How Does Herbal Medicine Fit in the Health System for Urinary Tract Infections? An Ethnobotanical Survey Among the Indigenous People at Dschang-Cameroon and Validation Studies

الملخص

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are commonly caused by bacteria that enter through the urethra and multiply in the bladder. The rising antibiotic resistance makes bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat, necessitating the development of alternative solutions to combat resistant bacteria. The World Health Organization supports the integration of traditional medicine and medicinal plants into health systems, recognizing their therapeutic potential thanks to their active ingredients. In Cameroon, several medicinal plants are traditionally used to treat UTIs. However, information regarding this practice is poorly documented. In fact, systematic lists that would provide a thorough and organized understanding of the use of medicinal plants in treating UTIs are missing. Moreover, there is a lack of scientific evidence for the traditional use of medicinal plants in treating UTIs. This study aims to identify and document medicinal plants that are used to treat urinary tract infections at Dschang and evaluate the antibacterial activity of extracts from the most promising plants against selected bacteria that are responsible for urinary tract infections. The ethnobotanical study was conducted among herbalists, naturopaths, traditional healers and plant users through semi-structured interviews, and the plants listed were identified according to the literature information and at the National Herbarium of Cameroon. Extracts of the most cited plants (10) were obtained by maceration using water or a water–ethanol mixture (3:7; v/v). Then, the antibacterial activity of the as-prepared extracts was evaluated against five bacterial strains responsible for UTIs, such as Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus HM-468, Pseudomonas aeruginosa NR 48982, Klebsiella pneumoniae NCTCC-13810 and Klebsiella pneumoniae NR 41697, using the microdilution method. A total of forty-one (41) plant species belonging to 26 families were identified as plants used by the respondents to treat urinary tract infections in Dschang. Decoction, infusion and maceration were the most commonly used methods of plant preparation, whereas leaves, bark and fruits were the most used plant organs. From 20 plant extracts tested, the hydroethanolic extracts of Leucaena glauca and Lannea sp. revealed antibacterial activity with MICs ranging from 0.312 to 1.25 mg/mL. The MBC values obtained allowed us to conclude that these extracts exert a bactericidal effect. These results contribute to the identification of plants used to treat UTIs at Dschang and to validate the traditional use of Leucaena glauca and Lannea sp. in the treatment of urinary tract infections.

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