Kigelia fruit extract
Botanical name: Kigelia africana (syn. Kigelia pinnata)
Family: Bignoniceae
Common names: African sausage tree
Botanical characteristics
Kigelia africana (the "sausage tree") is widespread across Africa and is found in wet savannah and riverine areas. Growing over 20m high, it is semi-deciduous with grey-brown smooth bark. The flowers grow on rope-like stalks and are bat pollinated. The fruit are large grey-green "sausages", about 30-60cm long, which hang on stalks from the tree.
Traditional uses
From Senegal down to South Africa the Kigelia fruit has a long history of both consumption and topical application. It is valued as an aphrodisiac, a disinfectant and a cure for dermal complaints. Adolescent boys and girls use the fruit for enhancing growth of the genetalia and breasts respectively. Women rub an ointment, made from Kigelia fruit pulp, onto their breasts as a skin tightening, breast firming and enlarging treatment. This treatment is also used on babies in the belief that they will grow to be fatter. Women use the ointment to ensure clear, blemish free skin and the whole fruit is used in Tonga as a loofah for scrubbing skin smooth. In addition the fruit is used effectively in dressing sores and wounds, both in humans as well as animals, and for a wide variety of skin applications, ranging from eczema, ulcers, acne, skin cancer and fungal infections.
Chemical and medicinal characteristics
Scientific literature confirms the validity of many of these traditional uses due to the presence of numerous secondary metabolites. These compounds include iridoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, sterols, glycosides and napthoquinones. Antibacterial activity has been shown against both Gram-negative and Gram-postivie bacteria. Kigelia extract was shown to contract the area of wounds less than 300 mm2. Strong anti-inflammatory activity has been indicated and determined to be due to the presence of specific COX 1 and 2 inhibitors, without showing the common side effects normally associated with this activity. In addition norviurtinal has shown cytotoxic activity through the reduction of both gross tumours and the incidence of tumour burden. Kigelia's known chemical constituents include:
• Napthaquinones (including kigelinone)
• Caffeic acid
• Fatty acids
Fatty Acid |
CO2 Seed Extract |
|
16 : 0 |
Palmitic acid (Hexadecanoic acid) |
6.80 |
18 : 0 |
Stearic acid (Octadecanoic acid) |
3.80 |
18: 1 |
Oleic acid (9 – Octadecenoic acid) |
13.80 |
18 : 2 |
Linoleic acid (9, 12 – Octadecanoic acid) |
16.27 |
18 : 3 |
α – Linoleic acid (9, 12, 15 – Octadecatrienoic acid) |
52.97 |
• Norviburtinal
• Coumarins (including kigelin)
• Sterols (including sitosterol and stigmasterol)
Component |
Average |
1 – Tetracosanol |
0.019 |
1 – Hexacosanol |
0.018 |
1 – octacosanol |
0.084 |
1 – Triacontanol |
0.071 |
Total Long-Chain Alcohols (%) |
0.19 |
Campesterol* |
0.150 |
Stigmasterol |
0.586 |
b-Sitosterol + Stigmastanol* |
2.207 |
Total Sterols (%) |
2.94 |
• Iridoids
R = H Minecoside
R = OCH3 Specioside
• Flavonoids (including luteolin)
Possible applications
Kigelia fruit pulp and extracts can be exploited in the nutraceutical, dietary/herbal supplement, pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and other markets. Specific products could include:
• Anti-melanoma and after-sun applications
• Anti-inflammatory agent
Supercritical CO2 extracts of Kigelia have been shown to be more effective than Indomethacin a potent synthetic anti-inflamatorry
• Antioxidant agent
An ethanol extract of kigelia has been shown to possess some anti-oxidant activity
• Cosmetic skin tightening active ingredient
Product format
1. Sliced, dried, ground and sifted fruit pulp
2. Oil bearing seed
3. Solvent extracts of Ethanol and PolyEthylene Glycol
4. Supercritical carbon dioxide extract of (1) and (2)
Selected references
Azuine, M. A. et al (1997) Protective role of Kigelia africana fruits against benzo[a]pyrene-induced forestomach tumourigenesis in mice and against albumen-induced inflammation in rats. Pharm. Pharmacol. Lett. 7: 67-70.
Binutu, O. A. et al (1996) Antibacterial and Antifungal Compounds from Kigelia pinnata. Planta Medica 62: 352-353.
Burkill, H. M. (1985) Kigelia africana In Useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1 Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, pp. 254-257; 738-739; 754; 757.
Gouda, Y. et al 2003. Iridoids from Kigelia pinnata DC. fruits. Phytochemistry 63:887-892.
Grace, O. M. et al (2002) Antibacterial activity and isolation of active compounds from fruit of the traditional African medicinal tree Kigelia africana. South African Journal of Botany 68 (2): 220-222.
Houghton P.J. (2002) The sausage tree (Kigelia africana): ethnobotany and recent scientific work. South African Journal of Botany 68: 14-20.
Jackson, S. J. et al (2000) In Vitro Cytotoxicity of Norviburtinal and Isopinnatal from Kigelia pinnata against Cancer Cell Lines. Planta Medica 66: 758- 761.
Maisiri, M. et al, 1999. The effects of crude extracts of Kigelia africana and Aloe excelsa on deep wound healing. University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Department of Pharmacy.
Manjengwa, J. M. and King, A. S. (1999) Feasibility and potential of Kigelia africana and Trichilia emetica fruit production in Zimbabwe. Published by WWF SARPO, Project paper no. 99/01.
Patents
DE 10200490 (10.07.2003) Use of mixtures, which contain parts of the plant Kigelia africana. Hans Knoll Institut fϋr Naturstoff Forschung.
JP2003137763 (14.05.2003) Skin care preparation. Makado Isamu.
US 2002/ 0176874 (28.11.2002) Cosmetic compositions with high viscosity for female breast care containing Kigelia extract. Dampeirou, C. et al.
FR 2 759 910 (24.02.1997) Cosmetic or dermo-pharmaceutical composition for firming the breast, reducing hair loss, and reducing the growth of bristles, contains an extract of Kigelia africana.