Journal of Pharmacy & Bioresources

Clinical antihypertensive efficacy and safety of Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) leaf: a systematic review

Shalkur David, Maxwell Patrick Dapar, Nanloh Samuel Jimam — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In low- and medium-income countries (LMICs) where access to medicines is challenging, hypertension prevalence is increasing, justifying the need to integrate traditional herbal medicines like Moringa oleifera into mainstream clinical practice. This review examines clinical studies in literature, starting from 2011, on the efficacy and safety of Moringa oleifera in hypertension treatment. Outcomes including effects on blood pressure, other cardiovascular risks, blood biochemistry, and adverse drug events were extracted from the articles. The quality of evidence was assessed with the risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions (ROBINS-1) tool. A total of 295 articles were identified, of which 16 were included for review. All but one were non-randomised studies. Regarding clinical efficacy, three articles, (n=131) showed that in normotensive patients, Moringa treatment has an acute BP-lowering effect but
repeated doses failed to demonstrate a BP-lowering effect (3 articles, n=82). In hypertensive populations (3 articles, n=112) Moringa supplementation had BP-lowering effects. In terms of clinical safety (2 articles, n=66) there are non-significant changes in blood biochemistry including alanine aminotransferase, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in normotensive patients. Regarding treatment tolerability, there was no incidence of adverse events (2 articles, n=209) while others reported minor gastrointestinal upset and changes in appetite and sleep patterns (2 articles, n=103). Limited literature using non-randomised trial designs shows that Moringa oleifera leaf supplementation lowers blood pressure in persons with hypertension. Moringa oleifera leaf appears safe in normotensive patients.

Quality assessment of five brands of ascorbic acid tablets marketed in Ogun state, Nigeria

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a water-soluble vitamin, is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in the body's antioxidant defences. Since the body cannot synthesize it, ascorbic acid must be obtained through either dietary sources or supplements. The aim of this study was to assess the quality and physicochemical properties of five different brands of ascorbic acid commonly sold in several pharmacy outlets in Ogun State. The brands were analysed for their uniformity of weight, hardness, friability and disintegration time using official methods, quantitative analysis was done using dissolution test and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). One out of the five brands (20%) passed the weight uniformity test ranging between 282.7 mg to 364.8 mg, four (80 %) of the five brands passed the hardness test and were within 1.5 and 6.0 KgF. All five brands passed the friability test, disintegration test and
dissolution test and were within 0.0172 - 0.5691%, 0.36 - 13.52 mins and 96 - 103% respectively. The amount of API in each brand ranging from 97.25% to 103.07% were within official specifications when assayed with HPLC. This study elucidates the need for regular post market surveillance of medications to ensure the safety of consumers.

In vitro antioxidant and toxicity studies of Sorindeia warneckei Engl. (Anacardiaceae) stem methanol extract in laboratory animals

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sorindeia warneckei (SW) Engl. (Anacardiaceae) is a plant of medicinal and economic significance. Its edible fruits are used in medicinal baths and stems as traditional toothbrushes. This study evaluates the antioxidant activity and safety profile of SW stem extract. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Acute and sub-acute toxicity tests were performed following the protocol described by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The methanol extract of SW was rich in phytochemicals, with total phenolic and flavonoid contents measured at 149.64 ± 0.50 mg/g rutin equivalent and 172.097 ± 0.28 mg/g gallic acid equivalent respectively. SW demonstrated dose-dependent antioxidant activity (IC₅₀
= 0.0246 mg/mL), comparable to ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 0.0195 mg/mL). Acute toxicity studies indicated a lethal dose (LD₅₀) > 2000 mg/mL. Haematological parameters were not adversely affected. However, certain biochemical markers exhibited significant alterations (p<0.05) following 28 days of treatment. Histological analysis revealed structural changes in renal and hepatic tissues, including hepatocyte hyperpigmentation and disorganization of the renal parenchyma. The findings highlight SW stem methanol extract's antioxidant potential but suggest caution regarding prolonged use due to signs of toxicity.

Role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARα) in mediating renoprotective effects of fumarate

Osaze Edosuyi, Myung Choi, Ighodaro Igbe, Adebayo Oyekan — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Fumarate has been reported to exert renoprotective actions. This study investigated a potential association between renoprotective activities of fumarate and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPARα). PPARα wild type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice were randomly grouped into three groups; control (mineral oil + distilled water, 10 mL/kg/day, p.o.), fumarate (1 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and fenofibrate (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.). Mice were treated for 10 days, after which they were anaesthetized with xylazine + ketamine, 100 mg/kg i.p. Cortical blood flow (CBF) was then measured using a laser Doppler. Biochemical analyses were carried out. Fumarate reduced CBF in PPARα WT mice compared to PPAR KO mice (280.3 ± 34.2 vs 449.8 ± 15 PU, p<0.05). Nitric oxide production was significantly lower in fumarate-treated PPAR WT compared to PPAR KO mice (13.6 ± 1 vs 20.9 ± 3 μM/ng, p<0.05). Catalase activity
was insignificantly different in PPAR WT and KO mice treated with fumarate (p>0.05. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was reduced by two-fold in PPAR WT mice compared to PPAR KO mice (p<0.05). This study demonstrates that the effect of fumarate on CBF, nitric oxide and L-arginine metabolism may be partially modulated through the PPARα downstream signalling pathway.

