negative bacteria,

Candida maltosaand five opportunistic human fungal pathogens (two yeasts, three hyphomycetes).

Most of the plants showed antibacterial activities. Extracts fromTamarindus indicaflowers andFicus vastafruits have been the most active.

Of the30 plants tested, 13 showed antifungal activity (40%) against oneore more human pathogenic fungi. Thestrongest inhibition was exhibited

byAzima tetracantha(fruits),Sansevieria ehrenbergii(fruits) andSolanum incanum(fruits).

Ten methanol extracts, especially those ofAcacia asakbarks andSolanum nigrumfruits, showed effective free radical scavenging activities in

the DPPH assay.

Remarkable cytotoxic activity against FL-cells was shown only for five plants, among them Plicosepalus curviflorus(stems).

2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Medicinal plants; Yemen; Antimicrobial; Cytostatic; Antioxidant

1. Introduction

The use of traditional medicine at the primary health care

level is widespread in Yemen (Schopen, 1983; Badib, 1991; Al-

Fatimi,1999; Miller and Morris, 2004).But only a few species

from Yemeni natural sources have been scientifically investi-

gated for their biological activity (Ali et al., 2001; Al-Fatimi et

al., 2005a, 2005b, 2006; Mothana and Lindequist, 2005).

Because of the resistance that pathogenic build against antibi-

otics, there is a great interest in the search for new antimicrobialdrugs also from nature. Natural crude drug extracts and bio-

logically active compounds isolated from plant species used in

traditional medicine canbe prolific resourcesfor such new drugs.

Therefore in the present study, medicinal plants were

collected from differentlocalitiesin Yemento studytheir antimi-

Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 3834 864868; fax: +49 3834 864885.

E-mail address:[email protected](U. Lindequist).

crobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties according to their

use in Yemeni traditional medicine and to investigate their in

vitro activity in order to discover resources for new lead struc-

tures or to improve the traditional medicine.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Plant material

The plant material (Table 1) was collected from different

localities of Yemen based on the information provided in the

ethnobotanical survey conducted in the time from January 2002

to August 2003.

The collected plants were identified in the Pharmacog-

nosy Department Aden University, Aden, Yemen and at the

Botanischer Garten and Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem,

Freie University, Berlin, Germany. Voucher specimens

(Table 1/FT 001-FT 030) for each plant are deposited in the

Department of Pharmacognosy, Aden University, Aden, Yemen.

0378-8741/$ see front matter 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.01.018
mailto:[email protected]://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_3/dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.01.018http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_3/dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.01.018mailto:[email protected]


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658 M. Al-Fatimi et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 111 (2007) 657666

Table 1

Ethnobotanical data of the investigated Yemeni plants

Family/botanical name (voucher specimen no.) Part (tested) Local name Site of collection Major traditional usesa

Amaranthaceae/Aerva javanica(Burm. fil.) Juss. (FT 004) Fruits (Diaspores) ra Dhamar Sedative (3)

Aloaceae/Aloe veraL. Burm.f. (FT 005) Seeds Saber Tahama Malaria (3)

Asclepiadaceae/Caralluma penicillata(Deflers) N.E. Br.

(FT 009)

Fruits Uluth Taiz Skin rash, scabies (3)

Asclepiadaceae/Leptadenia pyrotechnica(Forssk.) Decne.(FT 018)

Whole plant Marh Schuqura Wound (3)

Asclepiadaceae/Orbea deflersiana(Lavranos) Bruyns. (FT

012)

Whole plant Urza Imkhudeera Diabetes, wound (3)

Asclepiadaceae/Rhytidocaulon tortum(N.E. Br.) M.G.

Gilbert (FT 023)

Whole plant Quaran Alhudidah Wound, allergy (3)

Burseraceae/Commiphora foliaceaSprague (FT 012) Stem cortex Rashaha Alraqub Wound, antiseptic

Burseraceae/Commiphora kua(R.Br. ex Royle) Vollesen

(FT 011)

Leaves Murr Gischan Detergent for mouth and throat,

bronchitis (2); face and skin

antiseptic (1); cough (4)

Caesalpiniaceae/Tamarindus indicaL. (FT 029) Flowers Humar Hadramut Skin antiseptic, insecticides (3)

Capparaceae/Cadaba farinosaForssk. (MAB 007) Leaves Gurduma Taiz Urinary infection, haemorrhoids (3)

