Wouyo Atakpama

‘Capiture’ plants with interesting biological activities: a case to go

Abstract The investigation of natural products used in Traditional Medicine in Africa is complicated as modern analytical and screening methods are often not available. Computer aided product identification from traditional usage records (CAPITURE) may provide an interesting alternative and has been evaluated in the context of an ethnobotanical survey on fungal diseases and their traditional treatment in Tchamba District (Togo). 53 traditional healers were interviewed and their knowledge recorded. Several indicators, the Use Value (UV), Plant Part Value (PPV), Specific Use (SU) Value, Intraspecific Use Value (IUV) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), were applied to the data. Those indices, in addition to a bibliographic review, were then fed into a computer-aided approach which predicted two interesting plants out of the 43 species survey-recorded and their specific activities: Pterocarpus erinaceus sap against ringworm, Daniellia oliveri sap against intertrigo and respectively their roots and trunk barks against candidiasis. Subsequent laboratory-based studies have confirmed the predicted antimicrobial activities with MIC (128 μg/mL to 30 mg/mL) and without any notable toxicity on a normal human cell (MRC-5 cells). Although such a method may not be flawless, it is able to provide first leads, and in the face of limited resources, is an attractive alternative worth considering.

Ethnobotanical study of latex plants in the maritime Region of Togo

Background: In Togo, a little is known about latex plants of the flora used for medicinal purposes. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the latex plant species and their medicinal uses in the Maritime Region of Togo. Materials and Methods: The methodology was based on ethnobotanical semi-structural individual interviews of 220 informants. Quantitative ethnobotanical index was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 33 latex plants species were recorded, from 12 botanical families and 24 genera. The most represented families were Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae with eight species each. The relative importance (RI) value of each species and the informant consensus factor (ICF) of the ailments categories showed that Pergularia daemia (Forssk.) Chiov. (RI = 2.00) and Euphorbia hirta L. (RI = 1.91) were the most versatile in relation to their uses, and infectious diseases (ICF = 0.922) were the category with the greatest consensus among 17 categories. Conclusion: These latex plants of Togolese flora are variously used in traditional medicine and it would be important to undertake further investigations in phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology to validate their uses.

Structure and Natural Regeneration of Sterculia setigera Del. Plants Communities in Sudanian Zone of Togo (West Africa)

Sterculia setigerais a multipurpose savanna tree with socio -economic importance due to its gum and cultural importance in sub -Saharan Africa.The present study was carried out in TogosSudanian area to characterize the structure and regeneration potential of S. Setigerain order to define a sustainable management plan associated to its valorization as gum species. Datawere collected during May and April 2010. The methodological approach was based on forest inventory oriented by the presence of S. Setigera. Total height and stem diameter at breast height (dbh) greater than 10 cm of all trees species were measured in 97 plots. In each plot, ecological parameters were recorded and the seedling and suckers (dbh<10cm) ofS. Setigerawere counted. Forty six woody species belonging to 42 genera and 22 families were listed. Fabaceae, Combretaceae, Malvaceae and Moraceae were the dominated families. The prominent species were S. Setigera, Balanites aegyptiaca,Lannea acidaand Diospyros mespiliformis. Presence/absence data of the overall species recorded in each plot was subjected to multidimensional scaling and results showed 5 plants communities: fallows, croplands, low side savannas, mean side and tablelands savannas and uplands savannas. The structure adjusted by 3

How Traditional Healers of Tchaoudjo District in Togo Take Care of Animal Injuries

There is a lot of aggression that people can undergo from animals. They can be scratched, bitten, stung, scratched or devoured by an animal. However, the most alarming animal injuries are bites and stings. In Africa, houses and vegetation are sometime closely spaced. Thus, people are substantially exposed to animal aggression. Epidemiological studies done in hospitals and clinics of several African countries confirmed that animal aggression, especially bites and stings are frequent in tropical and subtropical regions.

THERAPEUTIC POTENTIALS OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF LEAVES OF HOLARRHENA FLORIBUNDA (G. DON) DUR. AND SCHINZ (APOCYNACEAE)

Background: Holarrhena floribunda is a plant of wide usage in the Togolese folk medicine. A previous ethnobotanical survey on the latex plants of the Maritime region of the country revealed that this plant was included in several recipes curing malaria and microbial infections. Therefore, this study aimed to seek for the effectiveness of the ethanolic extract of the plant in the treatment of these diseases. Methods: The antimicrobial test was performed using the agar well-diffusion and the NCCLS broth microdilution methods, while the in vivo antimalarial activity was evaluated following the four-day suppressive test of Peters. The acute toxic effects of the extract were monitored after a single oral dose (5,000 mg/kg body weight) administration in NMRI mice. Results: The results indicated that the ethanolic extract of leaves of H. floribunda was active on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae with MICs ranging from 0.62 to 1.25 mg/mL. The extract also showed significant parasitaemia suppression in a dose-dependent manner. In the acute toxicity assay, the oral administration of the extract to the mice did not affect the relative weight of vital organs, and there were no signs of toxicity or death during the study period. The LD50 of the tested extract was found to be greater than 5,000 mg/kg, indicating its safety. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the antibacterial and antimalarial activities of leaves of H. floribunda and then, supports its medicinal use in the treatment of microbial infections.