Osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a global health burden as no current treatment is universally agreed upon as optimal. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of aqueous Azadirachta indica leaf extract on gross morphological and molecular changes in monosodium iodoacetate(MIA)-induced OAof TMJ of adult Wistar rats. Fifty-four (54) male adult Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 6 groups: (1) Control, (2) MIAalone, (3) MIA+ Steroid, (4) MIA+250 mg/kg Azadirachta indica, (5) 500 mg/kg Azadirachta indica, (6) MIA + 1000 mg/kg Azadirachta indica. Morphological data collected were condylar head shape (CHS) condylar head length (CHL), condylar head width (CHW) and condylar head height (CHH). The molecular data collected were matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. The morphological parameters were not affected by Azadirachta indica across the experimental animals (p>0.05). There was a significant increase in the levels of IL-1β and MMP-13 in the MIA alone group compared to the groups treated with Azadirachta indica and the steroid groups (p<0.05). There was a significant decrease in the levels of IL-10 in the MIAalone group compared to the groups treated with Azadirachta indica and steroid groups (p<0.05).The study suggests protective effect of Azadirachta indica against MIA-induced OAof TMJ as demonstrated by molecular evaluation.
Standardization is a key process to evaluating the quality, purity and efficacy of natural drugs. The constant rise in antibiotic resistance of certain causative organisms to popular antibiotics has increased the search for alternatives. This study aims to establish pharmacognostic standards for the leaves and seeds of Delonix regia and Peltrophorum pterocarpum and also to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of their methanolic extracts. The samples were found to contain saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins. The microscopic evaluation revealed various epidermal features including the presence of trichomes, venation patterns and stomata cells on the abaxial and adaxial surfaces. The physico-chemical and heavy metal results obtained were within the standard limits. The extracts exhibited both antibacterial and antifungal activities against tested microorganisms showing varying zones of inhibition from 13.7mm - 27.0mm. The Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of the plant drugs was consistently low ranging from 0.6125 - 10% w/v and this can indicate that the test drugs have high resistance mechanisms to these microorganisms. The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) showcase varying antimicrobial strengths against selected microbial strains with D. regia leaf extract showing effectiveness at low MBC value of 1.25% W/V. The results underscore the antimicrobial potential of both species, supporting their use as natural alternatives to conventional antibiotics, especially in the treatment of resistant microbial strains. Their phytochemical profiles are key contributors to their efficacy, providing a strong basis for their pharmacognostic and medicinal evaluation.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest challenges facing global public health. Most microorganisms have developed resistance to available conventional antimicrobial agents, hence, there is a need to develop new antimicrobials to combat this threat to public health. This study was conducted to investigate and compare the antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp cytotoxicity of Cissus arguta and Cissus quadrangularis leaves and the stems methanol extracts. The plants (leaf and stem) were collected, air-dried, pulverized, and extracted with methanol (100%) concentrated in vacuo, and evaporated to dryness at a room temperature of 25 ℃. The antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, and Trichophyton rubrum was investigated using the in vitro broth micro-dilution method with ciprofloxacin and ketoconazole as the reference antibacterial and antifungal drugs respectively.The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of saponin, flavonoid, tannins, alkaloids, anthraquinones, and steroids. The methanol extracts of Cissus arguta and Cissus quadrangularis demonstrated a higher antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli) bacteria than to the pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum). Of all the extracts, Cissus quadrangularisstem extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against both Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with MIC and MBC values of 12.5 µg/mLand 0.78 µg/mLrespectively. It was also found to be the most potent against brine shrimps with LC value of 50 10.62 µg/mL. This study suggests that Cissus arguta and Cissus quadrangularis possess antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. In addition, the enhanced antimicrobial activity and higher brine shrimp cytotoxicity observed in the stem extract of Cissus quadrangularis suggest that it could serve as a potential source of more effective antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.
