A Study on Phyllanthus amarus; Pharmacognostic, Mycobactericidal and Mutagenic Properties

Background: Phyllanthus amarus is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of various ailments which include gonorrhoea, jaundice, diabetes, kidney diseases, bladder and intestinal infections, influenza, measles, viral infections, and tuberculosis. Tuberculosis treatment is faced with many challenges, resulting in a prolonged treatment regimen and potential treatment failure. There is a need to search for more favourable treatment options. Objective: This study aimed at investigating the pharmacognostic and mycobactericidal properties of P. amarus. Since toxicity could also be an issue, the mutagenic activity of this plant was also assessed. Materials and Methods: The macroscopic, microscopic, and physicochemical characteristics were assessed with reference to the Quality Control Methods for Herbal Material WHO (2011). The mycobactericidal activity was determined by the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, while mutagenicity was investigated by the Ames test. Results: P. amarus contained tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and steroids. The 50% ethanol extract exhibited activity against M. smegmatis at 100 mg/mL with an inhibitory zone of 2.0 cm. P. amarus had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 mg/mL while that of rifampin was 0.1 μg/mL. P. amarus showed weak mutagenicity at a concentration of 10 μg/mL. Conclusion: The documented pharmacognostic characteristics can be used for quality control of the crude plant material. The mycobactericidal activity also affirmed its folkloric use in the treatment of tuberculosis. The mycobactericidal activity can be further exploited for drug development.