Fresh produces, fruit juices and herbal teas used in our regular diet may have importance in the protective treatment of some infectious diseases. In this study, dietary produces were investigated for their antioxidant activities and antimicrobial activities against group A &szlig / -haemolytic streptoccoci. Streptococcus pyogenes, a member of the group A &szlig / -haemolytic streptococci, is a very dangerous pathogen, which may cause diseases such as tonsillopharyngitis, meningitis, rheumatic arthritis. Fruits and vegetables / onion, radish, carrot, plum, fruit juices / orange, peach, pomegranate, grape and teas / sage, anise, rosehip, chamomile were chosen as samples of regular daily diets. Dry extracts were obtained either by lyophilizing or fractionating in ethyl acetate. Antioxidant activities of extracts were examined by total phenolic content determination, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH) methods. Antimicrobial activities of extracts were studied by disk diffusion test, minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration methods. Sage, plum, onion and radish displayed high radical scavenging activity with EC50 values of 0.043, 0.049, 0.148 and 0.414 mg/mL, respectively. Plum, sage, onion and radish were found high in total phenolic contents with &amp / #956 / g gallic acid equivalent of 50.506, 48.299, 44.427 and 13.135 in mg extract, respectively. High antimicrobial activities were obtained by onion, radish, anise, carrot and peach extracts as tested by disk diffusion method with respective 20, 16, 16, 14 and 14 millimeters clear growth inhibition zones. Carrot, onion and radish extracts were found as effective bacteriostatic and bactericidal agents with minimum inhibitory and bactericidal respective concentrations of 0.008, 0.125, 0.250 mg/mL and 0.06, 0.5, 1 mg/mL.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy. / Senecio serratuloides is widely used for wound healing in South Africa but minimal information regarding its efficacy is available. Furthermore toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids may be present. The following investigation sought firstly to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Senecio serratuloides in a porcine wound model; secondly to assess for a potential mechanism and finally isolate and identify fractions in in-vitro assays. Assessment of Efficacy and Safety Materials and Methods: Deep partial thickness and full thickness wounds were created on 9 pigs. Treatment included an occlusive dressing (negative control), activated carbon, or the Senecio preparation. Wounds were monitored using photographic documentation, pH measurement and histological analysis (skin thickness and collagen content). Toxicity was monitored on blood and liver samples. Results and Discussion: Efficacy of Senecio serratuloides was established with a significantly thicker epidermis, maximal at day 7 post-operative, 2 days before the controls. Effects on collagen content was negligible with no toxicity detected. Mechanistic investigation Materials and Methods: Wound fluid was analysed for IL-10, IL-12, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α using flow cytometry based assays. Tyrosine phosphorylation and cellular proliferation was assessed using dual immunofluorescence staining. Results and Discussion: IL-1β levels were significantly greater in the Senecio treatment. Tyrosine phosphorylation increased to day 9 post-operative where it stabilised in all groups. In the same period, cellular proliferation was sustained in the Senecio treated wounds but not in the controls. Keratinocyte proliferation was identified as the target for in-vitro assays. Extraction, Isolation and Partial Identification using In-vitro Proliferation Assays. Materials and Methods: The plant was fractionated using solid phase extraction cartridges. Keratinocytes were grown under standard conditions in 96-well plates. Cellular proliferation was assessed spectrophotometrically using a resazurin dye technique. Active fractions were analysed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Results and Discussion: Identified fractions increased the rate of proliferation by 300- 400%. Potential lead compounds were identified. Importantly, pyrrolizidine alkaloids could not be detected. Conclusion Senecio serratuloides is efficacious in treating deep partial thickness wounds without inducing liver toxicity. Sustained keratinocyte proliferation linked to tyrosine phosphorylation may be an underlying mechanism. Although successful, in-vitro detection of active fractions requires further characterisation.