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. 2016;54(6):1086-95.
doi: 10.3109/13880209.2015.1103273. Epub 2016 Jan 22.

In vitro antimicrobial and anti-proliferative activities of plant extracts from Spathodea campanulata, Ficus bubu, and Carica papaya

Jean Emmanuel Mbosso Teinkela  1   2   3 , Jules Clément Assob Nguedia  4 , Franck Meyer  2 , Erik Vouffo Donfack  5 , Bruno Lenta Ndjakou  6 , Silvère Ngouela  5 , Etienne Tsamo  5 , Dieudonné Adiogo  1 , Anatole Guy Blaise Azebaze  3 , René Wintjens  2
Affiliations

In vitro antimicrobial and anti-proliferative activities of plant extracts from Spathodea campanulata, Ficus bubu, and Carica papaya

Jean Emmanuel Mbosso Teinkela et al. Pharm Biol. 2016.

Abstract

Context: African medicinal plants represent a prominent source of new active substances. In this context, three plants were selected for biological investigations based on their traditional uses.

Objective: The antimicrobial and anti-proliferative features of three plants used for medicinal purpose were evaluated.

Materials and methods: The antimicrobial activities of methanol extracts of Ficus bubu Warb. (Moraceae) stem bark and leaves, of Spathodea campanulata P. Beauv. (Bignoniaceae) flowers, as well as those of Carica papaya Linn. (Caricaceae) latex, were determined using the microbroth dilution method against a set of bacteria and fungi pathogens including: Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, S. saprophyticus, S. epidermididis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhimurium, Candida albicans, and Trichophyton rubrum. The tested concentrations of extracts ranged from 2500.0 to 2.4 μg/mL and MIC values were evaluated after 24 h incubation at 37 °C. Subsequently, MTT assay was used to estimate anti-proliferative activity of these methanol extracts and of F. bubu latex on three human cancer cell lines (U373 glioblastoma, A549 NSCLC, and SKMEL-28 melanoma).

Results: The methanol extract of F. bubu stem bark exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against C. albicans with a MIC value of 9.8 μg/mL, while the F. bubu latex and the methanol extract of F. bubu leaves induced significant anti-proliferative activity against lung (IC50 values of 10 and 14 μg/mL, respectively) and glioma (IC50 values of 13 and 16 μg/mL, respectively) cancer cells.

Conclusion: These results indicate that effective drugs could be derived from the three studied plants.

Keywords: Bioactivity; cancer; latex; medicinal plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have not declared any conflict of interest. The authors are grateful to the Belgium program (Wallonie Bruxelles International) for the fellowship to J. E. T. Mbosso, to Mr Victor Nana (National Herbarium of Cameroon) for the botanical identification, the support of “Tiko CDC Hospital” and the “Laboratoire de cancérologie et toxicologie expérimentale, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)” for antitumour tests. The authors thank Dr. N. Nunan for critical reading of the manuscript. R. W. is Research Associate at the National Fund for Scientific Research FNRS-FRS (Belgium).

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