Bioactivity screening and value-added processing of medicinal plant products for the management of HIV and AIDS fungal infections in Lake Victoria

Abstract

Plant samples collected during expeditions to the Lake Victoria Basin were tested for activity against three fungal test organism - Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus niger using argar well and disc diffusion methods. Out of the 565 samples tested against C. albicans, ryptoco 126 were active within the first 48 hrs with inhibitions zones of 0.05 cm while 34 had exceptionally antifungal activity with inhibitions zones of ≥0.3 cm. About 64 out of 373 plant extracts tested against A. niger were active with 20 samples recording very high antifungal activities (inhibition zones of over 3 cm). Five plants, selected on the basis of their high antifungal activity were further investigated. Bioassay guided fractionations of the extracts were conducted and the active fractions established and the chemical groups identified. It was possible to establish phytochemical relationships amongst these plants. Based on the above results, 10 plant samples were selected for in vivo pharmacological tests. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the selected plant samples showed presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and triterpenes as the class of compounds responsible for the antifungal activity. These results provide for a platform for development of valorized herbal drugs for management of HIV and AIDS related fungal infections.