A decoction of the fresh leaves of Eugenia uniflora is implicated in Nigerian ethnomedicine for the management of feverish conditions including malaria. The study therefore evaluated the in vivo antimalarial properties of the leaf extract and fractions of E. uniflora in mice, with the aim to isolate and identify the bioactive compounds and so validate or otherwise the ethnomedicinal uses. Fresh leaf of Eugenia uniflora (10.0 kg) was collected, authenticated, chopped and macerated in 10 L of methanol, the resulting extract was concentrated to dryness in vacuo and desiccated. The methanol extract was subsequently fractionated successively with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanolto afford the solvent fractions and all were tested against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei berghei in mice. The most active n-hexane fraction, EUH, with an ED50 of 52.42±2.12 mg/kg and an ED90 of 95.11±1.76 mg/kg was repeatedly column-chromatographed in a bioassay guided purification to afford compounds EU1, EU2, EU3 and EU4 . The compounds EU1 and EU4 which were further tested in mice elicited a % chemosuppression of 82.79± 0.95 and 79.79±2.32 %, survival time of 28 and 13 days and a percentage survivor of 60 each respectively in mice. Also, IC50 values of 2.64±0.13 and 1.96±0.13 mg/mL, were obtained respectively, for the compounds after β hematin assay. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) data, characterized the antimalarial compounds EU1 and EU4 as, 12- Hydroxy- 4,4,8a,10a,15,17a,19-heptamethyl icosahydro picen-3-one, and 3- (O-α-L-Rhamnopyranosyl) -8- (hydroxymethyl)- 4 ,10 ,18 ,21a ,22a ,22b -(hexamethyl) - 5 , 19- dihydrostigmastane -13-carboxylic acid, respectively, thus justifying the use of E. uniflora leaf in antimalarial ethnomedicine.
The anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities of Chamaecrista rotundifolia var. grandiflora (Ch.R) were evaluated for an insight into its potential as an alternative and complementary treatment. Dried leaves of Ch.R were extracted in 70% methanol (MECh.R) and partitioned into n-hexane (HFCh.R), dichloromethane (HFCh.R), chloroform (CFCh.R), and ethyl acetate (EAFCh.R). The anticancer activity of the crude extract and its fractions on cancer cell lines of HeLa, U-87, MCF-7, and healthy cells (HEK-293) was determined using MTT colorimetric assay. The micro-broth dilution method was used to analyse the antibacterial activity of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while DPPH and CUPRAC methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity. The Folin-Ciocalteu and the aluminum chloride methods were used for the determination of total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC), respectively. All fractions of Ch.R inhibited the cell growth of all cancer cell lines. DFCh.R showed the highest inhibitory effect on the HeLa cell line (IC50 = 7.94±1.34 μg/mL) as well as on U-87 cells (IC50 =29.17±1.17 μg/mL). HFCh.R also showed noticeable anti-proliferative potency on Hela cells (IC50 =15.67±1.14 μg/mL). HFCh.R exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against Chromobacterium violaceum 12472 with an MIC value of 250 μg/mL. MECh.R has the highest antioxidant activity with a cupric reducing capacity of 420 mg TE/g DW and an IC25 of 443.7 μg/mL.Correlation between TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity reveals a significant association and that phenolics and flavonoids could be responsible for the antioxidant activity observed in this plant. Overall, our results reveal the anticancer and anti-oxidative potential of Ch.R leaf and their promising fractions.
Medicinal plants such as Combretum platypterum used to manage sickle cell anaemia in traditional systems of medicine in Nigeria and other African countries are potential sources of drugs for sickle cell disease. This study evaluated the leaf and stem of Combretum platypterum for antioxidant and anti-sickling activities. Crude methanol extracts of the leaf and stem of C. platypterum together with their fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and aqueous-methanol) were examined for radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and anti-sickling activity against sodium metabisulphite-induced sickling of red blood cells with sickle cell haemoglobin (HbSS). Estimation of the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the methanol extracts and their fractions were also determined. The ethyl acetate fraction of the leaf methanol extract (FA) exhibited the highest inhibitory anti-sickling activity (89.8%) while the n-hexane fraction of the leaf (77.7%) exhibited the highest reversal anti-sickling activity. Para-hydroxybenzoic acid, which served as the positive control showed the highest activity in both cases (95.9%). Interestingly, the TPC (12.60 mg GAE/g) and TFC (17.62 mg QE/g) were highest in FA and n-hexane fraction of the leaf, respectively. The IC50 (free radical scavenging) of the partitioned fractions of the leaf was lower than the methanol crude extract of Combretum platypterum leaf indicating more antioxidant activity than the crude methanol extract. This paper reports for the first time anti-sickling activities of C. platypterum and therefore, provides some justification for the ethnomedicinal use of the plant in the management of sickle cell disease.
