Medicinal plants administered to control hypertension in Ethiopia: ethnomedicine, pharmacology, nutraceutical, phytochemistry, toxicology, and policy perspectives

In traditional folk medicine, medicinal plants are widely employed. High blood pressure, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in healthcare settings, is linked to the risk of cardiovascular illnesses and many other serious health issues that can develop from it. This review provides background regarding hypertension, including introductory concepts, risk factors, and treatment approaches. Hypertension may not be effectively treated with the use of diuretics, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, alpha-blockers, calcium channel blockers, direct vasodilators, renin inhibitors, etc. These drugs’ side effects include intolerance, weakened disease control, and improper therapy management. Therefore, an approach for extracting new therapeutic chemicals from medicinal plants is receiving attention today. As a result, this article provides a list of 85 plant species from 40 families, compiling data on ethnobotanical claims, plant parts used to make extracts, different types of extracts and study animals, nutracuticals’ intended use, the antihypertensive effect of the extracts, their mode of action, clinical trials, toxicity profile, etc. It also mentions 55 specific chemical compounds that have shown potential to lower blood pressure in lab tests and live subjects, along with their dosage and how they work, based on online searches of published studies from different sources. Researchers looking into and developing new anti-hypertensive therapies to treat hypertension would benefit from our current work. We also tried to address the policy implications

Gut microbiome in Ethiopia:Gut microbiome dynamics in childhood diarrhea, enteric infections and malnutrition in Ethiopian children below the age of five years

Diarrhea and acute malnutrition are significant contributors to childhood morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). More than 90% of these cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, where diarrhea and acute malnutrition often coexist and exacerbate each other, increasing the risk of enteric infections, comorbidities, and mortality.In recent decades, extensive metagenomic data has revealed the critical role of gut microbiota (GM) in health and disease. A balanced and diverse GM is essential for human health, aiding in dietary metabolism, vitamin synthesis, immune regulation, and pathogen resistance. Conversely, an imbalanced GM can lead to harmful effects like diarrhea, acute malnutrition, and increased susceptibility to enteric infections.During this PhD project, we studied the GM of Ethiopian children under five with diarrhea, Giardia infection, and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and found associations with GM diversity and compositional changes. Children with diarrhea had lower bacterial diversity and were enriched in putative pathogens like Escherichia spp., Campylobacter spp., and Streptococcus spp. They were also depleted in gut commensals such as Prevotella copri, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Dialister succinatiphilus, with greater depletion in prolonged diarrhea cases, suggesting that loss of gut commensals may contribute to the progression from acute to prolonged diarrhea. Furthermore, Giardia-infection and higher Giardia pathogen burden were significantly associated with higher GM diversity and largescale GM compositional changes, regardless of diarrhea status and duration. Giardiainfection seemed to promote the expansion of potent short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing taxa such as P. copri, F. prausnitzii, and D. succinatiphilus, while depleting potential pathogenic taxa like Escherichia spp. The Giardia pathogen burden was negatively associated with Escherichia spp. We also observed that the GM of children with SAM was enriched in putative pathogens such as Escherichia spp. and Campylobacter spp., with a reduction in obligate anaerobes. Fecal samples collected after treatment with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and antibiotics showed an immature GM compared to admission samples, indicating that RUTF alone is insufficient to repair the immature GM in children with SAM.These findings highlight the importance of considering the role of the GM when designing interventions aimed at improving health outcomes for children with diarrhea, Giardia infection, and SAM

Antimalarial activity of the hydroalcoholic crude extract and solvent fractions of Commelina latifolia Hochst. ex C.B.Clarke (Commelinaceae) leaves against Plasmodium berghei in mice

