An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local people in the lowlands of Konta Special Woreda, southern nations, nationalities and peoples regional state, Ethiopia

Background

Research was carried out in Konta Special Woreda (District); it is a remote area with lack of infrastructure like road to make any research activities in the area. Therefore, this research was conducted to investigate medicinal plants of the Konta people and to document the local knowledge before environmental and cultural changes deplete the resources.

Methods

The information was collected between October 2006 and February 2007. Interview-based field study constituted the main data collection method in which the gathering, preparation, use, previous and current status and cultivation practices were systematically investigated. The abundance, taxonomic diversity and distribution of medicinal plants were studied using ecological approach.

Results

A total of 120 species, grouped within 100 genera and 47 families that are used in traditional medical practices were identified and studied. The Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were the most commonly reported medicinal plants with 16 (13.3%) and 14 (12%) species, respectively. 25.4% of the total medicinal plants are collected from homegardens and the rest (74.6%) are collected from wild habitats. Of the total number of medicinal plants, 108 species (90%) were used to treat human ailments, 6 (5%) for livestock diseases and the remaining 6 (5%) were used to treat both human and livestock health problems. The major threats to medicinal plants reported include harvesting medicinal plants for firewood (24.8%) followed by fire (22.3%) and construction (19%). Of the four plant communities identified in the wild, more medicinal plant species (34) were found in community type-4 (Hyparrhenia cymbaria-Erythrina abyssinica community), which accounted for 61.8%.

Conclusion

Konta Special Woreda is an important area for medicinal plants and associated local knowledge; the natural vegetation being the most important reservoir for the majority of the medicinal plants. Environmental and cultural changes are in the process of threatening the resources and this signals the need for serious efforts to create public awareness so that measures are taken to conserve the medicinal plants in the natural ecosystems and other suitable environments.     

A Combinatorial Relative Mass Value Evaluation of Endogenous Bioactive Proteins in Three-Dimensional Cultured Nucleus Pulposus Cells of Herniated Intervertebral Discs: Identification of Potential Target Proteins for Gene Therapeutic Approaches

Painful degenerative disc diseases have been targeted by different biological treatment approaches. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells play a central role in intervertebral disc (IVD) maintenance by orchestrating catabolic, anabolic and inflammatory factors that affect the extracellular matrix. IVD degeneration is associated with imbalances of these factors, resulting in a catabolic inflammatory metabolism. Therefore, accurate knowledge about their quantity and quality with regard to matrix synthesis is vital for a rational gene therapeutic approach. NP cells were isolated from 63 patients operated due to lumbar disc herniation (mean age 56 / range 29 - 84 years). Then, three-dimensional culture with low-glucose was completed in a collagen type I scaffold for four weeks. Subsequently cell proliferation evaluation was performed using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and intracellular concentration of 28 endogenously expressed anabolic, catabolic, inflammatory factors and relevant matrix proteins was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Specimen-related grades of degeneration were confirmed by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Independent from gender, age and grade of degeneration proliferation rates remained similar in all groups of NP cells. Progressive grades of degeneration, however, showed a significant influence on accumulation of selective groups of factors such as disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 and 5, matrix metalloproteinase 3, metalloproteinase inhibitor 1 and 2, interleukin-1β and interleukin-1 receptor. Along with these changes, the key NP matrix proteins aggrecan and collagen II decreased significantly. The concentration of anabolic factors bone morphogenetic proteins 2, 4, 6 and 7, insulin-like growth factor 1, transforming growth factor beta 1 and 3, however, remained below the minimal detectable quantities. These findings indicate that progressive degenerative changes in NP may be problematic with regard to biologic treatment strategies. Hence, gene therapeutic interventions regulating relevant bioactive factors identified in this work might contribute to the development of regenerative treatment approaches for degenerative disc diseases.     

Assessment of woody species encroachment in the grasslands of Nechisar National Park,Ethiopia

Ecological survey was executed to assess woody species encroachment into the grassland plain of Nechisar National Park (NNP). Forty‐one woody species were recorded. Dichrostachys cinerea Wight & Arn., Acacia mellifera (Vahl) Benth., Acacia nilotica (L) Willd., Acacia senegal (L.) Willd., Acacia seyal Del. and Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne were among the major encroaching woody species. The majority of the woody species were found to be highly aggregated in their pattern of distribution, while only few species showed some degree of randomness. The mean woody species density was ca. 1995 woody plants ha^?1. Mean cover of woody, grass, unpalatable forbs and total herbaceous species were 31%, 58%, 68% and 121%, respectively. The woody species density and cover, unpalatable forbs and bare land cover were significantly higher in the highly grazed and fire‐suppressed part of the grassland plain. Pearson correlation coefficient matrix indicated that woody species cover and density were negatively correlated with total herbaceous and grass cover. The high woody, unpalatable forbs and bare land cover indicated the progressively increasing perennial grass species diversity deterioration in the grass plain of the Park. Decline in the grassland condition, unless reversed, will jeopardize the biological diversity as well as the aesthetic value of the NNP.     

How has government policy post-Global Strategy for Plant Conservation impacted on science? The Ethiopian perspective

In this paper, existing relevant Ethiopian government biodiversity-related policies and strategies, and mandates of various institutions prior to GSPC targets, are reviewed. Response to whether or not institutions responded to GSPC targets as the result of new policies or rebranded their work to fit within the context of existing policies and adjust their outcomes to fit into the GSPC targets is provided. The Ethiopian national report of 2009 submitted to the Convention of Biological Diversity Secretariat is reviewed and gaps analysed. The policies of the Federal government (and implementing institutions) post-GSPC so far have had only a limited impact on science, but research institutions have aligned their outputs to fit with the GSPC targets. Suggestions, conclusions and recommendations are made in order to work effectively towards the realization of the GSPC targets beyond 2010 in Ethiopia.     

Diversifying crops for food and nutrition security – a case of teff

There are more than 50000 known edible plants in the world, yet two‐thirds of global plant‐derived food is provided by only three major cereals – maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rice (Oryza sativa). The dominance of this triad, now considered truly global food commodities, has led to a decline in the number of crop species contributing to global food supplies. Our dependence on only a few crop species limits our capability to deal with challenges posed by the adverse effects of climate change and the consequences of dietary imbalance. Emerging evidence suggests that climate change will cause shifts in crop production and yield loss due to more unpredictable and hostile weather patterns. One solution to this problem is through the wider use of underutilised (also called orphan or minor) crops to diversify agricultural systems and food sources. In addition to being highly nutritious, underutilised crops are resilient in natural and agricultural conditions, making them a suitable surrogate to the major crops. One such crop is teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter], a warm‐season annual cereal with the tiniest grain in the world. Native to Ethiopia and often the sustenance for local small farmers, teff thrives in both moisture‐stressed and waterlogged soil conditions, making it a dependable staple within and beyond its current centre of origin. Today, teff is deemed a healthy wheat alternative in the West and is sought‐after by health aficionados and those with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity. The blooming market for healthy food is breathing new life into this underutilised crop, which has received relatively limited attention from mainstream research perhaps due to its ‘orphan crop’ status. This review presents the past, present and future of an ancient grain with a potential beyond its size.     

Maytenus eritreana sp. nov. and M. addat (Loes.) comb. nov. (Celastraceae) from northern Ethiopia

The new species Maytenus eritreana Sebsebe is described from northern Ethiopia. The new combination M. addat (Loes.) Sebsebe is made; this species occurs in the central and southern highlands of Ethiopia. The distribution of the two species is mapped.