Depression is associated with fluctuating hormonal levels in females, and this may be responsible for some of the infertility issues that usually characterize such individuals. Treatments with known antidepressants have not yielded the desired results as failure and adverse reactions are continually being reported. And since depression-associated infertility is usually associated with oxidative stress, natural antioxidants may play important protective or recovery roles. Such antioxidants are available in phytochemicals and polyphenol compounds in plants. This review evaluates the actions of some plants with antioxidant-richproperties, and their role towards protecting or promoting the female reproductive activities possibly arising from oxidative stressinduced depressive states. The plant extracts and their polyphenols modulate depression leading to improved reproductive outcomes by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines, increased expression of BDNF, deactivation of microglia cells, downregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activities and ultimately improving hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) signals and hormonal release.
Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and parts of the Americas, with increasing resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to frontline antimalarial drugs exacerbating the issue. This study investigates the antimalarial potential of Gongronema latifolium (Benth), a medicinal plant native to Africa, known for its reported hypolipidemic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the growing resistance to conventional treatments, Gongronema latifolium has not been extensively studied for its effects on malaria, particularly in relation to oxidative stress and parasite protein modulation. Phytochemical analyses revealed bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, saponins, and phenolics, which are likely responsible for its therapeutic effects. Using a Plasmodium berghei-infected Wistar rat model, the plant extract demonstrated dosedependent antioxidative effects, significantly increasing catalase (50%) and superoxide dismutase (75%) activity, thus reducing oxidative stress. In parallel, in silico studies identified strong interactions between the plant's phytocompounds and key malariaassociated proteins: Falcipain-2, Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH), Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (PfDHFR), and Enoyl-ACP Reductase (PfENR). Docking computations and binding-free energy analyses revealed strong affinities, with Baicalin, Isoquercetin, Rutin, and Epicatechin-3-gallate registering the highest binding scores of - 10.731kcal/mol, -7.966kcal/mol, -12.114kcal/mol, -13.065kcal/mol for PfDHFR, Falcipain-2, PfLDH, and, PfENR respectively, suggesting potential inhibition of these proteins critical to parasite survival and replication. These findings indicate that Gongronema latifolium shows potential as an adjunct to existing antimalarial treatments, though further studies are needed to isolate and validate the efficacy of its active compounds.
Cancer is one of the most frightening diseases threatening the health of mankind, with poor prognosis and treatment. Current cancertreatment options, though costly to develop, have not met expectations largely due to issues like recurrence, drug resistance, pooraccessibility, and serious side effects. This necessitates the search for new potent chemotherapeutic agents with high selectivity.Therefore, Phytochemical constituents and cytotoxic potentials of four selected medicinal plants were investigated. In vitro cytotoxic activity of the selected plant extracts using MTT (3(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) colorimetric assay was carried out against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell lines. The selective index (SI) of the extracts was also determined using the Vero cell line. Indigofera nummularriifolia (INW) exhibited the highest inhibition on the growth of MCF-7 (IC50 = 1.22 µg/mL) and RD (IC50 = 6.51 µg/mL) cell lines as compared with the standard reference drug, vincristine with IC50 = 0.25 and 2.89 µg/mL on MCF-7 and RD cancer cell lines, respectively. Determination of SI 50 using the Vero cell line indicated that INW displayed a relatively high degree of selectivity against the cancer cells under investigation. These plants especially I. nummularriifolia exhibited cytotoxic effects and thus could contribute to anticancer drug discovery and many other disease conditions due to their phytoconstituents.
