Abstract Description

The rise in Tuberculosis (TB) deaths is a worldwide problem in the healthcare system. TB is treated with antitubercular drugs; however, due to drug-resistant TB cases, this treatment is losing efficacy. The use of medicinal plants may be an alternative approach to alleviate TB prevalence. The phytochemicals were quantified using colorimetric assays. The antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH assay. The antimycobacterial activity was determined using bioautography and a serial broth microdilution assay. The antibiofilm was determined using the crystal violet staining assay. The quantification results showed that Tarchonanthus camphoratus extract had the highest total phenolic, tannin, and flavonoid content, while Tabernaemontana elegans extract had the lowest total phenolic and tannin content. The T. camphoratus extract demonstrated the strongest radical scavenging activity (91%), in contrast with the lowest activity observed in T. elegans extract (18%). The broth microdilution assay showed that extracts of Senecio macroglossus (acetone and water), Nerium oleander (water), and Tetradenia raparia (dichloromethane) exhibited the most potent antimycobacterial activity, with MIC values of 0.16 mg/mL, while T. elegans (water) and Lippia javanica methanol and water extracts had the lowest effects, with MIC values exceeding 2.5 mg/mL. Notably, most of the plant extracts displayed significant anti-biofilm activity at the initial cell attachment and prevention stage of biofilm. In conclusion, plant extracts have the potential to treat tuberculosis; however, further investigation is necessary to validate their activity.