'n Ondersoek na die antibakteriese eienskappe van Carpobrotus edulis L.

Abstract

English: In the folk medicine of South Africa, many traditional medicinal plants are used by both the rural and a small percentage of the city population. One of these plants is Carpobrotus edulis L. An investigation of the chemical composition as well as the anti-microbial properties of this plant was the main objective of this study. Overviews on traditional medicine in South Africa and the family Mesembryanthemaceae are given. According to the available literature little is known about the chemical composition, active substances in as well as pharmacological properties of C. edulis, but most of the published information deals with the ecological importance of the plant. In this study the anti-bacterial properties of the plant were confirmed and three semipurified fractions were initially isolated by applying different chromatography techniques. During purification of active substances, with prior removal of tannins, six anti-bacterial compounds were isolated of which five were identified namely rutin, neohesperidin, hyperoside, cactecin, ferulic acid while one flavonoid remained unidentified. The conclusion from this study is that the anti-bacterial properties of the plant are related to the presence of the tlavonoids rutin, neohesperidin, hyperoside, cactecin and femlic acid as well as one unknown flavonoid. The most prormsmg observation during this study was the selective inhibition of gram negative bacteria, known to be more resistant than gram positive bacteria to antibioticums.

Afrikaans: In die volksgeneeskunde van Suid-Afrika word talle plante aangetref wat deur die plattelandse bevolking sowel as 'n klein persentasie van stedelinge gebruik word, een van hierdie plante is Carpobrotus edulis L. 'n Ondersoek na sy chemiese samestelling en antimikrobiese eienskappe was die hoofdoel van hierdie studie. 'n Oorsig word gegee oor tradisionele genesing in Suid-Afrika sowel as 'n algemene oorsig oor die familie Mesembryanthemaceae. Volgens beskikbare gegewens is betreklik min oor die chemiese samestelling van, aktiewe komponente in, sowel as die farmakologiese eienskappe van C. edulis bekend maar gepubliseerde inligting handel hoofsaaklik oor die ekologiese belang van die plant. In hierdie studie is bevestig dat die plant antibakteriese eienskappe besit en drie semi-gesuiwerde fraksies is aanvanklik met behulp van verskillende chromatografie tegnieke geïsoleer. Tydens die suiwering van aktiewe komponente, met vooraf verwydering van tanniene, is ses antibakteriese komponente geïsoleer waarvan vyf geïdentifiseer is naamlik neohesperidien, rutien, hyperosied, cactisien, feruliensuur terwyl een onbekend gebly het. Die gevolgtrekking wat uit hierdie studie gemaak is, is dat die antibakteriese eienskappe van C. edulis met die teenwoordigheid van die tlavonoïede rutien, neohesperidien, hyperosied, cactisien, feruliensuur en 'n onbekende flavonoïed in verband gebring kan word. Veral die selektiewe inhibering van gram negatiewe bakterieë, hekend as die mees weerstandbiedende klas bakterieë teen antibiotikums, was die belangrikste waarneming uit hierdie studie.