Mental disorder features unhealthy situations such as sleep disturbance, social withdrawal and impaired role functioning, all of which are treated with herbal formulations, by traditional healers. Aframomum melegueta and Bidens pilosa are medicinal plants applied traditionally to treat psychosis. Hence, this study investigated the antipsychotic effect of the two plants in ketamine induced psychosis in mice. Pulverised plant samples consisting of Aframomum melegueta seeds and leaves, and stem of Bidens pilosa were macerated in absolute methanol for 72 h. Extracts were evaluated in mice for hyper-locomotion in open field and stereotype behaviour in transparent chamber models. Statistical analysis was done using one-way ANOVA at p < 0.05. Aframomum melegueta seeds, and B. pilosa leaves at 500 mg/kg and B. pilosastem at 250 mg/kg, decreased hyperactivity in mice, when compared to the negative control group (ketamine only). Furthermore, the highest dose (500 mg/kg) of Aframomum melegueta seeds, B. pilosa leaves and 250 mg/kg of B. pilosastem gave total tranquilising effect at 60 min into the experiment. Findings from this study revealed that seeds of Aframomum melegueta, and the leaves as well as stem of Bidens pilosa possess constituents responsible for the treatment of psychosis. This in turn justifies the traditional use of both plants in the treatment of mental illness. Different ratios of both plants under study may be combined as formulations and tested in future research, as a step towards drug development.
The increasing antimicrobial resistance of pathogens to existing therapeutic agents is currently a global health challenge, which ledus to a bioassay-guided investigation of Allanblackia floribunda Oliver (Guttiferae) roots for new antimicrobial constituents. The roots were extracted successively in Soxhlet with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. Isolation from the ethyl acetate extract was done using an open Column Chromatography, and Preparative Thin Layer Chromatography for purification. Structural elucidation was done using extensive 1-D and 2-D NMR, IR, MS data and physico-chemical properties. Antimicrobial activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) were determined using agar-well diffusion and broth dilution methods, respectively. The root extracts, pooled fractions and isolated compound were tested on bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and clinical isolates of Salmonella typhi. The root extracts and pooled fractions (Al , Al A, F , A and A ) were active on the test bacteria with zones of 1 2 19 18 100 inhibition ranging from 12 to 20 mm. Fraction Al A showed highest consistent activity comparable to gentamycin standard and 2 yielded compound Al , a novel xanthone: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8-hexahydroxy-9H-xanthen-9-one. The MICs in mg/mL of Al on the test 2 2 organisms are: S. aureus (0.75), E. coli (1.25), P. aeruginosa (1.13), B. subtilis (0.15) and S. typhi (0.08). These results justify the ethnomedicinal use of the root bark of Allanblackia floribunda in the treatment of diseases and the isolated xanthone has a high potential to become a chemotherapeutic agent for bacterial infections.
The methanol extracts of the leaves of Hoslundia opposita (HOL), Cleistopholis patens (CPL), Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (DCL), Olax subscorpioidea (OSL) and Plumbago zeylanica (PZL), as well as whole plant of Senecio biafrae (SBW) that have been earlier reported for their antidiabetic activities were evaluated in this study for their hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective potentials with a view to establishing their possible ability to reduce the complications of diabetes mellitus. Effects of the methanol extracts of these plants on biochemical parameters, such as, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, were estimated in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Histopathological examinations of pancreases and livers of rats were carried out at 400 mg/kg for leaves of H. opposita, O. subscorpioidea, C. patens and S. biafrae whole plant, while D. cumminsii and P. zeylanica leaves at 200 mg/kg. Results obtained were expressed as mean ± SEM using GraphPad Prism 7 (GraphPad Software Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), followed by the Dunnett multiple comparison tests were used while p < 0.05 was taken as significant. All the six plants' extracts significantly reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides levels and increased the highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol levels of the diabetic rats. Leaves of P. zeylanica and C. patens being the most active extracts, reduced cholesterol level from 2.3 to 1.0 and 0.8 mMol/L, respectively and reduced triglyceride from 0.6 to 0.9 mMol/L. The extracts also caused a pronounced reduction in vacuolation within the islet cells with the evidence of regeneration of the cells coupled with reduction in fibrosis, indicating possible reversal of pancreatic lesions in the pancreases of the alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The methanol extracts of these six Nigerian antidiabetic plants demonstrated hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective effects in alloxan-induced diabetic rats and showed evidence of regeneration of the pancreatic cells.
