Can TB cure be found in nature?

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2 years ago

THE management, control and elimination of tuberculosis (TB) have been complex with the advent of HIV and cases of multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) tuberculosis. The cases of multidrug resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid pose greater challenges on first-line and second-line drugs to eliminate TB.

In a new study, researchers have found that Tetrapleura tetraptera possesses anti-tuberculosis potential and can be a lead compound in drug development for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

The results showed that Tetrapleura tetraptera crude had activities against M. tuberculosis. Its low amounts of extract inhibited tuberculosis and MDR-TB growth under laboratory conditions. It was in the 2022 edition of the Journal of Tuberculosis Research.

They declared, “T. tetraptera is indicating a potential drug lead and the ability to further inhibition of MDR-TB that shows the diversity of the plant as it possesses anti-tuberculosis activity. T. tetraptera is a potent anti-tuberculosis drug against drug-susceptibility and MDR-TB.”

For the study, extracts from pulverized leaves of Tetrapleura tetraptera were tested on M. tuberculosis, and MDR-TB was obtained from positive acid-fast bacilli sputa of TB patients and confirmed using GeneXpert.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosi. The advent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s has also contributed to a global resurgence of TB. MDR tuberculosis is among the most worrisome elements of the pandemic of antibiotic resistance because TB patients fail treatments with a high risk of death.

Today MDR TB spreads unchecked in most of the world. It is fueled by poverty at the individual and family levels, limiting access to effective treatment and regional and national levels where under-resourced governments cannot tackle this disease.

After the introduction of rifampicin, no worthwhile antituberculosis drug with new mechanisms of action has been developed in over thirty years.

Globally, developing new drugs is challenging, especially for the MDR TB that is ravaging the pandemic of antibiotic resistance because TB patients fail treatments with a high risk of death. The available TB drugs used especially for MDR TB have varied degrees of toxicity on the users.

Furthermore, effective use of these drugs requires months of combination therapy, leading to issues with compliance and significant side effects. Thus, there is an urgent need to discover new TB drugs.

Some Nigerian medicinal plants claimed by traditional medicinal practitioners to cure TB were found not active against M. tuberculosis; the plants include Crinum glaucum, Treculis aficana, Erthrina mildaedi, Fucus thonningis and Xylopis aethiopica.

For instance, in Ethiopia leaves and fruits of Allium ursinum were locally used for the treatment of bronchitis and TB respectively in the Central Zone of Tigray. Additionally, it was reported that fruits/seeds of Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum americanum, leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Artemisia afra and Artemisia abyssinica are used for cough and TB.

Plants have long been viewed as a common source of remedies in traditional preparations or as pure active principles. This forms a strong basis to utilise local plants traditionally used as medicine and investigate them for their active chemical constituents.

Nigerian plants have been reported to possess potential in the treatment of tuberculosis. These include Crinum jagus (Ogede odo in Yoruba), Acacia nilotica (Booni in Yoruba), Pterolobium stellatum, Vernonia amygdalina(bitter leaf), Allium ursium (wild garlic leaf), Guiera senegalensis (Sabara in Hausa, Olofun in Yoruba) and Dodonaea angulstifolia (sand olive).

Tetrapleura tetraptera is commonly called Gum tree (English), Oshosho (Igbo) or Aridan(Yoruba). The locals have explored the medicinal potential in West Africa for an array of human ailments, including arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, asthma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, epilepsy and schistosomiasis. It is commonly used in soups for nursing mothers to prevent post-partum contractions.

Previously, researchers found that Moringa is beneficial for tuberculosis. Those with tuberculosis can benefit greatly from moringa leaves as they reduce the negative effects of anti-tubercular drugs. The leaves accelerate the repair of the liver cells. The leaves have a high concentration of polyphenols that protect against oxidative damage to the liver and may even reduce it.

In addition, aloe vera can kill TB bacteria. In the 2022 edition of the Journal of Medical Sciences, researchers found that aloe vera contains substances that act as antioxidants and antituberculosis against strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are not anti-tuberculosis drugs.

The active ingredient in vinegar, acetic acid, can effectively kill Mycobacteria known to cause tuberculosis and leprosy, even highly drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. An international team of researchers in the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology said that it is possible that acetic acid could therefore be used as an inexpensive and non-toxic disinfectant against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria.

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