Capparaceae/Cadaba glandulosaForssk. (FT 008) Leaves Gurduma Gaheen Haemorrhoids (3)

Capparaceae/Maerua aff. oblongifolia vel macrantha(FT

019)

Gall Gurduma Gaheen Asthma, skin diseases (3)

Cucurbitaceae/Zehneria anomalaC. Jeffrey (FT 030) Gall Madh Imkhudeera Skin diseases, burns, wound (3)

Dracaenaceae/Sansevieria ehrenbergiiSchweinf. ex Baker

(FT 026)

Fruits Seni Lawdar Warts, antiseptic (3)

Euphorbiaceae/Euphorbia hadramauticaBaker (FT 013) Whole plant Nafeez Almahra Bruises, eczema, wound (3)

Fabaceae/Indigofera spinosaForssk. (MAB 017) Leaves Hassar Imaeen Kidney stones (3); cough, cold (4)

Labiatae/Ocimum forskoleiBenth. (FT 020) Herb Dhumaran Imshaa Cosmetic, fever, skin infections (3)

Loranthaceae/Plicosepalus curviflorusTiegh. (FT 022) Stems Saquar Lawdar Cancer (3)

Malvaceae/Gossypium areysiamumDefl. (FT 015) Leaves afra Imshaa Wound, dermatitis (3)

Malvaceae/Gossypium barbadenseL. (FT 016) Seeds Uttub Zingebar Cosmetic (2); acne, rheumatism (3)

Mimosaceae/Acacia asakWilld. (FT 001) Stem cortex Talah Aldhala Gastric ulcer, antiseptic, skin

diseases (3)

Mimosaceae/Acacia nilotica(L.) Delile (FT 002) Leaves Qarad Yafa Expectorating, wounds, pharyngitis,

bronchitis (2); diabetes (1)

Mimosaceae/Acacia tortilisHayne (FT 003) Fruits Sumyrr Shabwah Stomach ache, digestive (3)

Moraceae/Ficus vastaForssk. (FT 014) Fruits Tawlaq Radaa Cough, expectorant (3)

Salvadoraceae/Azima tetracanthaLam. (FT 006) Fruits Sor Lawdar Rheumatism, cough (3)

Salvadoraceae/Salvadora persicaL. (FT 025) Gall Rak Modyah Dermatitis (3)

Solanaceae/Solanum incanumL. (FT 027) Fruits Nuqum Hadramut Teeth antiseptic, toothache (1, 4);

skin diseases (2)

Solanaceae/Solanum nigrumL. (FT 028) Fruits Qumqam Lahaj Skin antiseptic (1); diarrhea,

expectorant, laxative (2);

hemorrhages (3)

Vitaceae/Cissus rotundifoliaVahl (FT 010) Leaves Alfaq Hagah Digestive (3); foodstuff, fever (4)

Zygophyllaceae/Fagonia luntiiBaker (FT 024) Whole Hell Lawdar Antiseptic, burns (3)

a References for uses: (1)Al-Fatimi (1999); (2)Badib (1991);(3)Oral interview (2002, 2003);(4)Schopen (1983).

2.2. Extraction

The plant materials were allowed to air dry and afterwardspulverized in grinder.

Thirty grams of the pulverized materials were successively

extracted with 300 ml of dichloromethane, 300 ml of methanol

and 300 ml of water at room temperature for 8 h. The extracts

were then concentrated under reduced pressure at 40 C, freeze-

dried and stored in exsiccator until use.

2.3. Determination of antimicrobial activities

2.3.1. Microorganisms

The following bacterial strains were employed in the screen-

ing: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Bacillus subtilis

(ATCC 6059), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas

aeruginosa(ATCC 27853) andMicrococcus flavus(SBUG 16).

As fungal strains Candida maltosa (SBUG 17), Candida albi-cans (ATCC 90028), Candida krusei (ATCC 90878),Aspergillus

fumigatus (13550/99), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (05/2004),

Absidia corymbifera (100798). The SBUG strains were given

from the strain collection of the Institute of Microbiology

(SBUG) and the strains 13550/99, 05/2004 and 100798 from

the Friedrich Loffler Institute of Medical Microbiology of the

Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany.

