Variations in antimalarial components of Artemisia annua Linn from three regions of Uganda

Introduction: Artemisia annua plant from the family Asteracea is a powerful antimalarial plant  introduced to Uganda around 2003. In addition to the artemisinin component, the plant also contains  flavonoids which work in synergy to artemisinin against malaria parasites. The plant also contains  aromatic oils which repel mosquitoes. In this paper we report the variations in antimalarial components of A. annua samples from the regions cultivating it in Uganda.Methods: Artemisia annua samples were obtained from three regions that cultivated the plant at the time of this study. The samples were brought to laboratory, authenticated and processed. The levels of artemisinin, total flavonoids and aromatic components were quantified using high performance thin layer chromatography, ultra violet spectrophotometry and gas chromatography respectively.Results: Artemisinin and total flavonoids levels were higher in samples obtained from high land areas (western and south western region) compared to that obtained from lowland regions (central) i.e 0.8% Vs 0.4% and 2.6% Vs 1.5% respectively. The aromatic oils (mosquito repellent components) were similar with camphor component being highest and levels ranging from 75.4% to 79.0%.Conclusion: Our findings show that the active components in Artemisia annua cultivated and used in the  Uganda vary with geographical regions and this calls for standardisation by source.Key words: Variations, Antimalarial components, Artemisia annua, Ugand

In vitro acaricidal activity of Azadirachta indica and Phytolacca dodecandra leaves and their combination on Rhipicephalus (boophilus) decoloratus

Rhipicephalus (boophilus) decoloratus (ticks) are causing great economic loss among the cattle rearers from cattle mortalities and costs during the treatments. Synthetic acaricides have been used for a long time in the management of ticks, however chemical resistance from multiple uses of acaricides as well as contamination of dairy products from these acaricides has caused the urgent need for alternative herbal drugs. This study evaluated in vitro activity of the combination of Phytolacca dodecandra L’Her and Azardirachta indica A. Juss against R. (boophilus) decoloratus (ticks) with a view to developing active, less toxic and non-resistant acaricides. P. dodecandra and A. indica were collected, dried after authentication, pulverised mechanically and extracted with cold water. Ticks were treated with the herbal extracts singly and then in combination with concentrations ranging between 50-100mg/mL of distilled water. The anti-tick activity of P. dodecandra and A. indica was compared with Duodip and Ametix which are synthetic acaricides currently being used by farmers in Western Uganda. Results showed that P. dodecandra extract gave the highest mortality of ticks (65%) compared with A. indica (50%), Duodip (40%) and Ametix (5%) within a period of 12– 48 hours after exposure to the treatment. A combination of the two medicinal plant extracts (50%) did not show any significant difference in tick mortality compared to P. dodecandra. Phytolacca dodecandra has potential benefits thus may be used to obtain a natural eco-friendly acaricide for the management of ticks, however, a combination of the two medicinal herbal extracts has little synergistic effect compared to when P. dodecandra is used alone

Bacterial Cell Envelope Lysis and Hemotoxicity of Peptides Previously isolated From African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus

Background: The skin mucus layer of fish is endowed with biologics including, Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that offer a first line of defence against pathogens. Such peptides can either inhibit bacterial growth or completely kill the bacteria and hence are regarded as a viable alternative to traditional antibiotics, in addressing the ever-increasing incidences of antimicrobial resistance. However, one of the major hurdles to AMPs use is their poor haemolytic profile. As a result, a thorough evaluation of prospective AMPs’ bacterial cell membrane disruption and hemolytic potentials in the early phases of drug discovery is critical. The current study presented cell membrane destruction as well as hemo-compatibility of antimicrobial peptides previously isolated from skin mucus of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus.Methods: A previously isolated antimicrobial peptide in the skin mucus of African catfish, C. gariepinus were profiled using 15% Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The electrical conductivity and alkaline phosphatase assays were utilised to measure bacterial cell envelope lysis activity as a classical mode of action of the antimicrobial peptides. Afterwards, fresh Rabbit blood cells were then utilised for in vitro hemolytic assay.Results: The peptides were found to be about 5 kDa molecular weight with, ability to damage the bacterial cell envelope causing significant leakage in periplasmic alkaline phosphatase enzyme and cytoplasmic electrolytes. Even at the highest peptide extract concentration of 100 μg/mL, no significant hemolysis was observed on the fresh rabbit blood cells [3.63%;P>.05], signifying their safety on normal mammalian cells.Conclusion: The findings of this study pointed out that antimicrobial peptides in skin mucus of C. gariepinus are potentially safe source of antimicrobial drug leads; however, further studies are still required to search for possibly maximum dose that is safe to host cells but still effective against infecting bacteria

Variations in antimalarial components of Artemisia annua Linn from three regions of Uganda

Introduction: Artemisia annua plant from the family Asteracea is a powerful antimalarial plant introduced to Uganda around 2003. In addition to the artemisinin component, the plant also contains flavonoids which work in synergy to artemisinin against malaria parasites. The plant also contains aromatic oils which repel mosquitoes. In this paper we report the variations in antimalarial components of A. annua samples from the regions cultivating it in Uganda. Methods: Artemisia annua samples were obtained from three regions that cultivated the plant at the time of this study. The samples were brought to laboratory, authenticated and processed. The levels of artemisinin, total flavonoids and aromatic components were quantified using high performance thin layer chromatography, ultra violet spectrophotometry and gas chromatography respectively. Results: Artemisinin and total flavonoids levels were higher in samples obtained from high land areas (western and south western region) compared to that obtained from lowland regions (central) i.e 0.8% Vs 0.4% and 2.6% Vs 1.5% respectively. The aromatic oils (mosquito repellent components) were similar with camphor component being highest and levels ranging from 75.4% to 79.0%. Conclusion: Our findings show that the active components in Artemisia annua cultivated and used in the Uganda vary with geographical regions and this calls for standardisation by source

