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Abstract
Vernonia adoensis is a plant used in traditional medical practices by many communities to treat various illnesses. Antibacterial activity of V. adoensis extracts was determined in vitro on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the broth microdilution method and time kill assays. All the extracts had an inhibitory effect on the growth of both bacteria. The acetone extract was the most potent in inhibition of growth with an MIC of 1.6 μg/ml and an MBC of 6.3 μg/ml against P. aeruginosa. The extract was further evaluated for its toxicity on sheep erythrocytes and its effect on membrane integrity determined by quantifying the amount of protein and nucleic acid leakage. In time-kill assay, the MBC concentration revealed bactericidal activity after 30 min of incubation with P. aeruginosa. The MIC and MBC concentrations caused protein leakage of 1.26 and 1.39 mg/ml from P. aeruginosa respectively. The potent extract had a very low haemolytic activity of 12 % on sheep erythrocytes. In conclusion, V. adoensis has antibacterial properties against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus and protein leakage is a possible mechanism of action elicited by the extracts. Results of this study support the ethnomedicinal use of the plant in the traditional treatment of symptoms of gonorrhea, fever and respiratory tract infections.