scholarly journals Plants Used in Antivenom Therapy in Rural Kenya: Ethnobotany and Future Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Omara

Snake envenomation is one of the neglected tropical diseases which has left an intolerable death toll and severe socioeconomic losses in Kenya. In a continued effort to identify some antiophidic East African botanical species, this study generated ethnobotanical information on antivenom plants reported in Kenya, with a view to identify potential species which could be subjected to in vitro and clinical studies for possible development into antivenoms. Data retrieved through searches done in multidisciplinary databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scientific Electronic Library Online) indicated that 54 plant species belonging to 45 genera, distributed among 27 families, are used for the management of snakebites in Kenya. Most species belonged to the family Asteraceae (11%), Malvaceae (11%), Fabaceae (9%), Annonaceae (6%), Combretaceae (6%), and Lamiaceae (6%). The main growth habit of the species is as herbs (35%), shrubs (33%), and trees (28%). Ethnomedicinal preparations used in treating snake poisons are usually from leaves (48%), roots (26%), and stem bark (8%) through decoctions, infusions, powders, and juices which are applied topically or administered orally. The most frequently encountered species were Combretum collinum, Euclea divinorum, Fuerstia africana, Grewia fallax, Microglossa pyrifolia, Solanecio mannii, and Solanum incanum. Indigenous knowledge on medicinal antivenom therapy in Kenya is humongous, and therefore studies to isolate and evaluate the antivenom compounds in the claimed plants are required to enable their confident use in antivenom therapy alongside commercial antivenin sera.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mouafo Tekwu ◽  
Kwabena Mante Bosompem ◽  
William Kofi Anyan ◽  
Regina Appiah-Opong ◽  
Kofi Baffour-Awuah Owusu ◽  
...  

Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Diseases which can be prevented with mass deworming chemotherapy. The reliance on a single drug, praziquantel, is a motivation for the search of novel antischistosomal compounds. This study investigated the anthelmintic activity of the stem bark and roots ofRauwolfia vomitoriaagainst two life stages ofSchistosoma mansoni. Both plant parts were found to be active against cercariae and adult worms. Within 2 h of exposure all cercariae were killed at a concentration range of 62.5–1000 µg/mL and 250–1000 µg/mL ofR. vomitoriastem bark and roots, respectively. The LC50values determined for the stem bark after 1 and 2 h of exposure were 207.4 and 61.18 µg/mL, respectively. All adult worms exposed to the concentrations range of 250–1000 µg/mL for both plant parts died within 120 h of incubation. The cytotoxic effects against HepG2 and Chang liver cell assessed using MTT assay method indicated that both plant extracts which were inhibitory to the proliferation of cell lines with IC50> 20 μg/mL appear to be safe. This report provides the first evidence of in vitro schistosomicidal potency ofR. vomitoriawith the stem bark being moderately, but relatively, more active and selective against schistosome parasites. This suggests the presence of promising medicinal constituent(s).


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (01) ◽  
pp. 021-024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Tinlin ◽  
Sandra Webster ◽  
Alan R Giles

SummaryThe development of inhibitors to factor VIII in patients with haemophilia A remains as a serious complication of replacement therapy. An apparently analogous condition has been described in a canine model of haemophilia A (Giles et al., Blood 1984; 63:451). These animals and their relatives have now been followed for 10 years. The observation that the propensity for inhibitor development was not related to the ancestral factor VIII gene has been confirmed by the demonstration of vertical transmission through three generations of the segment of the family related to a normal (non-carrier) female that was introduced for breeding purposes. Haemophilic animals unrelated to this animal have not developed functionally significant factor VIII inhibitors despite intensive factor VIII replacement. Two animals have shown occasional laboratory evidence of factor VIII inhibition but this has not been translated into clinical significant inhibition in vivo as assessed by clinical response and F.VIII recovery and survival characteristics. Substantial heterogeneity of inhibitor expression both in vitro and in vivo has been observed between animals and in individual animals over time. Spontaneous loss of inhibitors has been observed without any therapies designed to induce tolerance, etc., being instituted. There is also phenotypic evidence of polyclonality of the immune response with variable expression over time in a given animal. These observations may have relevance to the human condition both in determining the pathogenetic factors involved in this condition and in highlighting the heterogeneity of its expression which suggests the need for caution in the interpretation of the outcome of interventions designed to modulate inhibitor activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
GITA MISHRA ◽  
HEMESHWER KUMAR CHANDRA ◽  
NISHA SAHU ◽  
SATENDRA KUMAR NIRALA ◽  
MONIKA BHADAURIA

Pergularia daemia belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae, known to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory activity. Aim of the present study was to evaluate qualitative and quantitative phytochemical and antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts of leaf, stem and root parts of P. daemia . Preliminary phytochemical analysis and in vitro antioxidant properties were evaluated by standard methods. The qualitative phytochemical analysis of P. daemia showed presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloid, phytosterol, carbohydrate, phenol, saponin, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids proteins and reducing sugars. Quantitative analysis showed polyphenol, flavonoid, flavonone, flavone and flavonol in P. daemia leaves, stem and root in considerable quantity. The in vitro antioxidant activity of P. daemia clearly demonstrated that leaf, stem and root parts have prominent antioxidant properties and was effective in scavenging free radicals.