Nano carrier vessel is a new approach for ultimate delivery of drugs. This research work synthesised Mobile Composition of Matter (MCM-41) [1] for loading of two antimalarial drugs: MCM-41Artemether(ATM) [2] and MCM-41Lumefantrine(LFT) [3] under varying time, pH and temperature effects. FT-IR spectra depict major functional groups of the silanol group (Si-OH) and silaxone (Si-O) at 3450 and 964 cm-1, respectively for the 1, while 2 and 3 exhibited only functional groups similar to the parent silica core. 1 had average pore diameter of 5.16 nm while 2 and 3 pore sizes decreased to 4.04 and 3.16 nm, respectively due to the adsorption of the drugs. Morphology of 1 is spherical while 2 and 3 have distorted rod-like shapes attributed to the drugs impregnation as obtained from SEM. The optimal loading conditions of 2 at pH 3.5 ambient temperature, and 3 h gave drug loading capacity (DLC) of 79% and entrapment efficiency (EE) of 65% compared to 3 with DLC of 77% and EE of 50% attributable to the size effect. For the in vitro kinetic release of 2 at 1 h, ambient temperature and pH 3.5 gave 61.4% optimal release, which was very much higher compared to 3 of 7.4% at 0.5 h with other conditions similar. The in vivo measurement of 1 showed better bio performance for Plasmodium berghei NK65 parasite clearance in infected mice on the third day compared to 2 or 3 for nanodrugs and the individual parent drugs. This study confirmed the suitability of 1 for better delivery of ATM and LFT antimalarial drugs.
Studies have supported ethnobotanical claims on Waltheria indica L. Malvaceae. However, its standardisation parameters are yet to be defined. This study conducted pharmacognostic evaluation and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to develop standards for Waltheria indica. The plant was collected, identified, and authenticated. The morphological and anatomical characters were studied by organoleptic evaluation and microscopy, respectively. Physicochemical constants and phytochemical contents were determined. Chromatographic fingerprints of the leaf, stem, and root powders were obtained, and peaks were identified and quantified based on phenolic standards. Physical characters of Waltheria indica were described. Photomicrographs showed abundant stellate trichomes in leaves and stem of the plant. The vascular bundles were arranged in amphicribral form with endarch xylems. The adaxial surface of the leaf has straight epidermal cells with anisocytic and diacytic stomata, while the abaxial surface has wavy epidermal cells with only anisocytic stomata. The alcohol and water extractives values of leaf, stem, and root are (22.2%, 11.8%, and 14.44%) and (15.47%, 7.6% and 7.33%) respectively. Moisture content (6.62%, 2.78%, and 3.63%) and ash values (7.77%, 2.73%, and 2.33%) were within pharmacopoeia limits. Steroids, terpenoids, saponins, tannins, phenols, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinone, and alkaloids were present in all plant parts. Chromatographic fingerprints of plant parts showed unique peaks for phenolic standards. All plant parts had 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin, with epicatechin most abundant in the leaf (1,371,061 ng/g). The standardisation parameters developed would be helpful in monograph preparation for Waltheria indica.
Natural products are one of the best sources of therapeutic-based compounds for the treatment of peptic ulcer, which denotes open sores on the lining of the stomach or small intestines. Globimetula braunii (Family Loranthaceae), Microdesmis puberula (Family Pandaceae) and Parquetina nigrescens (Family Apocynaceae) have been documented for various medicinal uses, including the traditional treatment of peptic ulcer in Nigeria. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant and antacid properties of Globimetula braunii, Microdesmis puberula and Parquetina nigrescens. The plant samples were collected, identified and authenticated. The samples were allowed to air dry, pulverised and then extracted using methanol. The extracts were assessed for antioxidant (2,2-diphenyl-1-icrylhydrazyl, DPPH), free radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antacid activity. The total phenolic content was highest in G. braunii, followed by P. nigresens and then M. puberula with values of 6.74 mg GAE/g, 3.35 mg GAE/g and 0.56 mg GAE/g, respectively. The crude extract of G. braunii showed the highest radical scavenging activity below 50% with IC₅₀ value of 53.73. Globimetula braunii methanol extract (250 mg/250mL) showed the highest artificial gastric acid neutralising activity by raising the pH of the artificial gastric acid from 1.2 to 1.80±0.04, which is like the standard NaHCO₃ (100 mg/250mL) that raised the pH of the artificial gastric acid from 1.2 to 1.78±0.03. The results from this study support the ethnomedicinal claims that plants can be used in the management of peptic ulcer, and these plants could serve as sources of lead compounds to produce natural antacids.
