Schumanniophyton problematicum (A. Chev.) Aubrév. (Rubiaceae) is an Ivorian medicinal plant traditionally used to relieve mental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition, phenolic compound contents, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extracts from its leaves (SPF) and stem bark (SPT), collected in Tiassalé in the Agnéby-Tiassa region of southern Côte d’Ivoire. Phytochemical screening was performed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC), revealing the presence of several classes of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, catechin tannins, terpenes, sterols, polyphenols, coumarins, and anthocyanins. Evaluation of antioxidant activity using the DPPH radical-scavenging assay showed that both extracts exhibited radical-scavenging activity exceeding 60% at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. The stem bark extract (SPT) displayed stronger antioxidant activity than the leaf extract (SPF), with IC₅₀ values of 0.235 ± 0.006 and 0.671 ± 0.021 mg/mL, respectively. Regarding phenolic compound contents, SPT showed the highest total phenolic content (152.134 ± 7.494 mg GAE/g DE) and total flavonoid content (62.924 ± 1.502 mg QE/g DE). In contrast, SPF exhibited a higher condensed tannin content (0.254 ± 0.028 mg CE/g DE). However, the antibacterial assays revealed no detectable inhibitory activity of either extract against the four bacterial strains tested: Escherichia coli 546C/26, E. coli 530C/26, E. coli 555C/26, and Citrobacter koseri 552C/26. These findings highlight differences in the phenolic composition and antioxidant potential of the two plant organs, with the stem bark extract showing the strongest radical-scavenging activity.
Maize grain maturation involves changes in hydrolytic and antioxidant enzyme activities that may influence physiological and biochemical characteristics at harvest. This study evaluated the effect of harvest time on selected enzymatic activities in four maize varieties, F1Vn10, KABAMANOJ, LG336 and EV8728, grown in Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire. Grain samples were collected at three harvest periods in accordance with the reproductive cycle of each variety. Lipase, α-amylase, protease, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities were determined using spectrophotometric assays. Enzyme activities varied according to both maize variety and harvest period. Lipase, α-amylase and protease generally showed greater activities during the earlier harvest periods and declined as harvesting was delayed. In contrast, antioxidant enzyme activities tended to increase at later harvests, with catalase and ascorbate peroxidase exhibiting comparatively high activities during advanced grain maturation. Differences among varieties were also observed, indicating varietal variation in enzymatic responses during grain development. These findings demonstrate that the biochemical characteristics of maize kernels change with harvest time and that hydrolytic and antioxidant enzymes follow different activity patterns during maturation. Harvest timing should therefore be considered when evaluating the physiological and biochemical status of maize grain. Further interpretation of these enzymatic patterns should take into account varietal characteristics and the maturation stage at which grain is collected.
Background: Euphorbia hirta L. is traditionally used in Benin to alleviate asthma symptoms. However, variations in the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of its different organs require further investigation. Aim: To compare the phytochemical profiles and in vitro antioxidant activities of ethanolic extracts from the leaves and stems, flowers and roots of Euphorbia hirta collected in Benin. Methods: Plant samples collected in Porto-Novo were separated into three organ groups and extracted by ethanol maceration. Qualitative phytochemical screening was performed, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using colorimetric methods. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH radical-scavenging assay. Results: Extraction yields were 13.40%, 10.94% and 4.75% for leaves and stems, flowers and roots, respectively. Polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins and coumarins were detected in all extracts, whereas saponins were detected exclusively in roots. Leaves and stems exhibited the highest total phenolic (28.31 ± 0.64 mg GAE/100 mg) and flavonoid (17.36 ± 0.20 mg QE/100 mg) contents. DPPH inhibition was 70.67 ± 0.66%, 69.67 ± 1.08% and 57.35 ± 0.40% for leaves and stems, flowers and roots, respectively. Corresponding IC₅₀ values were 8.02, 9.04 and 20.35 µg/mL. Conclusion: Ethanolic extracts from the aerial organs, particularly leaves and stems, exhibited higher phenolic and flavonoid contents and greater DPPH radical-scavenging activity than root extracts. These findings support further phytochemical and biological investigations but do not establish clinical efficacy in asthma management.