Author(s):  
Waras Nurcholis ◽  
Edy Djauhari Purwakusumah ◽  
Mono Rahardjo ◽  
Latifah K. Darusman

Temulawak (Curcuma  xanthorrhizaRoxb.) belongs to the family Zingiberaceae, has been empirically used as herbal medicines. The research was aimed to evaluate three promising lines of Temulawak based on their high bioactive contents (xanthorrhizol and curcuminoid) and its in vitro bioactivity (antioxidant and toxicity), and to obtain information on agrobiophysic environmental condition which produced high bioactive compounds. The xanthorrhizol and curcuminoid contents were measured by HPLC. In vitro antioxidant and toxicity were determined by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) method and BSLT (Brine Shrimp Lethality Test). The result showed that promising line A produced the highest yield of bioactive and bioactivity, i.e. 0.157 and 0.056 g plant-1of xanthorrizol and curcuminoid respectively. The IC50 of antioxidant activity was 65.09 mg L-1and LC50of toxicity was 69.05 mg L-1. In this study, Cipenjo had the best temulawak performance than two other locations. According to the agrobiophysic parameters, Cipenjo environmental condition was suitable for temulawak cultivation with temperature 28-34 ºC, rainfall ± 223.97 mm year-1 and sandy clay soil. Keywords: antioxidant, curcuminoid, promising lines, temulawak, xanthorrhizol


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luíza Dantas-Pereira ◽  
Edézio F. Cunha-Junior ◽  
Valter V. Andrade-Neto ◽  
John F. Bower ◽  
Guilherme A. M. Jardim ◽  
...  

: Chagas disease, Sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis, caused by trypanosomatids Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., respectively, are considered neglected tropical diseases, and they especially affect impoverished populations in the developing world. The available chemotherapies are very limited and a search for alternatives is still necessary. In folk medicine, natural naphthoquinones have been employed for the treatment of a great variety of illnesses, including parasitic infections. This review is focused on the anti-trypanosomatid activity and mechanistic analysis of naphthoquinones and derivatives. Among all the series of derivatives tested in vitro, naphthoquinone-derived 1,2,3-triazoles were very active on T. cruzi infective forms in blood bank conditions, as well as in amastigotes of Leishmania spp. naphthoquinones containing a CF3 on a phenyl amine ring inhibited T. brucei proliferation in the nanomolar range, and naphthopterocarpanquinones stood out for their activity on a range of Leishmania species. Some of these compounds showed a promising selectivity index (SI) (30 to 1900), supporting further analysis in animal models. Indeed, high toxicity to the host and inactivation by blood components are crucial obstacles to be overcome to use naphthoquinones and/or their derivatives for chemotherapy. Multidisciplinary initiatives embracing medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics, biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology need to be encouraged to allow the optimization of these compounds. Large scale automated tests are pivotal for the efficiency of the screening step, and subsequent evaluation of both the mechanism of action in vitro and pharmacokinetics in vivo are essential for the development of a novel, specific and safe derivative, minimizing adverse effects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boniface Pone ◽  
Ferreira Igne Elizabeth

: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are responsible for over 500,000 deaths annually and are characterized by multiple disabilities. Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are among the most severe NTDs, and are caused by the Leishmania sp, and Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively. Glucantime, pentamidine and miltefosine are commonly used to treat leishmaniasis, whereas nifurtimox, benznidazole are current treatments for Chagas disease. However, these treatments are associated with drug resistance, and severe side effects. Hence, the development of synthetic products, especially those containing N02, F, or Cl, which chemical groups are known to improve the biological activity. The present work summarizes the information on the antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity of nitro-, chloro-, and fluoro-synthetic derivatives. Scientific publications referring to halogenated derivatives in relation to antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities were hand searched in databases such as SciFinder, Wiley, Science Direct, PubMed, ACS, Springer, Scielo, and so on. According to the literature information, more than 90 compounds were predicted as lead molecules with reference to their IC50/EC50 values in in vitro studies. It is worth to mention that only active compounds with known cytotoxic effects against mammalian cells were considered in the present study. The observed activity was attributed to the presence of nitro-, fluoro- and chloro-groups in the compound backbone. All in all, nitro and h0alogenated derivatives are active antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal compounds and can serve as baseline for the development of new drugs against leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. However, efforts on in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies of the active synthetic compounds is still needed. Pharmacokinetic studies, and the mechanism of action of the promising compounds need to be explored. The use of new catalysts and chemical transformation can afford unexplored halogenated compounds with improved antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
Ortensia Ilaria Parisi ◽  
Mariarosa Ruffo ◽  
Fabio Amone ◽  
Rocco Malivindi ◽  
Domenico Gorgoglione ◽  
...  

