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Extracts of Two Relatively Safe South African Alien Weeds have Synergistic Activity with Conventional Antibiotics against some Urinary Tract Pathogens

Plants have potential to play a role in the treatment of urinary tract infections, as they contain important bioactive components. These bioactive components may act in synergism with conventional antibiotics which are presently under threat of microbial resistance. They also play a key role in the reduction of oxidative stress. Synergistic activity of dichloromethane, acetone, 70% ethanol, 50% methanol and hot water extracts of the southern African alien weeds Chromolaena odorata and Tithonia rotundifolia combined with gentamicin and amphotericin B was studied using the checkerboard method. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using the quantitative 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and 2,2′‐azinobis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) decolorisation methods. The anti‐inflammatory activity was determined through the 15‐lipoxygense enzyme assay. Toxicity screening of the extracts was carried out against Vero monkey kidney, human carcinoma Caco‐2 and human liver C3A cell lines using a colorimetric assay. Synergistic to additive effects were observed among all tested extracts in combination with the conventional antibiotics against all tested strains which are Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella Typhimurium, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. Although the extracts of both plant species had antioxidant activity, the extracts of C. odorata displayed better activity in the ABTS assay with the 70% ethanol extract showing a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.96 μg/mL, better than that of vitamin C (IC50 = 2.027 μg/mL). The dichloromethane extract of T. rotundifolia had better radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay with an IC50 of 16.231 μg/mL. All the extracts of C. odorata had anti‐inflammatory activity better than that of the positive control quercetin (IC50 = 24.601 μg/mL) except for the acetone extract which was slightly higher (IC50 = 26.098) than the positive control. Lethal concentrations (LC50) of the extracts against Vero, Caco‐2 and C3A cells ranged from 0.78 to 0.96mg/mL, 0.198 to 0.32mg/mL and 0.67 to 0.88 mg/mL respectively, indicating that the extracts are relatively safe in vitro. Results from this study indicate that the extracts of these weedy plant species contain comparatively non‐cytotoxic bioactive compounds that may act in synergy with conventional antibiotics in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Additionally they may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Further studies to determine the active component(s) of these weed plants are ongoing.