Cryptolepis sanguinolenta activity against diarrhoeal bacteria

Cryptolepine is the main alkaloid of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlechter, a plant used in traditional medicine in West Africa. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of cryptolepine, ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root were determined for 65 strains of Campylobacter jejuni, 41 strains of Campylobacter coli isolated from sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in Portugal and 86 strains of Vibrio cholerae isolated from patients with enteric infections in Angola, Brazil and Portugal. The ethanol extract activity against Campylobacter strains (MIC90% = 25 microg/ml) is higher than that of co-trimoxazole and sutfamethoxazole and Campvlobacter strains susceptibility for cryptoleprne (MIC90% = 12.5 microg/ml) is equal for ampicillin. The ethanot extract and cryptolepine show some activity against the Vibrio cholerae strains, although their activities are tower than that of tetracycline. lhe results suggest that these roots could be a therapeutic alternative for bacterial etiologic diarrhoea in West Africa.The authors express their thanks to JNICT Portugal for the financial support through the PMCT/C/SAU/749/90 project.