GENERAL MECHANISM OF ACTION OF HERBS IMPLIED IN TREATING GONORRHOEA AND SYPHILIS

The pharmaco-dynamics as well as biochemistry of traditional medicine or herbs in the treatment of gonorrhoea and syphilis involves basically two dimensions of activities namely:

Localised action of anti-microbial constituents of herbs on the site of infection.

Stimulation of the immune system against the bacteria (Neissera gonorrhoea and Treponema pallidum) .

Localised action (Phase one):

Herbs are often administered in either combined form with herbs as a traditional recipe or singly using either aqueous or alcoholic solvent.

The bioavailability of herbal constituents is very high after absorption and biotransformation in the liver owing to the presence of phyto chemicals which are xenobiotic in nature. These anti- microbial agents are often derived from biotransformation of the digestive products of Garlic, aloe Vera, turmeric, ginger and spinach. Due to their relatively small molecular sizes, they bypass the bowman capsule escaping ultrafiltration, reabsorption and are partly excreted in the urine. However, part of these agents are also transported via the blood to the site of action which is mainly the genital regions.

At the genital region, cascades of biochemical activities occur as the anti- microbial agents interact with enzymes and proteins in the microbial cell membrane causing it disruption from the mucous membrane close to the epithelial layer. These compounds possess both hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics. Their hydrophobicity enables them to react with protein of microbial cell membrane and mitochondria thereby disturbing their structure and changing their permeability. The do this by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme amino acid racemase or amino acid epimerase which converts L- amino acids produced by cells of the genital regions to D- amino acid useable by the parasite.

However, there exist an alternative means of synthesising D-amino acid via stereo specific animation of alpha keto- acid hence this phase is sufficient to kill the microbes but increases their vulnerability to anti- bodies and macrophages. Worthy of note is the fact that the hydrophilicity of these compounds aids in the cleavage of the strands or flagella of the parasites from the host cells thereby isolating them.

Stimulation of Anti- Bodies ( Phase two)

These traditional recipes also contain organic and inorganic compounds or minerals which act as immune factors such as zinc, Magnesium, Iron and antigens which stimulate the mobilisation of anti- bodies( T- lymphocyte) specific to the phagocytosis of the parasitic cells which were made permeable and vulnerable owing to the localised action phase.

General Nigerian Algorithm For Treatment of Gonorrhoea and Syphilis: 

During the first phase of administration, the herbs are made into aqueous solutions so as to facilitate the stimulation of the immune system. During the second phase of treatment, the recipes are made into alcoholic solutions to facilitate or enhance the lipophilic characteristics of the anti- microbial constituents of the herbs.

Basically, alcohol is known to reduce immunity, that is the reason it is taken at the second phase after the immune stimulation. The forgone cascades of events collectively shows the bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal activity of the traditional medicine as implied in the phase 1 and phase 2 treatment respectively.

Written by

ANTHONY SAMUEL AKPAN

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

UNIVERSITY OF UYO.

https://www.academia.edu/35814512/GENERAL_MECHANISM_OF_ACTION_OF_HERBS_IMPLIED_IN_TREATING_GONORRHOEA_AND_SYPHILIS_The_pharmaco?source=swp_share

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