2.3.2. Antimicrobial assays

Modified agar diffusion method (Bauer et al., 1966) was used

to determine antibacterial and antifungalactivities. The bacterial

cell suspension was prepared from a 24 h culture and adjusted


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M. Al-Fatimi et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 111 (2007) 657666 659

Table 2

In vitro antibacterial activity of selected plants from Yemen

Botanical name Extract and % yield Inhibition zones (mm) against

S. a. B. c. M. f. E. c. P. a.

Acacia asak D (2.8) 15 10

M (18.5) 15 20 8

W (16.2)

Acacia nilotica D (2.9) 10 10

M (17.2) 15 20 10

W (14.8) 15 15 20 15

Acacia tortilis D (2.6) 20 20 15

M (11.3) 10 8 8 10

W (15.4) 10 8 8

Aerva javanica D (1.8)

M (10.5) 8 8 15

W (9.7) 10 10 15

Aloe vera D (1.3) 8 8

M (12.8)

W (11.8) 8 10 10

Azima tetracantha D (1.9) 15 10 15

M (18.7) 10 20 10

W (7.9) 15 10 20

Cadaba farinosa D (3.4) 15 15 18

M (17.2) 8 20 10

W (9.5) 8 8

Cadaba glandulosa D (3.1) 10 8

M (16.8) 15

W (1.3) 8 8 8 8

Caralluma penicillata D (2.7) 15

M (9.5) 8

W (8.6) 10 8 10

Cissus rotundifolius D (3.2) 10 10 10 M (14.5) 15 15 18

W (11.2)

Commiphora foliacea D (1.7) 10 8 8

M (17.1) 10 10

W (11.8) 15 10 8 10

Commiphora kua D (2.8) 8 20

M (12.5) 10 8 25

W (16.3) 8

Euphorbia hadramautica D (1.5) 8 8

M (16.7) 15 10

W (9.1)

Fagonia luntii D (1.7) 18 12

M (15.9) 20 15 10W (12.4) 15 8 15

Ficus vasta D (2.3) 8

M (18.7) 18 25 10 15

W (12.2) 15 15 18

Gossypium areysiamum D (1.8) 10 15

M (16.8) 15 15 10

W (18.8) 20 8 10

Gossypium barbadense D (9.9) 10 10

M (17.1) 10 15 20

W (6.6) 8 15 10

Indigofera spinosa D (2.6) 8

M (14.3) 15 15

W (9.4) 8


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Table 2 (Continued)

Botanical name Extract and % yield Inhibition zones (mm) against

S. a. B. c. M. f. E. c. P. a.

Leptadenia pyrotechnica D (1.9) 10 8

M (14.8) 15 10 10

W (9.6) 8

Maerua oblongifolia D (2.7) 8

M (18.5) 10

W (14.8)

Ocimum forskolei D (2.6) 10 15 18

M (16.9) 8 15

W (17.4) 8 8 10 10

Orbea deflersiana D (1.2) 8 8 15

M (12.3) 10 10 8 15

W (10.1) 8 8 8 8

Plicosepalus curviflorus D (2.1) 15 20 15 8 10

M (18.9) 10 8 10 10

W (13.7) 15 8

Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum D (1.6) 15 15

M (12.3) 10

W (11.7)

Salvadora persica D (1.7) 15

M (16.9) 15 10 15 10 15

W (14.8) 10

Sansevieria aff.ehrenbergii D (1.6) 8 8 15

M (15.6) 15 20 15 10

W (14.8) 15 10 20

Solanum incanum D (2.9) 8

M (17.3) 12 15

W (13.1) 10 8 10

Solanum nigrum D (2.6) 12 10

M (18.5) 15 10 10 15 15

W (16.2) 10 10 10

Tamarindus indica D (2.3) 25 15

M (19.4) 28 20 18 20

W (17.6) 20 20 15 20 20

Zehneria anomala D (2.1) 15

M (18.8) 16 15

W (17.5) 8

Ampicillin 10g/disc 26 28 31 N.T. N.T.

