Diabetes is a growing global health challenge, while access to appropriate healthcare remains limited in many settings. Traditional medicine is widely used in Burundi, but the medicinal plants and therapeutic practices used by traditional practitioners for symptoms associated with diabetes remain insufficiently documented. This study documents these plants and their reported uses. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted across 25 public markets throughout Burundi from February to August 2024. A total of 146 traditional practitioners were approached, of whom 64 reported managing diabetes-related symptoms and were included in the analysis. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Purposive and snowball sampling were used. Ethnobotanical data were summarized using frequency of citation and relative frequency of citation. A total of 121 plant species from 51 families and 111 genera were identified. Asteraceae (14.87
Mandibular third molar surgery is commonly associated with postoperative pain, facial swelling, and delayed wound healing. Centella asiatica has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties in experimental studies, but clinical evidence regarding its use in oral surgery remains limited. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of a 0.12
The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) uropathogenic Escherichia coli and the increasing prevalence of biofilm-associated infections have created an urgent need for new antimicrobial strategies. Celery (Apium graveolens L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) are widely consumed herbs with reported medicinal properties; however, the relationship between their metabolite composition and antimicrobial potential remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated whether differences in the metabolite profiles of these Apiaceae herbs are associated with their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against clinical MDR uropathogenic E. coli isolates. Methanolic extracts of celery, coriander, and parsley, together with their derived methylene chloride: water (50:50, v/v) fractions, were evaluated for antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against clinical MDR uropathogenic E. coli. Untargeted LC-QTOF-MS/MS metabolomics in positive and negative ionization modes was combined with multivariate chemometric analyses to characterize metabolite profiles, discriminate among the three herbs, and identify metabolites associated with the observed biological activities. A total of 167 metabolites were annotated, including flavonoids, coumarins, phenolic acids, fatty acids, chlorins, and amino acid derivatives. Chemometric analyses clearly differentiated the three Apiaceae species based on their metabolic composition. Coriander exhibited the strongest antibacterial activity, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 3.75 µg/mL, while all tested extracts demonstrated significant inhibition of biofilm formation. Integration of metabolomic and bioactivity data highlighted hydroxylated fatty acids, quercetin derivatives, coumarins, chlorin-related metabolites, and eucommicin A as candidate metabolites associated with antibacterial and antibiofilm effects. This study provides the first integrated metabolomics-guided comparison of celery, coriander, and parsley against clinical MDR uropathogenic E. coli isolates. By linking metabolite signatures with antibacterial and antibiofilm activities, the findings offer new insight into the phytochemical basis of the biological effects of these edible herbs and identify promising candidates for future bioassay-guided and mechanistic studies aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-associated infections.
Doxorubicin (DOXO) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent used in various malignancies, but its clinical use is limited by cardiotoxicity. Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a natural polyphenol in olive oil, has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties with potential cardioprotective effects. However, whether HT modulates ISM-1, PODXL, and phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin (p-mTOR)/ phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) signaling in DOXO-induced cardiotoxicity remains unclear, and the potential roles of these molecules in HT-associated cardiac responses have not been adequately investigated. This study investigated the effects of HT on serum 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels and cardiac ISM-1, PODXL, p-mTOR, and p-AKT protein expression in a rat model of DOXO-induced cardiac injury. Four groups of rats (n = 7 per group) were used: Control (C), HT (100 mg/kg/day, orally for 4 weeks), DOXO (10 mg/kg, single dose, i.p., on day 1), and DOXO + HT (a single dose of DOXO (10 mg/kg, i.p.) on day 1, followed by oral HT (100 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, beginning 24 h after DOXO injection). Serum 8-OHdG levels were measured using ELISA. Cardiac ISM-1, PODXL, p-mTOR, and p-AKT expression, as well as histopathological alterations, were assessed using immunohistochemical methods. ISM-1, PODXL, p-mTOR, and p-AKT expression levels were significantly elevated in the DOXO group compared to controls (p < 0.001), accompanied by marked histopathological damage. Vacuolization, mononuclear cell infiltration, necrosis, and fibrosis scores were also significantly higher (p < 0.001). In the DOXO + HT group, p-mTOR and p-AKT expression, as well as intracytoplasmic vacuolization, mononuclear cell infiltration, and necrosis, were significantly reduced compared with the DOXO group. However, the reduction in fibrosis did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.590). Serum 8-OHdG levels increased in the DOXO group, whereas HT treatment mitigated this rise, resulting in a significant decrease in the DOXO + HT group. The findings show that DOXO induces marked oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histopathological deterioration in cardiac tissue. HT treatment was associated with a reduction in oxidative DNA damage by lowering 8-OHdG levels, modulation of ISM-1, PODXL, p-mTOR, and p-AKT expression, and attenuation of tissue injury. Given the limited sample size and lack of cardiac functional assessment, further studies are needed to confirm the cardioprotective effects of HT against DOXO-induced cardiotoxicity.
