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4 Timeline of the discovery and development of new drugs from medicinal plants. (Adapted from Matthews et al. (2016))
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Ethno-phytopharmacology studies the traditional use of plants for the prevention and cure of several diseases. It provides multidisciplinary research on components of medicinal plants, their identification and description, properties, modes of action and interactions with the human organism. Search for new bioactive drugs is another aim of these ex...
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... Ethno-pharmacology is a branch of pharmacology that studies the traditional knowledge and use of medicinal plants and other natural substances by various ethnic groups (Mussin and Giusiano, 2020). It involves investigating how different cultures utilize plants, fungi, animals, and minerals for therapeutic purposes. ...
... It involves investigating how different cultures utilize plants, fungi, animals, and minerals for therapeutic purposes. Ethnopharmacology combines elements of anthropology, botany, chemistry, and pharmacology to understand traditional medicine's cultural context and identify potential bioactive compounds (Sarkar et al., 2016Mussin and Giusiano, 2020;Sanyal, (2022a&b). The key aspects of ethno-pharmacology include: Traditional Knowledge, where studying the traditional knowledge and practicing of different cultures related to the use of medicinal substances were achieved (Maiti et al., 2010(Maiti et al., , 2013Süntar, 2020;Sarkar et al., 2024). ...
Ethno-pharmacology is "the multidisciplinary scientific investigation of the biologically active substances that are customarily used." As a result, the ethno-pharmacological approach is founded on a corpus of research encompassing pharmacology, chemistry, and botany, among other fields. The research was conducted in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari areas. Fifteen families and a total of eighteen therapeutic plants with ethno-pharmacological potency, particularly in wound healing, were identified at the study site. In the research areas, extensive field surveys were carried out between March 2021 and February 2023. On field excursions, native knowledge of wild medicinal plants was gathered through conversations, questionnaires, and in-person interviews. Plants were arranged according to their scientific names, families, common names, and parts that were utilised to cure or promote wound healing. In the survey, the dominant families of plants like Amaranthaceae, Liliaceae, and Fabaceae had two (02) species of medicinal importance, particularly for wound healing treatment. The Dhamtari region's rural inhabitants have traditionally utilised native flora for primary healthcare and the treatment of a variety of ailments. On the other hand, hardly much was recorded regarding traditional knowledge of therapeutic herbs. The Dhamtari people of the countryside claimed that as society developed, newer generations became less interested in the traditional knowledge of therapeutic herbs. Therefore, before they become extinct and are no longer available, it is imperative to document ethno-medicinal plants that can heal wounds. In order to properly conserve plants and traditional knowledge for the future, this ethno-botanical database will be valuable to scientists, naturalists, planners, policymakers and chemists.
... It is therefore important that these conditions are well defined, especially if you are aiming for industrial production. In the case of plants, several points also need to be defined, such as the part of the plant to be used, the time of harvesting, post-harvest treatment, etc., (Mussin and Giusiano, 2020). All these aspects can influence the chemical composition and thus the properties of the synthesised AgNPs. ...
In recent years, an increase in multidrug-resistant fungal strains has been observed, which, together with the limited number of clinically available antifungal agents, highlights the need for the development of new antifungal agents. Due to the proven antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), there is a growing interest in their use in the treatment of fungal infections. Nanoparticles are usually synthesised through a variety of physical and chemical processes that are costly and pollute the environment. For this reason, biogenic synthesis is emerging as an environmentally friendly technology and new strategies are increasingly based on the use of biogenic AgNPs as antifungal agents for clinical use. The aim of this review is to compare the antifungal activity of different biogenic AgNPs and to summarise the current knowledge on the mechanisms of action and resistance of fungi to AgNPs. Finally, a general analysis of the toxicity of biogenic AgNPs in human and veterinary medicine is performed.
... Ancestral folks empirically isolate medicinal plants for medical home remedies and pass this knowledge from generation to generation till the present day. Ethnobotany has confirmed the necessity for conserving such information in societies that utilize plants in the treatment of different types of diseases (Gu et al., 2014;Mussin and Giusiano 2020). However, it is critical to note that these practices of exploiting plant medicaments, without scientific understanding, have led to . ...
Dengue has become a worldwide affliction despite incessant efforts to search for a cure for this long-lived disease. Optimistic consequences for dengue vaccine are implausible as the efficiency is tied to previous dengue virus (DENV) exposure and a very high cost is required for large-scale production of vaccine. Medicinal plants are idyllic substitutes to fight DENV infection since they constitute important components of traditional medicine and show antiviral properties, although the mechanism behind the action of bioactive compounds to obstruct viral replication is less explored and yet to be discovered. This review includes the existing traditional knowledge on how DENV infects and multiplies in the host cells, conscripting different medicinal plants that obtained bioactive compounds with anti-dengue properties, and the probable mechanism on how bioactive compounds modulate the host immune system during DENV infection. Moreover, different plant species having such bioactive compounds reported for anti-DENV efficiency should be validated scientifically via different in vitro and in vivo studies.