Gentamicin 10 mg/disc N.T. N.T. N.T. 15 18

S. a.: Staphylococcus aureusATCC 29213; B. c.:Bacillus subtilisATCC 6059; E. c.:Escherichia coliATCC 25922; P. a.:Pseudomonas aeruginosaATCC 27853;

M. f.: Micrococcus flavus SBUG 16. Extracts: D, dichloromethane; M, methanol; W, water. Values are inhibition zone diameter (mm); (conc. 2 mg/disc); : no

inhibition; N.T.: not tested; negative controls did not show any activity.

to an inoculation of 1 106 colony forming units per ml. Sterile

nutrient agar (Immunpraparate, Berlin, D, 26 g agar/l distilled

water) was inoculated with bacterial cells (200 l of bacterial

cell suspension in 20 ml medium) and poured into dishes to give

a solid plate. Yeasts and hyphomycetes (1 105 colony forming

units per ml) were inoculated into sterile Mueller-Hinton-agar

(Becton Dickinson, Heidelberg) according to DIN E 58940-3

(DIN, 2004)for the agar disc-diffusion assay.

Forty microliters of test material (equivalent to 2 mg of the

dried extract), dissolved in the same solvent like for extrac-

tion, were applied on sterile paper discs (6 mm diameter, Schlei-

cher and Schuell, D, ref. no. 321860). Ampicillin, gentamicin

and nystatin were used as positive control, and the solvents

dichloromethane and methanol as negative control. The sol-

vents were allowed to evaporate in a stream of air. The discs

were deposited on the surface of inoculated agar plates. Plates

were kept for 3 h in refrigerator to enable prediffusion of the

substances into the agar. Plates with bacteria were incubated for

24h at 37 C, plates with yeasts for 48 h at 36 C and plates

with hyphomycetes for 72 h at 30 C. Inhibition zone diameters

around each of the disc (diameter of inhibition zone plus dia-

meter of the disc) were measured and recorded at the end of the

incubation time. An average zone of inhibition was calculated

for the three replicates.


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Table 3 (Continued)

Botanical name Extract MIC (g/ml)

S. a. B. c. M. f. E. c. P. a.

Leptadenia pyrotechnica D 1000 NA NA NA NA

M 500 1000 NA NA 1000

W NA NA NA NA NA

Maerua oblongifolia D NA NA NA NA NAM NA NA NA 1000 NA

W NA NA NA NA NA

Ocimum forskolei D 1000 500 250 NA NA

M NA NA 500 NA NA

W NA NA 1000 NA 1000

Orbea deflersiana D NA NA 500 NA NA

M 1000 1000 NA NA 500

W NA NA NA NA NA

Plicosepalus curviflorus D 500 125 500 NA 1000

M 1000 NA 1000 NA 1000

W NA NA 500 NA NA

Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum D 500 500 NA NA NA

M 1000 NA NA NA NAW NA NA NA NA NA

Salvadora persica D NA NA 500 NA NA

M 500 1000 500 1000 500

W 1000 NA NA NA NA

Sansevieria aff.ehrenbergii D NA NA 500 NA NA

M 500 125 500 NA 1000

W 500 1000 125 NA NA

Solanum incanum D NA 1000 NA NA NA

M 1000 NA 500 NA NA

W NA 1000 NA 1000 1000

Solanum nigrum D 1000 1000 NA NA NA

M 500 1000 1000 500 500

W NA 1000 1000 NA 1000Tamarindus indica D 125 500 NA NA NA

M 25 125 NA 125 125

W 125 125 125 125 125

Zehneria anomala D NA NA 15 NA NA

M 1000 1000 NA NA NA

W NA NA NA NA NA

Ampicillin 0.05 N.T. 0.25 N.T. N.T.

S. a.:Staphylococcus aureusATCC 29213; B. c.:Bacillus subtilisATCC 6059;

E. c: Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; P. a.: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC

27853; M. f.:Micrococcus flavusSBUG 16. Extracts: D, dichloromethane; M,

methanol; W, water. NA, not active (MIC > 1000g/ml); N.T., not tested.

3. Results

The paper describes the antimicrobial, antioxidant and cyto-

toxic activity of 30 different plant species belonging to twenty

families and used in Yemeni ethnomedicine.

A summary of the ethnobotanical data of the medicinal plants

studied is given inTable 1.

The results of the antibacterial screening of a total of 90

extracts of 30 species against five bacteria species are summa-

rized in Table 2 (inhibition zones in the agar diffusion assay) and

Table 3 (MIC values). Extracts of the following plants showed in

the agar diffusion assay antibacterial activity against at least four

bacterial strains: Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, Commiphora

foliacea, Ficus vasta, Ocimum forskolei, Plicosepalus curvi-

florus,Salvadora persica,Sansevieria aff.ehrenbergii,Solanum

nigrumandTamarindus indica.

Gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive against the

extracts than Gram-negative bacteria. In the agar diffusion

assay 45 extracts were found to be active against Staphylo-

coccus aureus, 51 extracts against Bacillus subtilis and 49

against Micrococcus flavus. 31 extracts inhibited the growth

of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 2 that of Escherichia coli

(Table 2).

The lowest MIC values against Staphylococcus aureus

showed the methanol extracts ofAzima tetracantha(10g/ml),

Ficus vasta (50g/ml) and Tamarindus indica (25g/ml)

and the water extract of Gossypium areysiamum (25g/ml).

Remarkable are also the low MIC values of the methanol extract

ofAzima tetracantha and of the dichlormethan extract ofZehne-

ria anomalaagainstMicrococcus flavus(20 and 15g/ml resp.,

Table 3).

On the other hand five plant species, namely Caralluma

penicillata,Euphorbia hadramautica,Leptadenia pyrotechnica,Maerua oblongifolia, Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum, showed only

very weak activities.

Table 4

In vitro antifungal activity of methanol extracts of tested Yemeni plant species

Botanical name Inhibition zones (mm) against

Cm Ca Ck Af Ac Tm

Acacia asak 8 11 11 10

Acacia nilotica 19 11 14 14

Acacia tortilis 8

Aerva javanica

Aloe vera 11 Azima tetracantha 25 17 18 16 16 30

Cadaba farinosa

Cadaba glandulosa

Caralluma penicillata

Cissus rotundifolius

Commiphora foliacea 9

Commiphora kua 12 15

Euphorbia hadramautica

Fagonia luntii 10

Ficus vasta

Gossypium areysiamum

Gossypium barbadense

Indigofera spinosa 8 8

Leptadenia pyrotechnica

Maerua oblongifolia Ocimum forskolei 30

Orbea deflersiana

Plicosepalus curviflorus

Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum

Salvadora persica

Sansevieria ehrenbergii 15 17 8 18 24

Solanum incanum 15 24 18 25 26 42

Solanum nigrum

Tamarindus indica 8

Zehneria anomala

Nystatin (100g/disc) 25 26 22 22 25 25

Fungi: Cm, Candida maltosa; Ca,Candida albicans; Ck, Candida krusei; Af,

Aspergillus fumigatus; Ac, Absidia corymbifera; Tm, Trichophyton mentagro-

phytes.


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Table 5

Free radical scavenging activities of the methanolic extracts of plant species, which were positive in the thin layer chromatography assay

Extracts concentration Radical scavenging activity (%)

10g/ml 50g/ml 100g/ml 500g/ml 1000g/ml

Acacia asak 40.77 89.7 91.85 92.6 92.77

Acacia nilotica 33.8 77.1 94.46 94.62 94.62

Acacia tortilis 5 11.9 26.17 92.06 92.6Aerva javanica 8.6 13.6 29.4 91.6 91.8

Gossypium barbadense 30.8 34.66 44.35 94.07 95.21

Indigofera spinosa 40.6 44.9 92.92 93.08 92.92

Ocimum forskolei 0.17 1.7 12.1 53.8 90.26

Plicosepalus curviflorus 8.6 16.7 32 90.8 92.8

Solanum nigrum 40.1 93.6 94 94.5 95.3

Tamarindus indica 35.38 59.39 80.87 94.98 93.86

Ascorbic acid 87 96.9 96.9 97.0 97.2

Comparing the activities of the extracts prepared by differ-

ent solvents methanol extracts exhibited the most interesting

results. Therefore these extracts were tested also for other

activities. The results of antifungal tests of methanol extractsare presented in Table 4. Thirteen extracts showed antifungal