Ethnopharmacological relevance: In Ethiopia, the indigenous medicinal plant Commelina latifolia Hochst. ex C.B. Clarke leaves are used to treat malaria and wounds. Aim of the study: In this work, the antiplasmodial activity of Commelina latifolia crude leaf extract and solvent fractions against Plasmodium berghei-infected mice was investigated. Materials and methods: 80% methanol was used to extract the leaves of C. latifolia, and the crude extract was fractionated using chloroform, pure methanol, and distilled water. All test compounds were undergone an acute oral toxicity test before being put through Peter’s 4-day suppressive test to see if they have antiplasmodial activity. The hydroalcoholic crude extract and chloroform fraction were additionally assessed for antimalarial activity using curative and prophylactic tests in P. berghei-infected laboratory mice. Results: All of the tested crude extracts were safe at a dose of 2000 mg/kg. At 400 mg/kg dose both the 80% methanol extract and chloroform fraction exhibited antimalarial activity with parasitemia suppression values of 86.31%, and 76.56% in the four-day suppressive test, 81.97% and 72.05% in Rane's test, and 69.05% and 62.88% in the prophylactic test, respectively. Conclusion: Collectively, the oral dose of Commelina latifolia is safe, and reveals promising antimalarial activity. The findings backed up the utilization of the plant in traditional medicine to treat malaria

Wound-healing activity of solvent fractions and antiinflammatory activity of crude extract and solvent fractions of Acokanthera schimperi Schweinf (Apocynaceae) leaves in mice model

Background: In Ethiopia, Acokanthera schimperi is frequently used to treat wounds and other conditions. Nothing has been published to date on the anti-inflammatory properties of A. schimperi leaves or the wound-healing effects of solvent fractions, despite a report on the crude extract's ability to heal wounds being available in the literature. Purpose: Therefore, this experiment has been initiated to look into the solvent fractions' ability to heal wounds and the anti-inflammatory properties of the A. schimperi leaf 80 % methanol extract and its fractions in mice. Study design: The experimental study design was conducted to evaluate wound healing and the anti-inflammatory properties of the A. schimperi leaf 80 % methanol extract and its fractions in mice. Methods: The plant's leaf crude extract was fractionated using ethyl acetate, chloroform, and distilled water. The resulting fractions were then combined with a simple ointment base to make an ointment at 5 % and 10% w/w. Next, using excision and incision wound models, the ointments' ability to promote wound healing was assessed. The excision model was utilized to estimate wound contraction and epithelization time, whereas the incision model was utilized to measure tensile strength. By dissolving 1 % carrageenan in 0.9 % saline (w/v) and giving oral dosages of the crude extract and solvent fractions (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg), the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the leaves was assessed concurrently with a carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model. Results: Significant wound healing activity was seen in both models in wounds treated with 5 % and 10 % (w/w) solvent fraction ointment, as shown by higher tissue breaking strength (with 51.38 % maximum effect by 10 % (w/w) ethyl acetate fraction ointment), shorter epithelization times (within 15.92 days by ethyl acetate fraction ointment 10 %), and increased wound contraction (99.40 % by ethyl acetate fraction ointment 10 %). The extract (hydromethanolic) and solvent fractions also showed notable dose-related decreases in inflammation. Conclusion: The study's findings supported A. schimperi's traditional use as a wound healing agent by showing that the solvent fractions of the plant's leaves promoted wound healing, at least in part, through their anti-inflammatory effect

A systematic review on traditional medicinal Animal’s parts and products used for the treatment of respiratory tract disorders in Ethiopia

Abstract Background Respiratory diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide. Although medicinal animals have huge importance in primary health care, limited effort applied so far been in Ethiopia to properly identify, document, and conserve these animals and the related knowledge. This systematic review was aimed to identify the medicinal animals and document reports on the use of medicinal animals for the management of respiratory disorders. Methods Both published and unpublished articles on the ethnozoological use of medicinal animals were searched using electronic database (Science Direct, Pub Med, Google Scholar, Scopus, hinari, and research gate) and institutional repositories. Different keywords were used separately and in combination using Boolean operators “OR” or “AND” as well as medical subject heading [MeSH] terms. Studies that did not address respiratory disorders were excluded. Data were extracted using Microsoft excel spread sheet. Results Among 211 articles obtained from database searches, nine articles were eligible and included in the review. Thirty two medicinal animals were reported for treatment of respiratory disorders. Mammals were the most commonly (43.8%) used medicinal animals. Meat was reported as the most commonly (22.6%) used medicinal remedy. Conclusions Most of the medicinal remedies were obtained from mammals and administered orally. As the majority of the medicinal animals were obtained from wild sources, due attention should be given to conserve them. Besides, this traditional medicinal knowledge should be integrated to modern medicine to investigate the acute and chronic toxicity profile and efficacy of these remedies to identify potential lead compounds to modern drugs. </jats:sec