The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: Pharmacological and toxicological considerations

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The prevalence of diabetes is on a steady increase worldwide and it is now identified as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicine alone or alongside prescription drugs for its management is quite common. We hereby carry out a review of medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes management in Nigeria. Based on the available evidence on the species׳ pharmacology and safety, we highlight ways in which their therapeutic potential can be properly harnessed for possible integration into the country׳s healthcare system. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus up to 2013 for publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management, in which the place of use and/or sample collection was identified as Nigeria. ‘Diabetes’ and ‘Nigeria’ were used as keywords for the primary searches; and then ‘Plant name – accepted or synonyms’, ‘Constituents’, ‘Drug interaction’ and/or ‘Toxicity’ for the secondary searches. Results: The hypoglycemic effect of over a hundred out of the 115 plants reviewed in this paper is backed by preclinical experimental evidence, either in vivo or in vitro. One-third of the plants have been studied for their mechanism of action, while isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) has been accomplished for twenty three plants. Some plants showed specific organ toxicity, mostly nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic, with direct effects on the levels of some liver function enzymes. Twenty eight plants have been identified as in vitro modulators of P-glycoprotein and/or one or more of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, while eleven plants altered the levels of phase 2 metabolic enzymes, chiefly glutathione, with the potential to alter the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Conclusion: This review, therefore, provides a useful resource to enable a thorough assessment of the profile of plants used in diabetes management so as to ensure a more rational use. By anticipating potential toxicities or possible herb–drug interactions, significant risks which would otherwise represent a burden on the country׳s healthcare system can be avoided

Efficacy of Siddha medicine in the treatment of COVID- 19 patients - A pilot study

The pandemic triggered by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) invariably questions the health security of people around the globe. It’s also strongly advocates the need for unique health care practice that substantially prevents the infection and practice of controlling the disease transmission. Alternate therapy with viable medications that can adequately strengthen the immune system to enhance the speedy recovery of the patients becomes the need of the hour. Siddha system of medicine is one such versatile practice that emerged before centuries that incorporates the practice of availing potential remedies from herbal and another natural origin. Still, now there is no proper documentary evidence on evaluating the efficacy of Siddha treatment in the clinical management of COVID-19, hence the main objective of the present pilot study is to investigate the potential of Siddha formulations such as Aadathodai kudineer, Thaalisaathi chooranam, Thulasi chooranam, Pavala parpam, Bramaanandha Bairava Maathirai and Thoothuvalai nei in treatment and accelerating the recovery of COVID19 patients. A Study was executed in 25 patients with laboratory- confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. The Outcome of the present clinical study signifies that treatment with Siddha medicines significantly accelerated recovery of patients by stabilising the immune mechanism which was evidenced by pronouncing declination in CRP (C- reactive protein), neutrophil, lymphocytes, Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Creatinine, Serum Albumin and Serum Urea level almost back to the normal. In conclusion therapy with Siddha medicines opened a new gateway in the clinical practice on managing COVID-19 due presence of vital phytotherapeutics that showcase multiple pharmacological activities against risky pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.&nbsp

A monometallic approach for the C(sp2)-C(sp2) cross-electrophile coupling: Bypassing the demand of transmetalation

Transition metal catalyzed cross-coupling is a versatile tool for the construction of (hetero)biaryl scaffolds. However, the cross-electrophile coupling using abundant (hetero)aryl halides and pseudohalides is still in its infancy. In particular, a robust and general method for the cross-electrophile coupling would allow unparalleled entry into the vast collection of commercially available, structurally-diverse (hetero)aryl halides and pseudohalides as coupling partners. We demonstrate herein a ligand controlled visible light driven monometallic cross-electrophile coupling platform in which the synergistic operation of dual palladium catalytic cycle differentiates the electrophiles based on the bond dissociation enthalpy. This method is mild, robust, selective, and displays unique efficacy towards a wide range of functional groups and challenging heteroaryls, providing access to structurally diverse (hetero)biaryl scaffolds. The power of the transformation has been revealed through the synthesis of (hetero)biaryl core of various pharmaceuticals, and diversification of peptides. The synthesis of more than 54% new (hetero)biaryl core has been demonstrated, allowing access to an expanded chemical space for further exploration in functional materials, drug discovery, and bioconjugation-based therapeutics development. Bypassing the traditional transmetalation step, this technology enables a general strategy for the cross-electrophile coupling of (hetero)aryl halides and pseudohalides