Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

en Antimicrobial Efficacy of Selected Herbal Mixtures from Ibadan, Nigeria against Microorganisms Associated with Sexually Transmitted Infections: Phytochemical Analysis and In Vitro Assessment Infectious diseases and public health Infectious diseases and public health Original article Original article <table class="Table" style="width:102.88%; border-collapse:collapse" width="102%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border-width: 1px medium; border-style: solid none; border-color: black currentcolor; width: 65%; padding: 0in 7px; height: 296px; text-align: justify;" valign="top">Introduction: The global rise of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens exacerbates challenges in treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs), driving the search for alternative therapies. In Ibadan, Nigeria, herbal mixtures are widely used for STIs without scientific validation. This study evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of six commercial herbal mixtures against STI-associated pathogens and characterized their phytochemical profiles to assess their therapeutic potential. Methods: Six commercial herbal preparations (A–F) traditionally used for STIs were tested against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae using agar well diffusion assays, with standard antimicrobials as controls. Qualitative and quantitative spectrophotometric and titrimetric assays characterized their primary phytochemical constituents. Results: Most mixtures showed no antimicrobial activity. Only Mixture A exhibited concentration-dependent activity exclusively against E. coli, with zones of inhibition increasing from 14.5 mm at 50% (v/v) to 19.0 mm at 100% (v/v). No mixture inhibited C. albicans, K. pneumoniae, or the multidrug-resistant S. aureus. Standard antibiotics remained highly active against most isolates. Phytochemical profiling detected tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, and steroids in varying concentrations, with flavonoids and tannins being most abundant, whereas chalcones were consistently below detection limits. Conclusion: The tested herbal mixtures demonstrated limited broad-spectrum efficacy, failing to validate manufacturers' claims. While current formulations are not promising alternative therapies, Mixture A warrants further research to isolate its active compounds, optimize formulations, and validate safety in vivo. These findings underscore the critical need for rigorous scientific evaluation and stronger regulatory oversight of traditional remedies.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Sexually transmitted infections, Plant extracts, Phytochemicals, Drug resistance, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae 0 0 http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-552-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Naimot Aramide Emiola emiolanaimot@yahoo.com 0009-0003-2422-4762 Yes Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Federal University Wukari, P.M.B. 1020, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria Felicia C. Adesina adesina.felicia@lcu.edu.ng 0000-0001-7856-471X No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Federal University Wukari, P.M.B. 1020, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria Emeka Taye Umezurike 0000-0003-3842-790X No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Federal University Wukari, P.M.B. 1020, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria Opeoluwa Adebola Ogundimu 0009-0006-1887-0460 No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Federal University Wukari, P.M.B. 1020, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria