Antibacterial and Antiplasmodial Activities of Tannins Extracted from Zizyphus mauritiana in Mali

Aim: This study was designed to evaluate tannins extracted from Ziziphus mauritiana as source of potential antimalarial and antimicrobial agents in Mali.

Place and Duration of Study: Collection of plant materials, tannins extraction, antibacterial activity evaluation were done at University od Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali and antiplasmodial activity assessment at Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States of America between September 2013 and February 2014.

Methods: We extracted tannins from leaves of Z. mauritiana collected around Bamako, Mali. Antiplasmodial activity was evaluated against 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive) and Dd2 (chloroquine-resistant) strains of Plasmodium falciparum using the fluorescence based SYBR® green I method. Antibacterial activity of tannins was evaluated by disc diffusion method against strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus donated by the National Research Institute in Public Health in Mali and collected from infected patients suffering from different diseases.

Results: Tannins extracts from leaves of Z. mauritiana showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against 3D7 P. falciparum (46.9±1.12 μg/mL) and against Dd2 P. falciparum strains (67.8±2.39 μg/mL). They showed also an antibacterial activity on different bacterial strains showing important inhibition zones.

Conclusion: Tannins extracted from Z. mauritiana demonstrated good antiplasmodial and antibacterial activities. These data confirm the potential use of tannins as a key element in antimalarial and antibacterial drug development.