Anti-mycobacterial efficacy of three essentials oils from medicinal plants currently used traditionally to treat tuberculosis in Cameroon

Abstract

The designed study carries out an ethnopharmacology survey of medicinal plant used to treat tuberculosis and asses theanti-mycobacterial efficiency of three of their plant essential oils against three strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The ethnopharmacological study was carried out in two localities of Nkam Division where plants specimens were collected. Three plants were selected, and their essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Anti-mycobacterial activity of these essential oils was evaluated against four resistant isolates using the microdilution method. Twelve plants were collected; the most used were Drypetesgoss weileri S. Moore (Putranjivaceae), Pentadiplandra brazeana Baill (Pentadiplandraceae) and Allium sativumL (Amaryllidaceae). Benzyl isothiocyanate was the major component in D. gossweileri and P. brazzeanaessential oils at 91.27% and 96.00% respectively and with 2-methylpropenyl trisulfide at 51.02% methylallyltrisulfide (12.8%), diallylsulfide (11.1%) for A. sativum. The essential oils of A. sativum and P. brazzeana essential oil exhibited it higher activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 78.12 μg/mL and 312.50 μg/mL against extensively resistant isolate while highest activity of D. gossweileri was against Isoniazid resistant isolate with MIC of 156.25 μg/mL. The results justified the traditional usage of theseplant by Nkam populations for treating tuberculosis cases.