activity (40%). The most active plants against opportunistic

human pathogens were Azima tetracantha, Sansevieria ehren-

bergii and Solanum incanum. They showed broad spectrum

antifungal activities. The strongest effect was observed with

the extracts of Solanum incanum against Trichophyton men-

togrophytes (inhibition zone 42 mm) and with the extracts of

Table 6

In vitro cytotoxicity of plant methanol extracts tested against FL-cells

Extract IC50% (g/ml) against FL-cells

Acacia asak >1000Acacia nilotica >1000

Acacia tortilis >1000

Aerva javanica >1000

Aloe vera 780

Azima tetracantha >1000

Cadaba farinosa 720

Cadaba glandulosa 800

Caralluma penicillata >1000

Cissus rotundifolius 900

Commiphora foliacea 430

Commiphora kua 25

Euphorbia hadramautica >1000

Fagonia luntii 490

Ficus vasta 980

Gossypium areysiamum >1000Gossypium barbadense >1000

Indigofera spinosa >1000

Leptadenia pyrotechnica 550

Maerua oblongifolia 740

Ocimum forskolei 880

Orbea deflersiana >1000

Plicosepalus curviflorus 5

Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum 980

Salvadora persica >1000

Sansevieria ehrenbergii 30

Solanum incanum 35

Solanum nigrum 450

Tamarindus indica 9

Zehneria anomala >1000

Azima tetracanthaagainstTrichophyton mentogrophytes(inhi-

bition zone 30 mm). Remarkable are also the specific effects of

the methanol extract ofOcimum forskoleiagainstTrichophyton

mentogrophytes (inhibition zone diameter 30 mm). Seventeenplant species did not show any antifungal activity against the

tested human pathogenic fungi.

The methanol extracts of 10 plant species showed effec-

tive free radical scavenging in the DPPH assay. The methanol

extracts ofSolanum nigrumfruits andAcacia asakbarks exhib-

ited the highest antioxidant activity (Table 5).

Among the 30 methanol extracts tested for cytotoxicity

against FL-cells only fiveextracts(Commiphora kua, Plicosepa-

lus curviflorus,Sansevieria ehrenbergii,Solanum incanumand

Tamarindus indica) showed remarkable activities with IC50val-

ues below 50g/ml (Table 6).

4. Discussion and conclusions

The results of our screening assays justify the use of the

investigated plants in the Yemeni ethnomedicine. It is the first

report about biological tests with Acacia asak, Azima tetra-

cantha, Cadaba farinose, Cissus rotundifolius, Commiphora

foliacea, Gossypium areysiamum, Euphorbia hadramautica,

Ficus vasta, Indigofera spinosa, Leptadenia pyrotechnica,

Maerua oblongifolia, Ocimum forskolei, Orbea deflersiana, Pli-

cosepalus curviflorus,Rhytidocaulon cf. tortum,Fagonia luntii,

Sansevieria ehrenbergiiand Zehneria anomala. Whereas other

parts of Aloe vera, Tamarindus indica andSansevieria ehren-

bergiiare well investigated, we describe the effects of the seedsofAloe vera,thefruitsofSansevieriaehrenbergii andthe flowers

ofTamarindus indicafor the first time. The existing knowledge

about the other investigated plants is in the most cases very

limited.

Some authors describe antimicrobial effects of extracts of

the roots of Acacia nilotica against Gram-positive and Gram-

negative bacteria (Elnabi et al., 1992; Kambizi and Afolayan,

2001; Srinivasan et al., 2001). Tung et al. (2007)reported the

antioxidant activities of other species of the genusAcacia, espe-

cially of ethanolic extracts from the bark ofAcacia confuse.

The antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity ofAerva lanata

was reported byChowdhury et al. (2002).Some flavonoid gly-


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cosides (Zadorozhny et al., 1986)and alkaloids (Zapesochnaya

et al., 1991)could be found and are possibly responsible for the

weak activities observed by us.

Aloe vera is well known for its polysaccharides and

anthraquinone derivatives. Besides, two new dihydrocoumarin

derivatives with strong antioxidant activity could be isolated

(Zhang et al., 2006). This activity could be shown also

for some aloesin derivatives, e.g. isorabaichromone, feruloyl-

aloesin and p-coumaroylaloesin (Yagi et al., 2002). In our

investigation the seed extracts do not show strong bioact-

ivities.

For Azima tetracantha only some phytochemical results

are known. Daulatabad et al. (1991) identified some fatty

acids, namely ricinoleic acid and cyclopropenoid acid from

the seed oil. Besides, the seeds contain a complex mixture of

26 flavonoids, predominantly as glycosides and acyl-glycosides

(Bennett et al., 2004).Isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside was identi-

fied in the leaves(Williams and Nagarajans, 1988). Rao and Rao

(1978)reported the occurrence of triterpenoids and Rall et al.

(1967)that of dimeric piperidine alkaloids (azimine, azcarpineand carpaine). Flavonoids as well as triterpenoids and alkaloids

could be responsible for the observed antimicrobial activities.

InCadaba glandulosaflavonol glycosides have been identi-

fied byGohar (2002).In Cadaba farinosaAhmad et al. (1990)

found the sesquiterpene lacton cadabicilone.