Ethnobotanical surveys indicated that Entandrophragma utile and Uvaria afzelii are used for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. However, there is no scientific validation of the traditional claims of the anti-inflammatory properties of the plants. Thus, this study was carried out to assess the anti-inflammatory potentials of the extracts of E. utile and U. afzelii and validate the ethnomedicinal claim of the plants in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Membrane stabilisation activity, free radical scavenging activity and phytochemical screening were carried out on the two plants. The inhibition of lysis by the crude extract and fractions of E. utile stem bark (EUSB) and U. afzelii root (UAR) ranged from 6.21–78.80 and 4.17–86.05%. At the lowest tested concentration (0.125 mg/mL), the best inhibition activities of 44.51±2.39 and 27.02±0.80% were by the ethyl acetate fractions of EUSB and UAR, respectively. Similarly, at 1.5625 μg/mL, the ethyl acetate fractions of EUSB and UAR proved active for free radical scavenging with activities of 48.47±0.51 and 87.24±0.21%, respectively. The results from the membrane stabilisation and free radical scavenging activities could support the ethnomedicinal claim on the use of Entandrophragma utile stem bark and Uvaria afzelii root in the treatment of inflammatory diseases in Southwestern Nigeria.
Alternanthera dentata leaf extracts are used to treat infectious diseases such as skin diseases in folk medicine. This study isolated and evaluated activities of its bioactive compounds. A. dentata crude leaf extract obtained from 80% methanol was partitioned with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol respectively. The four fractions obtained were assayed for their antimicrobial activities against reference and clinical bacteria and fungi strains using agar dilution and micro-well dilution methods. Activity directed fractionation of the ethyl acetate fraction afforded two compounds and their structures elucidated using NMR (1D and 2D) spectroscopic data. The results of the antimicrobial assays showed that the ethyl acetate fraction had the best activities. This fraction afforded two compounds identified as 7-O-flavone glycosides: chrysoeriol-7-O-ॆ-glucoside (1) and apigenin-7-O-ॆ-glucoside (2) from the spectroscopic data. The compounds are reported from A. dentata extracts for the first time. Compound 1 showed moderate to weak antimicrobial activities against some of the selected organisms though better than compound 2. It had MIC of 0.63 mg/mL against Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 1263), Escherichia coli (ATCC 700727) and clinical strain of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 2.50 mg/mL against Candida pseudotropicalis. Structure Activity Relationship Studies (SARS) of the antimicrobial properties of compounds 1 and 2 indicated that the relative potency of compound 1 when compared with compound 2 is due mainly to the presence of 3' methoxylation of its ring B. This study concluded that, of the two compounds isolated, chrysoeriol-7-O-ॆ-glucoside (1) contributes more to the antimicrobial activities of the plant.