Bacterial cancer therapy has re-entered mainstream oncology through engineered Salmonella, Clostridium and Escherichia coli platforms, yet clinical returns have remained modest and dominated by toxicity. Against this background, a recent preclinical report describing complete tumour regression in every treated animal after a single intravenous dose of Ewingella americana isolated from the gut of the Japanese tree frog Dryophytes japonicus represents an unusually strong efficacy claim from an unusually unexamined source. This review provides the first independent critical appraisal of that claim. It defines the state of evidence for amphibian gut-derived bacterial therapeutics, evaluates the internal and external validity of the supporting experiments, tests the proposed dual cytotoxic and immunomodulatory mechanism against the wider literature on tumour-targeting bacteria, and assesses translational feasibility. Literature was identified through structured searching of biomedical, multidisciplinary and discipline-specific scholarly sources, supplemented by backward and forward citation tracking and by authoritative nomenclature and genomic resources. The synthesis indicates that the efficacy signal rests on a single laboratory, a single subcutaneous syngeneic colorectal model, small group sizes and a vehicle-mismatched control, and that the therapeutic isolate was identified by partial ribosomal gene sequencing while its virulence repertoire was inferred from a reference type strain rather than sequenced directly. The characterisation of the organism as naturally non-pathogenic is difficult to reconcile with a documented record of human bacteraemia, meningitis, peritonitis and sepsis, with phytopathogenic activity in cultivated mushrooms, and with its formal biological risk classification. Mechanistic attribution to hypoxia-driven colonisation and pattern-recognition-receptor-mediated innate activation remains plausible but underdetermined, and the reported neutrophil dependence conflicts with evidence from an established anaerobic platform. Interspecies differences in endotoxin sensitivity, a therapeutic window in which the effective dose coincides with the maximum tolerated dose, and unresolved strain-characterisation and access-and-benefit-sharing obligations together constitute substantial barriers. The discovery is best regarded as a hypothesis-generating proof of concept requiring independent replication before translational claims are advanced.
Background : Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with disturbances in insulin secretion and vitamin D metabolism; intact proinsulin and C-peptide are useful biomarkers of β-cell function, yet data on these markers remain scarce in Côte d’Ivoire. Aims : To evaluate intact proinsulin, C-peptide, and vitamin D status in patients with T2DM in Côte d’Ivoire in order to contribute to improved clinical management of the disease. Study Design : Case-control study. Methodology : A case-control study was conducted in the Department of Medical and Fundamental Biochemistry of the Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire, in collaboration with the Diabetes Clinic of the Treichville University Teaching Hospital, between November 2018 and July 2020. The study included 80 patients with T2DM and 80 controls aged 30–75 years. Concentrations of intact proinsulin and C-peptide were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Biochemical parameters were measured using a Roche Hitachi Cobas C311 analyser, and vitamin D levels were assayed using a Waters® (USA) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. Results: The results showed a significant decrease in vitamin D concentration (p = 0.0013) and a significant increase in intact proinsulin concentration (p = 0.0011) in patients with diabetes compared with non-diabetic controls. Among patients with diabetes, 21.25% of men and 25% of women had intact proinsulin levels > 11 pmol/L ; vitamin D deficiency was observed in 33.75% of women and 32.5% of men. C-peptide levels below 0.5 ng/mL were observed among patients with diabetes, whereas levels above 3.2 ng/mL were found in 10% of patients. Correlations among intact proinsulin, C-peptide, and vitamin D were weak and not statistically significant. Conclusion : The study demonstrated elevated intact proinsulin levels, altered C-peptide levels, and reduced vitamin D levels in Ivorian patients with type 2 diabetes, findings consistent with pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance.
