Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
presence of antinutritional factors such as trypsin, tannins, oxalic acid, protease inhibitors, phytate,
and amylase inhibitors (African Herbal Pharmacopoeia
1141
).
Pharmacology —
The plethora of biological activities attributed to baobab are traceable to
the constituents found in the plant. The analgesic effect of the hot aqueous fruit of
A. digitata
in
vivo
(mice) has been established. It was noted that the extract exhibited analgesic activity 2 h after
administration. At 800 mg/kg, the reaction time was 15.4 min in comparison to the negative control
(10.2 min). The petroleum ether extract containing seed oil of baobab also showed analgesic activ-
ity. The extract exhibited analgesic activity with the tail flick response in 6.1 s, which was not sta-
tistically different from aspirin used as a positive control. The antipyretic activity of baobab extract
has been established by laboratory studies in rats.
The hot water extract of the fruits showed
in vivo
anti-inflammatory activity in the rat paw
formalin-induced edema test. The extract tested at a dose of 400 and 800 mg/kg inhibited formalin-
induced edema. After 24-h administration of the aqueous extract, the mean swelling of the foot was
1.81 and 1.75 mm for 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg, respectively, in comparison to the negative control
(6.35 mm).
1131
The DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) of fruit pulp extract and aqueous leaf extract showed
significant inhibition against cytokine interleukin 8 (IL-8).
1132
The capacity of baobab extracts to reduce the mobility of
Trypanosoma brucei
, which causes
sleeping sickness, was evaluated using four different extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, water,
and methanol) obtained from the leaves and the bark. The time at which mobility stopped ranged
between 10 and 45 min for the root bark, while with the leaves, the mobility ceased between 25
and 45 min when various extracts were tested at 2 mg/ml.
1133
The extracts also possess only modest
activity against the malaria-causing parasite
Plasmodium falciparum.
Because of the widespread use of baobab extract in the treatment of viral infections in West
African traditional medicine, several
in vitro
and
in vivo
studies have been carried out to determine
the antiviral activity of various baobab plant parts. In comparative studies by Ananil et al.,
1134
bao-
bab extract was found more active than several herbal extracts tested against the herpes simplex
virus (HSV) and sindbis and polio viruses. A later investigation was made by Vimalanathan and
Hudson
1132
on the antiviral activity of the leaves, fruit pulp, and seed extracted with water, DMSO,
and methanol. The study was conducted using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method
against influenza virus, HSV, and the respiratory syncytial virus. It was shown that the influenza
virus was very susceptible, while the respiratory syncytial virus was resistant. The leaf extract
exhibited the most promising activity against the influenza virus, with the MIC value ranging from
0.12 μg/ml (DMSO) to 2.8 μg/ml (water). The activity of the leaf extract was promising against
the HSV (MIC value 1.0 to 11.7 μg/ml), while the pulp and the seed exhibited much lower activity
(MIC value 72.5 μg/ml). The study clearly demonstrated variation in biological activity when differ-
ent plant parts are investigated. Furthermore, the anti-HSV activity was considerably enhanced by
light, especially long-wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light, although they all showed “dark” antiviral
activity as well. Thus, all the extracts contained antiviral photosensitizers.
1132,1135
Baobab extracts have also been proved effective in laboratory studies to possess insecticidal and
insect repellant activity; antioxidant, drug permeation enhancement; and hepatoprotective, hypo-
glycemic, and hypolidemic activities.
1136
Formulation and Dosage Forms —
All parts of the plant are used for either food or medi-
cine. Several proprietary products are available with baobab as a major ingredient. In most parts of
Africa, the leaves of baobab are used either fresh as a cooked vegetable or dried and powdered as
an ingredient of soups and sauces. The shoots and roots of seedlings are eaten as well. The roots are
boiled and eaten in West Africa in times of famine. The flowers are eaten raw. The fruit contains
soft, white, edible, and nutritious flesh (“monkey bread”). It northern Nigeria, it is used to curdle
milk; it is eaten as a sweet and is used in making gruel and refreshing drinks and ice cream. In
Sudan, it is made into a milk-like drink called “gubdi.” The powdered fruit flesh is added to cold
