Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria

Background: The use of herbal drugs is on the rise in Nigeria and globally, raising concerns about product adulteration and unverified therapeutic claims made by manufacturers.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of liquid herbal drugs marketed as having antimicrobial properties in t...

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Main Authors: Michael Onyeukwu, Emmanuel Uronnachi, Chidalu Ikeotuonye, Chibuzor Ijezie, Tochukwu Okeke, Somto Ewuzie, Ifeanyi Nzekwe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sadra Danesh Negar 2024-11-01
Series:Journal of Preventive and Complementary Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.jpcmed.com/article_206880_db3db207c9d40cd487a7b0dd82c6fc8f.pdf
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author Michael Onyeukwu
Emmanuel Uronnachi
Chidalu Ikeotuonye
Chibuzor Ijezie
Tochukwu Okeke
Somto Ewuzie
Ifeanyi Nzekwe
author_facet Michael Onyeukwu
Emmanuel Uronnachi
Chidalu Ikeotuonye
Chibuzor Ijezie
Tochukwu Okeke
Somto Ewuzie
Ifeanyi Nzekwe
author_sort Michael Onyeukwu
collection DOAJ
description Background: The use of herbal drugs is on the rise in Nigeria and globally, raising concerns about product adulteration and unverified therapeutic claims made by manufacturers.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of liquid herbal drugs marketed as having antimicrobial properties in three major markets in South Eastern Nigeria. The focus was on their physicochemical properties, microbial content, toxicity, and antimicrobial efficacy.Methods: A total of 45 liquid herbal drug samples from five popular brands (collected in triplicates) were obtained from three major drug markets in South Eastern Nigeria. Microbial load was assessed using surface viable count and pour plate methods. Acute toxicity was evaluated using Lorke’s method, while antimicrobial activity was determined through the agar well diffusion method.Results: None of the samples exhibited acute toxicity; however, only 35.6% contained microbial loads within acceptable limits. Isolated bacterial species included Staphylococcus aureus (33.33%) and Escherichia coli (26.66%), among others. Fungal species identified were Microsporum spp. (4.44%) and Penicillium marneffii (2.22%). Significant labeling irregularities were noted, including omissions of NAFDAC numbers, batch numbers, and active ingredients. Approximately 53% of the samples demonstrated no antimicrobial activity against common microorganisms (Candida albicans, E. coli, and S. aureus), contradicting their labeled claims.Conclusion: The findings highlight a lack of regulation and standardization in the production of liquid herbal products, posing substantial health risks to consumers.
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institution Kabale University
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language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Sadra Danesh Negar
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spelling doaj-art-6aae7c6db00f4cc99d41fde82a4dc61b2025-01-10T18:47:16ZengSadra Danesh NegarJournal of Preventive and Complementary Medicine3041-97003041-99212024-11-013312513410.22034/jpcm.2024.475421.1183206880Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern NigeriaMichael Onyeukwu0Emmanuel Uronnachi1Chidalu Ikeotuonye2Chibuzor Ijezie3Tochukwu Okeke4Somto Ewuzie5Ifeanyi Nzekwe6Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Agulu, NigeriaBackground: The use of herbal drugs is on the rise in Nigeria and globally, raising concerns about product adulteration and unverified therapeutic claims made by manufacturers.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of liquid herbal drugs marketed as having antimicrobial properties in three major markets in South Eastern Nigeria. The focus was on their physicochemical properties, microbial content, toxicity, and antimicrobial efficacy.Methods: A total of 45 liquid herbal drug samples from five popular brands (collected in triplicates) were obtained from three major drug markets in South Eastern Nigeria. Microbial load was assessed using surface viable count and pour plate methods. Acute toxicity was evaluated using Lorke’s method, while antimicrobial activity was determined through the agar well diffusion method.Results: None of the samples exhibited acute toxicity; however, only 35.6% contained microbial loads within acceptable limits. Isolated bacterial species included Staphylococcus aureus (33.33%) and Escherichia coli (26.66%), among others. Fungal species identified were Microsporum spp. (4.44%) and Penicillium marneffii (2.22%). Significant labeling irregularities were noted, including omissions of NAFDAC numbers, batch numbers, and active ingredients. Approximately 53% of the samples demonstrated no antimicrobial activity against common microorganisms (Candida albicans, E. coli, and S. aureus), contradicting their labeled claims.Conclusion: The findings highlight a lack of regulation and standardization in the production of liquid herbal products, posing substantial health risks to consumers.https://www.jpcmed.com/article_206880_db3db207c9d40cd487a7b0dd82c6fc8f.pdfantimicrobial activityacute toxicityliquid herbal solutionsquality control
spellingShingle Michael Onyeukwu
Emmanuel Uronnachi
Chidalu Ikeotuonye
Chibuzor Ijezie
Tochukwu Okeke
Somto Ewuzie
Ifeanyi Nzekwe
Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
Journal of Preventive and Complementary Medicine
antimicrobial activity
acute toxicity
liquid herbal solutions
quality control
title Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
title_full Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
title_fullStr Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
title_short Quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of South Eastern Nigeria
title_sort quality control and microbial analysis of liquid herbal drug formulations marketed in three major cities of south eastern nigeria
topic antimicrobial activity
acute toxicity
liquid herbal solutions
quality control
url https://www.jpcmed.com/article_206880_db3db207c9d40cd487a7b0dd82c6fc8f.pdf
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