Toxicity Study Of Two Herbs Used By Traditional Healers Of Rukararwe To Treat Herpes Zoster In Hiv Patients

ABSTRACT

Background

Despite the fact that herbal medicines are used by 80% of the World's population (WHO, 2002)

and are the main source of health care in the rural communities and the most preferred form of

treatment of HIV-related symptoms (Orisatoki and Oguntibeju, 20 I 0), less than I 0% of herbal

products in the world market are tru ly standardized to a known active and/or toxic components

(Winston et al. , 2007). Study carried out in Western Uganda reported 32.8% of same-day use of

herbal medicine and pharmaceutical drugs by HIV patients (Deanne et al., 2007). Herpes zoster

as a common disease in HIV patients is treated by traditional healers of Rukararwe with herbal

preparations without any knowledge on the possible interactions between the treatments and lack

of documented evidences to support their claim.

Aim

The aim or the stud) was to partic ipate in the compil ation of their traditional knowledge and

make it available for future research, and also to avail the healers with the in formation on

scientific literature. The study also evaluates the toxicity and interaction with ARVs of herbs

used by traditional healers of Rukararwe in the treatment of Herpes zoster infection in HIVpositive

patients.

Materials and Methods

Different concentrations of aq ueous and ethanol extracts of Warbugia ugandensis with or

without food were fed on Drosophila 111elanogaster and acute toxicity, locomot ion assay,

longevity study of the flies was done in 3 replicates, together with preliminary phytochemical

screening of different extracts. Sesbania sesban (1.33 ~tg/ l00μ1) with or without ARVs (AZT,

LVD and NVP) were fed on D. 111e/anogaster and copulation and mating assay, locomotion

assay, longevity study of the flies was done in 3 replicates.

Results and Discussion

Traditional healers mostly used oral formulation (80%), herbs for treating herpes zoster (40%).

Steroids, Terpenoids and Glycosides were present in all extracts of W ugandensis. Extracts of W ugandensis were .not tox ic after I hour of exposure. Ethanol extract of W ugandensis decreased