Oxypregnane glycosides, the penicillosides D-G, have been

identified in the aerial parts ofCaralluma penicillata (Abdel-

Sattaret al., 2002).

From Cissus quadrangularis tetracyclic triterpenoids

(Bhutani et al., 1984; Guta and Verma, 1990) and stilbene

derivatives (Adesanya et al., 1999)are known.

The resins of Commiphora kua contain terpenes from bi-sabolen and dammaran type. Antifungal activities against plant

pathogenic fungi could be shown (Dekebo et al., 2002; Manguro

et al., 2003). Whether similar compounds are responsible for the

observed antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the extracts of

the leaves remains unclear.

Whereas no reports about Ficus vasta are existing,

Baumgartner et al. (1990) isolated two indolizidine alka-

loids from the methanol extract of leaves of the related

species Ficus septica. The chloroform extract of Gossyp-

ium hirsutum leaves was active against Staphylococcus

aureus (Rojas et al., 2001). Bell et al. (1975) showed

the antimicrobial activity of six terpenoids from Gossypium

sp., namely gossypiumhemigossypol, 6-methoxyhemigossypoland 6-deoxyhemigossypol, gossypium-6-methoxygossypol and

6,6-dimethoxygossypol. Possibly Gossypium areysiamum,

tested here for the first time, contains similar compounds.

A pentacyclic triterpenoid named leptadenol was isolated

from the hexane extract ofLeptadenia pyrotechnica (Noor et

al., 1992).The seeds ofLeptadenia reticulataare rich in hyper-

oside and rutin (Subramanian and Nair, 1968) and the aerial part

ofLeptadenia arborea has been shown to contain pinoresinol,

syringaresinol, leucanthemitol and E-ferulaldehyde (El-Hassan

et al., 2003).FromLeptadenia reticulataSrivastav et al. (1994)

had isolated three pregnane glycosides. We did not found strong

activities ofLeptadenia pyrotechnica.

Besides the paper ofElegami et al. (2001)about the antimi-

crobial activities of some Plicosepalus species there are no

further reports about this genus.

The antimicrobial effects of bark and pulp extracts of mis-

wak, Salvadora persica, were previously evaluated (Almas

and Al-Bagieh, 1999). Abdelrahman et al. (2003) identified

volatile compounds, oleic, linolic and stearic acids, esters of fatty

acids and aromatic acids in crude Salvadora persica extracts,

which have antimicrobial effects. Presently it cannot be decided

whether these compounds are related to the effects observed by

us.

Like other Solanum speciesSolanum incanumandSolanum

nigrum contain steroidal alkaloid glycosides. In Solanum

incanum solamargin has been found. This compound shows

cytotoxicity against human hepatoma cells (Kuo et al., 2000).

Antitumor effects have also been described forSolanum nigrum

(Son et al., 2003; Lee and Lim, 2006).The observed antibacte-

rial and antifungal activities of Solanum species are well known

and probably caused by the alkaloids (Mohamed et al., 1996;

Kambizi and Afolayan, 2001).Besides, flavonoids and chloro-genic acids have been documented for Solanum incanum (Lin

et al., 2000).

The antimicrobial activity of Tamarindus indica has been

attributed to lupeol (Ali et al., 1998). The reported antioxi-

dant activity of the leaves of this plant (Perez et al., 2003;

Ramos et al., 2003) was similar to the activity of the

flowers observed by us. It should be caused by polyphe-

nolic compounds which have been already isolated from

the seeds (Luengthanaphol et al., 2004; Sudjaroen et al.,

2005).

The results of these screeninginvestigations confirm the great

potential of plants of the Yemeni ethnomedicine for productionof bioactive compounds and are useful for rationalizing the use

of medicinal plants in primary health care. The phytochemical

characterization of the extracts, the identification of responsible

bioactive compounds and quality standards are necessary.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Deutscher Akademi-

scher Austauschdienst (DAAD) for a grant enabling the stay

of Dr. Al-Fatimi at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald

that was used to carry out this research. Besides this we thank

Mrs. Ruth Ball, University Greifswald, for technical assistance

and Dr. Norbert Kilian, Botanischer Garten and Botanisches

Museum Berlin-Dahlem Freie University, Berlin, for the assis-

tance by the taxonomical identification of some plant species.

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