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Fluorescence intensity (a) and mean intensity (b) following 3 h of treatment with insulin (positive control), A. karroo (AK) and insulin + A. karroo (AK + I) and untreated C2C12 cells (standard control). a 1 = green fluorescence represent FITC bound GLUT4 molecules, 2 = blue represent Wuchi stained nucleus, 3 = Overlay of images 1 and 2 and 4 = intensity surface plot. All the images were taken at a magnification of 40X. b The results obtained were expressed as means ± SEM. The statistical significance of the results was tested using one way ANOVA, employing the Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons test. The P value significance was represented by an asterisk (*) for P < 0.05, two asterisks (**) for P < 0.01 and three asterisks (***) for P < 0.001
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Background
Conventional drugs used to treat diabetes are too expensive, toxic and rarely available to rural communities. This study was aimed at investigating the phytochemical differences and hypoglycaemic effects (α-amylase enzyme inhibition, glucose uptake, GLUT4 translocation and phosphorylation of MAPKs) of non-defatted and defatted acetone le...
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Background
The plants belonging to the genus Syzygium has received much attention since ancient times due to its multidimensional uses for mankind. These plants in general, reported to contain a wide array of phytomolecules with a broad spectrum of biological activities that include antihypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic...
Citations
... One thousand two hundred grams (1.2 kg) of the dried, pulverized plant leaves was defatted with nhexane [Njanje et al., 2017]. The defatted leaves were then extracted with acetone (ratio 1:10) for 72 h while shaking at 100 rpm (HY-2 speed adjusting multipurpose-vibrator) to enhance the rate of extraction. ...
Salmonella Typhi is a major global concern in many low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the emergence and persistence of drug resistant strains has increased the impact of this disease. Plant metabolites have been explored traditionally and scientifically as antimicrobial agents. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial potential of acetone leaf fractions of H. indica against S. Typhi. Dried pulverized leaves of H. indica were macerated with acetone after defatting with n-hexane. The leaf extract was concentrated and subjected to column chromatography and eight bioactive fractions were identified. The fractions were characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The fractions were evaluated for antibacterial activity against Salmonella Typhi in-vitro and in-silico. The lowest MIC was observed in fractions 20 and 21 (0.375 mg/mL) while the lowest MBC was observed in all fractions except 7, 17 and 18 (0.375 mg/mL). A ligand from fraction 8 had the highest binding affinity to Type I dehydroquinase (-3.4) and a ligand from fraction 7 had the highest binding affinity to Gyrase B (-11.2). This study concludes that the overall antimicrobial activity of the acetone leaf extract of H. indica provided evidence that it contains drug-like compounds that can be further explored as a drug candidate against S. Typhi.
... However, studies investigating other plants indicate that defatting does not cause a significant difference in DPPH results. While defatting has affected the results of the FRAP method; this improvement has been attributed to the removal of fats [22]. [23]. ...
... Many researchers demonstrated TPCs as the main responsible marker compounds for considerable biological potency, including anti-radical effects [25]. Although environmental effects on phenol levels may influence the antioxidant activity, it is necessary to detect the presence of other antioxidant compounds such as flavonoid and tannin in the plant [22]. ...
Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae family) is traditionally consumed to treat rheumatic pains, astringent, skin diseases, and diuretics. The present study aims to investigate the chemical composition of the flowers essential oil, as well as in vitro antioxidant activities of the leaves and fruits extracts of M. azedarach by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oil identified oxygenated sesquiterpenes (43.7%) as the major chemical class. The volatile oil was rich in trans-nerolidol (39.5%), 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (11.6%), 2-phenylacetaldehyde (9.1%), and phenyl ethyl alcohol (7%). The leaves ethanolic extracts (LEE) indicating the IC50 values 149 ± 0.05 µg/mL and 20.31 ± 0.03 mmol of the FeSO4/g of the extract exhibited the strongest radical scavenging activity assessed via DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively. The higher antioxidant activity of LEE was correlated with the higher total phenolic contents (42.86 ± 0.02 μg gallic acid/mg extract) compared to the fruits (26.8 ± 0.05 μg gallic acid/mg extract). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the essential oil compositions and the antioxidant activity of this species collected from the southeast ofIran. This study highlights that the M. azedarach essential oil can be a rich natural source of trans-nerolidol with diverse biological activities. Additionally, the ethanolic extract of leaves has significant antioxidant activities. Therefore, these findings might direct further complementary phytochemical and biological investigations of this species.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that at least 251.4 million people from 78 countries were in need of preventative care for bilharziasis in 2021. Globally, soil-transmitted helminth infections are present in at least 24% of the world’s population. Tropical and subtropical areas have a wide distribution of infections with a high prevalence in the sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to document plants that have been traditionally used in Zimbabwe to manage bilharziasis and other parasitic infections. The literature review was based on published papers and abstracts retrieved from the online databases. Books, book chapters, scientific reports and theses from universities in Zimbabwe that were available online were also used in this review. Plants with the reported traditional usage against bilharziasis and other parasitic infections were recorded from the data retrieved. In total, 68 species were used to treat and manage bilharzia and other parasitic infections. Most of these medicinal plants were used to treat and manage schistosomes (fluke or worm). A total of 76.5% of the medicinal plants reported have been scientifically validated and documented to exhibit anthelmintic activity. In conclusion, Zimbabwe has a plethora of medicinal plants that can be used to manage bilharziasis and other parasitic infections.
