In Vivo Studies on the Prebiotic Effects of Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extracts
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Abstract
The aqueous leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina was evaluated for its prebiotic effects on seven human volunteers, made up of five men and two women. The evaluation was conducted by monitoring the effects of oral administration of the extract on total and differential counts of aerobic faecal bacteria, bowel changes and other physiological parameters. Three main bacterial types (Enterococcus sp.
Lactobacillus sp. and Corynebacterium sp.) were isolated from the stool samples of the subjects. Enterococcus sp. was selectively stimulated over the other species by the extract and increase in numbers of Lactobacillus appeared to be dependent on the metabolic activities of Enterococcus. The subjects reported changes in bowel function including increased faecal volume, softening of stool and flatulence; effects which have been associated with known prebiotics. Evaluation of possible antagonism between the intestinal bacteria and other bacteria showed that while there was no antagonism between the three faecal isolates, Lactobacillus exhibited antagonism against intestinal pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Shigella and Klebsiella. The results from this study show convincingly that aqueous leaf extracts of V. amygdalina contains prebiotics. Furthermore there is a strong suggestion that oral administration of this extract may enhance the production of vitamins, particularly folate, in the intestinal environment by intestinal bacteria.
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