Scientists believe gorillas could provide insight into future drug discoveries through their self-healing behavior, according to a new study. Researchers in Gabon have found four potentially medicinal tropical plants used by local healers through examining plants eaten by wild gorillas. These plants are rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials, and one of them may be able to fight superbugs, according to laboratory experiments.
The study was carried out by Lereche Even Donnelly Oyaba Yinda and colleagues at the Interdisciplinary Medical Research Centre of Franceville, Gabon, and was published in open-access on September 11. Journal PLOS ONE.
To investigate, the researchers observed the behavior of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) in Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park and recorded the plants they ate, according to a release. Next, they interviewed 27 people living in the nearby village of Daoussala, including traditional healers and herbalists, about plants used in local traditional medicine.
The team identified four native plant species that gorillas eat and use in traditional medicine: the fromager tree (Ceiba pentandra), the giant yellow mulberry (Myrianthus arboreus), the African teak (Milicia excelsa), and the fig tree (Ficus). They tested bark samples from each plant for antibacterial and antioxidant properties and examined their chemical composition.
The researchers found that the bark of all four plants had antibacterial activity against at least one multidrug-resistant strain of the bacteria Escherichia coli. The Fromager tree showed “remarkable activity” against all tested E. coli strains. All four plants were found to contain compounds that have medicinal effects, including phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. However, it is unclear whether gorillas consume these plants for medicinal or other reasons.
Biodiversity-rich regions like Central Africa are home to a vast treasure trove of unknown and potential medicinal plants.
This research provides preliminary information about plants with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and the four plants investigated in this study may be promising targets for further drug discovery research, especially aimed at treating multi-drug resistant bacterial infections.
The study authors add: “Alternative medicines and treatments offer definite hope for solving many current and future public health problems. Zoopharmacognosy is one of these new approaches, aimed at discovering new medicines.”