Curculigo pilosa (Schumach. & Thonn.) Engl. (Hypoxidaceae) is commonly used in traditional medicine in the management of several ailments. The rhizome is traditionally used for treating gastrointestinal diseases. The present study focuses on the in vitro anti-ulcer activity of Curculigo pilosa and isolation of compounds. Powdered rhizomes of the plant were extracted with methanol. The extract was successively partitioned into n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol and aqueous fractions. Fractions were screened for antacid and urease inhibitory activities using titrimetric method and urease inhibitory assay with sodium bicarbonate and acetohydroxamic acid used as standards. Compounds were isolated from active fractions of the plant using chromatographic techniques. Structures of isolated compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques. Only compound 1 was evaluated for urease inhibitory and antacid. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnet multiple comparison test at P ॆ 0.05. The n hexane and aqueous fractions were active in comparison with standard drug acetohydroxamic acid for urease inhibitory assay, while the ethyl acetate and n butanol fractions gave good antacid activities which were comparable to the activity exhibited by sodium bicarbonate. 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furancarbaldehyde (1) and Palmatine (2) were isolated for the first time in Curculigo pilosa and new to family Hypoxidaceae. 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furancarbaldehyde (1) displayed excellent antacid activity. Few compounds have been isolated from this plant despite the numerous reported biological activities. The antacid and the urease inhibitory activities are reported for the first time.
The study evaluated the antisickling activities of some plants used in the Southwestern Nigeria ethno-medicine for the management of sickle cell disease (SCD), with a view to determining the most active plant extract and fraction. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to two hundred and ten (210) respondents, which comprised traditional medical practitioners, herb sellers and community elders. Aqueous extracts of the plants with high fidelity levels alongside the positive controls (vanillic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid) were tested in vitro against the sickled erythrocytes, using the inhibitory and reversal assay methods. The active extracts were solvent- partitioned into petroleum spirit, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions, and subsequently bioassayed. A total of 166 plants were mentioned as being used for the management of SCD within the zone, among which 27 plants were selected. Six of the selected plant extracts demonstrated remarkable antisickling activities. The aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera leaf (MOL), Alchornia laxiflora leaf (ALL), Kigelia africana fruit (KAF), Olax subscorpioidea leaf (OSL), Pyrenacantha staudtii leaf (PSL) and Parquentina nigrescense leaf (PNL) demonstrated 88.0, 86.2, 76.2, 75.8, 54.4 and 52.2% inhibitory activities respectively, while the reversal activities were 76.9, 65.3, 75.5, 66.6, 52.4 and 66.0% respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction of MOL and KAF (4 mg/mL) demonstrated 94.6 and 87.2% inhibitory activities, and 94.7 and 81.4% reversal activities respectively. The mode of activity of KAF was by membrane stabilisation with 81.1% activity. Silica gel column purification, followed by preparative thin-layer chromatography of the ethyl acetate KAF fraction afforded 5 bands, M1 – M5 . At 4 mg/mL, band M2 demonstrated the highest activity with 78.9% inhibitory and 70.8% reversal, and also showed strong free radical scavenging property. The findings validated the ethnomedicinal use of the six listed plants, especially M. oleifera leaves and K. africana fruits for the management of SCD and identified the ethyl acetate fractions of both plants to contain the putative compounds.
The ethnomedicinal use of Uvaria chamae (P. Beauv) Annonaceae as an antimalarial has been scientifically justified. This study was carried out to determine the pharmacognostic and physicochemical characters of its leaf and root with a view to establishing pharmacopoeial parameters for their quality control. The fresh leaf and root of U. chamae, collected and authenticated in the IFE Herbarium, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, were preserved in ethanol (50%) while some were oven-dried and powdered. Organoleptic evaluation of the fresh samples and microscopy of the powders were carried out according to standard methods. Transverse section and surface preparation of the fresh leaf as well as radial and tangential longitudinal sections of the root were carried out. Physicochemical properties such as moisture content, ash and extractive values were determined. The methanol extracts of the powders were subjected to HPLC-MS analysis. The transverse section of the leaf revealed a dorsiventral midrib and striated cuticle. On the abaxial surface, paracytic stomata were observed but the adaxial surface lacked stomata while the vascular bundle was of the collateral type. The root of U. chamae had prismatic calcium oxalate crystals and tyloses. The physicochemical results were as follow: the total ash (9.6 & 9.7%), loss on drying (8.8 & 8.1%), alcohol extractive value (3.5 & 0.8%), water-extractive value (4.5 & 1.3%) for the leaf and root, respectively. Flavonoids such as pinocembrin and chamanetin were identified in the root. The study revealed pharmacognostic and chemical profiles that may aid the identity, and therefore, quality control of U. chamae.