Background:
People with diabetes, herbalists, and traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) from Kinshasa use plants to treat diabetes, but no study has inventoried the plants used by these populations. The present study was conducted to identify the plants used in Kinshasa to treat diabetes mellitus.
Methods:
The survey conducted in the form of a semistructured interview between March 2005 and August 2006 made it possible to collect ethnobotanical information from people with diabetes (n = 126), herbalists (n = 80), and TMPs (n = 120).
Results:
The 326 subjects consulted (sex ratio M/F = 0.6, age 51 ± 7 years, and experience: 17 ± 5 years) provided information on 71 plants, most of which are trees (35%), belonging to 38 families dominated by Fabaceae (19.7%) and indicated in 51 other cases of consultation dominated by malaria (12%). From these 71 plants derived, 86 antidiabetic recipes were administered orally, where the leaf is the most used part (>50%) and the decoction (>46%) is the most common mode of preparation. This study reports for the first time the antidiabetic use of 11 species, among which Tephrosia vogeliiX (0.08), Chromolaena corymbosaX (0.06), and Baphia capparidifoliaX (0.06) present the highest consensus indexes (CI) and Marsdenia latifoliaW (UVp = 0.08) and Rauvolfia manniiX (UVp = 0.06) present the highest UVs.
Conclusion:
The results show that Kinshasa people treat diabetes using several plants. Some are specific to the ecological environment; others are used in other regions. Pharmacological studies are underway to assess the therapeutic efficacy of these plants.
Diabetes is a disease of serious concern faced by the health care industry today.
Primary diabetes mellitus and its complications are still costly to manage with modern
drugs. Extensive research on the screening of anti-diabetic agents in past decades
established natural products as one of the major potential sources of drug discovery.
However, only a few drugs of plant origin have been scientifically validated. Therefore,
the development of new anti-diabetic drugs is of great demand. Hence, natural
products could be explored as potential anti-diabetic drugs. Natural plants derived
extracts and molecules like berberine, ginsenosides, curcumin, stevioside, gingerols,
capsaicin, catechins, simple phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, resveratrol, genistein
and hesperidin obtained from different species are used for curing diabetes and
found to possess different action mechanisms. In this review, the importance of
medicinal plants and their active constituents for anti-diabetic agents are described.
The present study also emphasized the importance of diabetes control, reduction in
its complications and use of the anti-diabetic agents. The detailed action mechanism
of these extracts/compounds for their activities are also described. However, the
anti-diabetic drugs from plant origin require scientific validation through animal and
clinical studies to exploit in terms of modern commercial medicines.
Diabetes is a serious health issue in dogs and cats that is usually treated through the use of injectable insulin. There are more than 90 million pet dogs in the United States, and 1 in every 400–500 dogs suffers from diabetes. Diabetes typically occurs later in life, usually around 7–10 years of age, with certain breeds being at a higher risk of developing this disease. Traditional diabetic management in dogs and cats includes food monitoring, glucose monitoring (which is done with the use of a canine-specific glucometer), moderate exercise, medication, and insulin therapy. Often times, dog and cat owners decline diabetic treatment because they either do not feel confident in giving insulin injections or because they simply cannot afford treatment, as traditional insulin therapy and medication are expensive. Therefore, it is beneficial to determine the efficacy and safety of a potential oral formulation for diabetic management. An oral formulation of nutraceutical(s) may provide an easier administration (noninvasive) method and provide lower costs to dog and cat owners by not requiring additional supplies such as needles and syringes. This chapter describes various plant extracts and nutraceuticals that have potential for anti-diabetic and antihyperglycemic effects in diabetic dogs and cats.