Evaluation of the anthelmintic activity of ethanol leaf extract of Dimocarpus longan (Lour.) against Taenia solium

Saidi Odoma, Felix Twinomugisha, Timothy Neeza, Funso Funso-Babarimisa — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Helminth infections affects nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, where poverty, inadequate housing, and poor sanitation, exacerbate their impact. These infections pose significant health and economic burdens, and the limited effectiveness of current anthelmintic drugs underscores the need for alternative treatments. Dimocarpus longan, traditionally used in various forms of medicine, is rich in bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, and saponins, which are known to exhibit antiparasitic properties. This study evaluated the anthelmintic potential of ethanol leaf extract of D. longan against Taenia solium, aiming to explore its use as a natural remedy for managing helminth infections. The extract, tested at concentrations of 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL. alongside piperazine citrate (10 mg/mL) on adult T. solium worms obtained from freshly slaughtered pigs. The anthelmintic activity was measured by recording the time to paralysis and death of the worms. The extract showed significant concentration-dependent effects, with higher concentrations (100 & 200 mg/mL) demonstrating efficacy comparable to piperazine citrate, exhibiting strong paralytic but weaker lethal effects on T. solium. The findings suggest that D. longan ethanol leaf extract has potent anthelmintic properties, making it a promising natural alternative for managing helminth infection.

Phytochemical profiling, acute toxicity and haemostatic effects of methanol leaf extract of Acanthus montanus (Nees) T. Anderson (Acanthaceae)

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Acanthus montanus leaf is used in African trado-medicine as a haemostatic agent, which could be ascribed to its bioactive principles. This study evaluated phytoconstituents and haemostatic potential of Acanthus montanus methanol leaf extract in albino Wistar rats, as well as acute toxicity in mice. Methanol extract of Acanthus montanus was analysed for phytochemicals by standard protocol and High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Acute toxicity was determined using established method, while the haemostatic parameters were determined using tail bleeding time and blood clotting time in albino Wistar rats at 200, 400 and 800 mg /kg b.w.; administered by gavage once daily for nine days. Alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and steroids were inferred from the
phytochemical screening. Nineteen phytoconstituents were identified and quantified via HPLC, with catechin and rutin showing documented evidence of haemostatic effect. Acanthus montanus was considered safe since no death or change in behaviour was observed at maximum dose of 5000 mg/kg b w. A significantly dose dependent decrease (P<0.001) in clotting and bleeding time was noted across the groups. The 800 mg/kg treated group was comparable to vitamin K (10mg/kg b w) treated group. This reaffirms the traditional use of Acanthus montanus leaf as haemostatic agent.

In silico evaluation of verbenone and selected solubilizing compounds against diabetes-related proteins

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Verbenone is a colourless, minty liquid that is soluble in non-polar solvents with in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic activities. This study evaluates verbenone and selected solubilizing compounds in silico against diabetes related proteins which included glucokinase (1V4S), human pancreatic α-amylase (1B2Y), and sucrase-isomaltase (3AXH). The structures of verbenone, acarbose, and five identified solubilizing compounds were downloaded in SDF format from the PubChem database. The binding energies were computed using Autodock Vina software while physicochemical properties and ADME parameters were predicted using SwissADME server. In glucokinase and human pancreatic α-amylase, the binding affinity (Kcal/mol) of verbenone (-5.4, -5.9) was superior to lysine (-4.5, -
4.7) and eudragit (-4.5, -3.6), while in sucrase-isomaltase, the binding affinity (Kcal/mol) of verbenone (-6.1) was superior to lysine (-5.2), cyclodextrin (-4.8) and eudragit (-4.0) respectively. Only cyclodextrin violated the Lipinski rule of five. More so, cyclodextrin, lysine and eudragit are very soluble, with low lipophilicity compared with verbenone. Lysine and eudragit possess high gastrointestinal absorption and are not suitable P-gp substrate, while eudragit can effectively cross blood brain barrier. The study identified cyclodextrin, lysine and eudragit as potent candidates to improve the bioactivity of verbenone, as alternate means to improve the antidiabetic activity of verbenone.

Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of ethanol extract of Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae)

Lydia D. Ior, Florence F. Rwang, Abigail A. Daniel, Samuel O. Ede, Tongret Datok — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ocimum gratissimum, commonly known as clove basil or aromatic basil, has been traditionally utilized for its potential medicinal benefits, including anxiolytic and antidepressant effects. This study aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant properties of methanol extract of Ocimum gratissimum at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg po. Using a Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress (CUMS) model, mice were divided into 5 groups (n = 6/group). The animals were weighed during the CUMS exposure to monitor stress-induced changes. The negative control group received normal saline, while the positive control group was administered Imipramine (30 mg/kg po) and three treatment groups received the extract. Behavioural responses were assessed using the elevated plus maze, open field test, and forced swim test, with body weight changes monitored as a stress indicator. Results showed that animals treated with O. gratissimum extract at all doses tested showed significant reductions in anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviours
compared to the negative control. Weight loss, a common indicator of stress, was significantly mitigated in the O. gratissimum treated groups. These findings suggest that O. gratissimum possesses substantial anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, with higher doses showing greater efficacy and improved weight maintenance, supporting its traditional use in managing anxiety and depression.