Document Type
Conference Paper/Presentation
Conference
Presented at the Sigma XI 2019 Annual Meeting & Student Research Conference
Publication Date
11-16-2019
Advisor(s)
John Thurmond, PhD
Abstract
In developing countries, people with severe/chronic illnesses rely heavily on medicinal plants. Unfortunately, very little is known about the chemical composition of these plants, which means that their effect on diseases is unknown. One of the most popular medicinal plants in South Africa is the African Potato, which is used to treat Tuberculosis, a global health emergency in many developing countries. It is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties and can help with the symptoms of AIDS. While all of these uses have been cited for the plant, very few studies have been conducted to confirm the African Potato as effective. By studying the properties of the plant, this study will explore it’s claimed uses. Samples of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm were extracted using various techniques. The purity of these samples were tested using thin layer chromatography. The properties of the extracts were studied by testing their antimicrobial properties against Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus raffinosus, Acinetobacter baylyi, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and E. coli/DH5a using the Kirby-Bauer method to see if the plant has antibacterial properties. The drug discovery process is very long and costly so by basing the drug design off of the structure and properties of the plant it will decrease the cost and time it takes to design a new drug.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Apavaloaiei, E.,
&
Mason, R.
(2019).
Antibacterial Activities of Extracts from Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm.
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/student_pr/50