ADMET profiling and molecular docking of potential antimicrobial peptides previously isolated from African catfish, Clarias gariepinus

Amidst rising cases of antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are regarded as a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. Even so, poor pharmacokinetic profiles of certain AMPs impede their utility necessitating, a careful assessment of potential AMPs’ absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties during novel lead exploration. Accordingly, the present study utilized ADMET scores to profile seven previously isolated African catfish antimicrobial peptides (ACAPs). After profiling, the peptides were docked against approved bacterial protein targets to gain insight into their possible mode of action. Promising ACAPs were then chemically synthesized, and their antibacterial activity was validated in vitro utilizing the broth dilution method. All seven examined antimicrobial peptides passed the ADMET screening, with two (ACAP-IV and ACAP-V) exhibiting the best ADMET profile scores. The ACAP-V had a higher average binding energy (−8.47 kcal/mol) and average global energy (−70.78 kcal/mol) compared to ACAP-IV (−7.60 kcal/mol and −57.53 kcal/mol), with the potential to penetrate and disrupt bacterial cell membrane (PDB Id: 2w6d). Conversely, ACAP-IV peptide had higher antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, 520.7 ± 104.3 μg/ml and 1666.7 ± 416.7 μg/ml, respectively) compared to ACAP-V. Collectively, the two antimicrobial peptides (ACAP-IV and ACAP-V) are potential novel leads for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Future research is recommended to optimize the expression of such peptides in biological systems for extended evaluation

Medicinal plants in traumatic brain injury: Neuroprotective mechanisms revisited

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most prevalent health problem affecting all age groups, and leads to many secondary problems in other organs especially kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and heart function. In this review, the search terms were TBI, fluid percussion injury, cold injury, weight drop impact acceleration injury, lateral fluid percussion, cortical impact injury, and blast injury. Studies with Actaea racemosa, Artemisia annua, Aframomum melegueta, Carthamus tinctorius, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Crocus sativus, Cnidium monnieri, Curcuma longa, Gastrodia elata, Malva sylvestris, Da Chuanxiong Formula, Erigeron breviscapus, Panax ginseng, Salvia tomentosa, Satureja khuzistanica, Nigella sativa, Drynaria fortune, Dracaena cochinchinensis, Polygonum cuspidatum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rheum tanguticum, Centella asiatica, and Curcuma zedoaria show a significant decrease in neuronal injury by different mechanisms such as increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, suppressing nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), interleukin 1 (IL‐1), glial fibrillary acidic protein, and IL‐6 expression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of medicinal plants in central nervous system pathologies by reviewing the available literature

A review of Serenoa serrulata: A potential monotherapy medicinal plant for prostatic disease in combination with other therapies

Background: Prostatic diseases which include prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer are the benign or malignant disorders that affect the prostate. Phytotherapies have been adopted as the alternative treatment/ management option especially for BPH since the current modern methods of treatment presents a lot of adverse effects. Methodology: The literature was searched using different databases including Medline/PubMed, Cochrane library, Scopus, Proquest library, Embase, EBooks and Google Scholar for relevant records for a period from 1988 to 2021 to identify all the published articles of S. serrulata regarding treatment of prostatic diseases. The key search terms were Serenoa serrulata, S. repens, Saw palmetto, Prostate cancer treatment with Serenoa serrulata, treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Serenoa serrulata,  phytochemicals of Serenoa serrulata, ethnobotanical uses of Serenoa serrulata, toxicity of Serenoa serrulata, pharmacological activities of Serenoa serrulata and also traditional management and treatment of prostatic diseases  using Serenoa serrulata and also clinical trials on treatment of prostatic diseases  with Serenoa serrulata. The retrieved articles were reviewed, synthesized and analyzed qualitatively. The reference list of the retrieved articles was also reviewed and synthesized. The original research articles which reported an investigation of S. serrulata of any study design, original published research articles, any time of publication and grey literature (conference papers, reported articles, academic thesis) were included. The articles whose full texts were not freely available by the time of search and those without clear information about methodology and study design were excluded. Results: This review reported that Serenoa serrulata belonging to the Arecaceae family commonly known as saw palmetto is used traditionally for treating prostatic disease conditions and other infertility conditions in both men and women. Phytochemical screening of hexanic and ethanolic extracts of S. serrulata comprised of free fatty acids and phytosterols which together contribute to their antiprostatic activities. These extracts of S. serrulata exhibited antiandrogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activities through inhibition of both isoenzymes 5α- reductase and inhibition of binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to the cytosolic androgen receptors. This is a similar mechanism exhibited by finasteride and Tamsulosin both antiprostatic conventional drugs though the plant phytochemicals do not interfere with PSA secretion. S. serrulata has also been reported to be non-toxic in both non-clinical and clinical trial studies. The medicinal plants reported by this review to be used in combination include; stinging nettle (Urtica dioca), Zingiber officinalis, Echinacea angustifolia and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo). The antiprostatic conventional drugs reported include Finasteride and Tamsulosin. Conclusion and Recommendation: The results showed that S. serrulata is effective in treating prostatic diseases. The potency and safety are improved when used in combination with Urtica dioca, Cucurbita pepo, Zingiber officinalis and Echinacea angustifolia as compared with anti-prostatic conventional drugs Finasteride and Tamsulosin alone. The plant combination has also been shown to have improvement in the quality of life and as well enhancing the synergy of Finasteride and Tamsulon and their adverse effects. Effective medicinal plant combinations should be formulated into products and integrated into the usual treatment for prostatic diseases