... Hence, proper documentation of ethnomedicinal knowledge of valuable medicinal plants in the country is necessary and should be analyzed using modern research techniques to find useful compounds and molecules, and then should be further evaluated in the preclinical and clinical models for the treatment of various diseases. There is a dire need to find better alternative drugs due to the adverse effects of conventional medicines and herbal medicine can be a possible solution for that purpose only after passing through vigorous chemical and biological screening procedures (58). It is also important that new crops are introduced to ethnobotanists and anthropologists, who can gather and document the traditional knowledge and significance of those plants, which will help to conserve the biodiversity and lead to sustainable utilization of these useful plant resources. ...
The current study was performed to evaluate the ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants to treat and prevent kidney diseases, especially urolithiasis in the Abbottabad region, Northern Pakistan. Field surveys were conducted from 2014-2016 in various rural and tribally dwelled hilly areas like Ayubia National Park, Sherwan and Thandiani. Ethnobotanical information about the medicinal plants employed to treat urinary ailments was obtained from well-informed sources like local healers (hakims) and residents (men/women), who had vast knowledge of local plants uses. The questionnaire method was adopted to record the information and queries were made to verify the information. Informed consent was obtained from each informant before conducting the interview process. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices were calculated for each recorded species. Correlation analysis between the RFC, UV and FL% was tested by Pearson's correlation, SPSS (ver. 16). A total of 38 plant species belonging to 27 families were being used in the study area to treat Urolithiasis or kidney stone diseases. Asteraceae was the most dominant family with 5 species. Local people used different methods of preparation for different plant parts; among them, decoction was the popular and dominant way of preparation (52.6%), followed by powder (18.4%), extracts (15.7%), juice (7.8%) and cooked (5.2%). The highest UV was recorded for Rumex acetosa L. (1.14) followed by Agrimonia eupatoria L. (1.1), Equisetum ramosissimum Desf. (1.05), Aerva lanata L. (1.04), Eclipta alba Hassak. (1.03). Moreover, twenty-three species were recoded with above 50% Fidelity level. It was found that most of the plant species (16 species) were explicitly used to remove kidney stones. All the obtained data about the ethnomedicinal uses of plants to treat urinary tract ailments are alphabetically categorized to their botanical name/family, local name, phytoconstituents, dosage and route of administration, along with quantitative indices value. All the collected ethnomedicinal plants require a thorough scientific investigation for isolation, identification, biochemical assays, toxicities and evaluation of pharmacological activities of the phytoconstituents, especially of the plants recorded with a high-fidelity level before their usage in clinics.
... MIC was determined by visual reading of growth inhibition at three endpoints using the following numerical scale: MIC-0 as the lowest concentration capable of inhibiting 100% of microbial growth; MIC-1 as the lowest concentration capable of inhibiting ≥ 80% of microbial growth compared to the growth control; and MIC-2 as the lowest concentration capable of inhibiting ≥ 50% of microbial growth compared to the growth control. The criteria for antimicrobial activity defined in a previous work were followed 17 . These criteria specify that plant extracts are considered active when MIC-2 ≤ 1024 μg/mL and inactive at higher values, while pure compounds are considered active when MIC-2 ≤ 256 μg/mL and inactive at higher values. ...
... In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of research and development of new antimicrobial drugs as morbidity and healthcare costs have increased due to the rise of resistant strains 40 . In response, nanoparticles and medicinal plants have emerged as promising alternatives for the treatment of skin infections 3,8,10,11,16,17,41 . In addition, the development of more efficient green synthesis methods has become an important focus of researchers. ...
... Several factors influence this performance, including the plant material used and the extraction methodology, but also the place and time of collection, the chemical nature of the metabolites present in the plant, and their affinity for the solvent 47 . It has been shown that growth conditions lead to changes in plant composition, which translates into changes in extraction yield 17 . ...
Combining traditional medicine with nanotechnology therefore opens the door to innovative strategies for treating skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and also contributes to the fight against the rise of antimicrobial resistance. Acanthospermum australe (Loefl.) Kuntze is a medicinal plant used by indigenous peoples in northeastern Argentina to treat SSTIs. Spherical and stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of 14 ± 2 nm were synthesized from the aqueous extract of A. australe and silver nitrate. The antimicrobial activity against main species causing SSTIs and cytotoxicity on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of AgNP solution and its synthesis components were evaluated. Compared to its synthesis components, AgNP solution showed greater antimicrobial activity and lower cytotoxicity. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs was due to the silver and not to the metabolites of the aqueous extract present on the surface of the nanoparticles. The plant extract played an important role in the formation of stable AgNPs and acted as a modulator of cytotoxic and immune responses.