Background: The Rotonda’s Red Eggplant belongs to the family of Solanum aethiopicum and it is cultivated in a specific area of Potenza (Basilicata, South of Italy) including villages of Rotonda, Viggianello, Castelluccio Superiore and Castelluccio Inferiore. The Red Eggplant cultivated in this area has gained the PDO, “Protected Designation of Origin”. Objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the use of PDO Rotonda’s Red Eggplant extract as a possible nutraceutical supplement. The antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic properties were in vitro evaluated. Methods: The antioxidant activity was investigated by evaluating the scavenging properties against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals and by performing the Ammonium Molybdate and Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The hypoglycemic and antihypertensive activity was studied by evaluating the α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme, respectively, inhibiting activity. In order to evaluate the hypolipidemic activity, the pancreatic lipase inhibiting property was determined and Oil Red O staining assay was performed. Finally, to evaluate the possible use of this extract as a minerals supplement, Selenium, Potassium and Chrome bioaccessibility was studied. Results: The obtained results underline the good antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antihypertensive and hypolipidemic in vitro properties of the PDO Rotonda’s Red Eggplant extract. Moreover, the obtained data show a higher minerals bioaccessibility and this higher value could be ascribable to the natural phytocomplex of PDO Rotonda’s Red Eggplant, which increases the minerals bioaccessibility if compare it with a control sample. Conclusion: The obtained results show that PDO Rotonda’s Red Eggplant extract, might be used as a possible nutraceutical supplement, along with traditional therapies, both for its biological properties and for its minerals bioaccessibility value.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-311
Author(s):  
Ada Gabriel ◽  
Mamman Mohammed ◽  
Mohammed G. Magaji ◽  
Yusuf P. Ofemile ◽  
Ameh P. Matthew ◽  
...  

Background: Snakebite envenomation is a global priority ranked top among other neglected tropical diseases. There is a folkloric claim that Uvaria chamae is beneficial for the management of snakebite and wounds in African ethnobotanical surveys. Besides, there are many registered patents asserting the health benefits of U. chamae. Objective: This study aimed to investigate U. chamae’s potentials and identify candidates for the development of tools for the treatment and management of N. nigricollis envenomation. Methods: Freshly collected U. chamae leaves were air-dried, powdered, and extracted in methanol. The median lethal dose of the extract was determined and further fractionated with n-hexane, n-butanol and ethyl acetate. Each fraction was tested for neutralizing effect against venom-induced haemolytic, fibrinolytic, hemorrhagic, and cytotoxic activities. Results: U. chamae fractions significantly (p<0.05) neutralized the haemolytic activity of N. nigricollis venom in n-butanol; 31.40%, n-hexane; 33%, aqueous residue; 39.60% and ethyl acetate; 40.70% at the concentration of 100mg/ml of each fraction against 10mg/ml of the snake venom when compared to the positive control. The fibrinolytic activity of N. nigricollis venom was significantly (p<0.05) neutralized in n-hexane at 73.88%, n-butanol; 72.22% and aqueous residue; 72.22% by the fractions of U. chamae. In addition, haemorrhagic activity of N. nigricollis venom was significantly (p<0.05) neutralized by U. chamae fractions at the concentrations of 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml and 400mg/ml except for n-butanol and aqueous residues at 400 mg/ml. Conclusion: U. chamae leaves fractions possess a high level of protection against N. nigricollis venoms-induced lethality and thus validate the pharmacological rationale for its usage in the management of N. nigricollis envenomation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Ameh ◽  
Mamman Mohammed ◽  
Yusuf P. Ofemile ◽  
Magaji G. Mohammed ◽  
Ada Gabriel ◽  
...  

Background: The World Health Organization included snakebite envenomation among Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2017. The importance of natural products from plants is enormous, given that most prescribed drugs originate from plants. Among this is Mucuna pruriens and Mimosa pudica, with many registered patents asserting their health benefits. Objective: This study investigated the in vitro neutralizing effects of Mucuna pruriens seed and Mimosa pudica root extracts on venoms of Naja nigricollis and Bitis arietans. Methods: In mice, the LD50 and phytochemical analysis of M. pruriens and M. pudica plant extracts were carried out prior to the evaluation of their haemolytic and fibrinolytic effect. Their effects on the activities of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) were also assessed. Results: At a concentration of 50 mg/ml, both plant extracts were found to neutralize the fibrinolytic activity of N. nigricollis, but 400 mg/ml was required to neutralize the fibrinolytic activity of B. arietans. In haemolytic studies, 50 mg/ml concentration of M. pruriens extract suppressed haemolysis caused by N. nigricollis venom by 70% but at the same concentration, M. pudica extract reduced haemolysis by 49.4%. M. pruriens, at 50 mg/ml concentration, only inhibited phospholipase A2 activity by 7.7% but higher concentrations up to 400mg/ml had no effect against the venom of N. nigricollis; at 200 mg/ml. M. pudica extract inhibited PLA2 activity by 23%. Conclusion: The results suggest that M. pruriens and M. pudica may be considered as promising antivenom agents for people living in a snake-bite prone environment.


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