Cistus parviflorus L. (Cistaceae) is a medicinal plant with several folkloric applications, including being used for urinary tract infections and as a food additive. In this study, the polyphenolic diversity and the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial activities of the C. parviflorus methanolic extract were evaluated. Spectrophotometric and HPLC-based analyses using standard polyphenolic compounds were conducted to measure the phenolics and flavonoids in the plant extract. The in vitro DPPH, ORAC, FRAP, and α-glucosidase assays were used to evaluate the plant’s antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. Furthermore, disc diffusion and MIC-based microdilution tests were applied to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the plant against broad-spectrum microorganisms. The analysis revealed the existence of high phenolic and flavonoid quantities that were measured at 302.59 ± 0.6 μg GAE and 134.3 ± 0.5 μg RE, respectively. The HPLC-based analysis revealed the existence of 18 phenolic acids and 8 flavonoids. The major phenolic acid was ellagic acid (169.03 ppm), while catechin was the major flavonoid (91.80 ppm). Remarkable antioxidant activity was measured using three different assays: DPPH, ORAC, and FRAP. Furthermore, strong inhibition of α-glucosidase compared to acarbose was recorded for the plant extract (IC50 0.924 ± 0.6). The results showed that C. parviflorus’s extract had a strong anti-Escherichia coli effect with MIC value of 0.98 μg\mL and IZD value of 32.2 ± 0.58 mm compared to 25.3 ± 0.18 mm for gentamycin, the positive control. Moreover, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium all showed significant growth inhibition in response to the extract, a result that may be related to the use of the plant in traditional medicine to treat urinary tract infections. The docking study indicated the higher binding affinity of the major identified compounds, i.e., ellagic acid, rutin, naringin, catechin, and punicalagin, to the S. aureus gyrase-DNA complex, which might suggest the possible mechanisms of the plant as antimicrobial agents.
Malassezia sympodialis and Malassezia furfur are recognized as an important part of the human and animals healthy skin microbiota, but also as an opportunistic fungus due to their association with a broad spectrum of skin and systemic infections. Human skin infections associated with Malassezia spp. are often chronic, recurrent, and topical or oral azole treatments are challenging with not always successful outcomes. A wide inter and intraspecies antifungal susceptibility variability that may suggest a combination of wild type strains and resistant mutants was reported.
The essential oils are complex hydrophobic mixtures of different compounds extracted from plants by distillation and have demonstrated antimicrobial activity. In this study, toxicity in larvae model and the ability of Origanum vulgare essential oil (OVEO) and carvacrol to inhibit virulence factors such as hydrophobicity, adherence, and biofilm formation of M. sympodialis and M. furfur was evaluated. We have demonstrated the antifungal activity of OVEO and carvacrol against both species. Carvacrol was more active and less toxic than OVEO at low concentration (< 1 mg/ml). M. sympodialis showed a significant decrease in adherence and its ability to form biofilms when OVEO or carvacrol is present. Both Malassezia species showed reduced hydrophobicity in presence of carvacrol. Further studies will have to be carried out to understand how these substances act, but the inhibition of some virulence factors could represent a new target to overcome the problem of drug resistance.
Lipopeptide biosurfactants (LBs) are biological molecules with low toxicity that have aroused growing interest in the pharmaceutical industry. Their chemical structure confers antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against different species. Despite their potential, few studies have demonstrated their capability against Malassezia spp., commensal yeasts which can cause dermatitis and serious infections. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of biosurfactants produced by new strains of Bacillus subtilis TIM10 and B. vallismortis TIM68 against M. furfur and their potential for removal and inhibition of yeast biofilms. Biosurfactants were classified as lipopeptides by FTIR, and their composition was characterised by ESI-Q-TOF/MS, showing ions for iturin, fengycin, and surfactin, with a greater abundance of surfactin. Through the broth microdilution method, both biosurfactants inhibited the growth of clinical M. furfur strains. Biosurfactant TIM10 showed greater capacity for growth inhibition, with no statistical difference compared to those obtained by the commercial antifungal fluconazole for M. furfur 153DR5 and 154DR8 strains. At minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC-2), TIM10 and TIM68 were able to inhibit biofilm formation, especially TIM10, with an inhibition rate of approximately 90%. In addition, both biosurfactants were able to remove pre-formed biofilm. Both biosurfactants showed no toxicity against murine fibroblasts, even at concentrations above MIC-2. Our results show the effectiveness of LBs in controlling the growth and biofilm formation of M. furfur clinical strains and highlight the potential of these agents to compose new formulations for the treatment of these fungi.
