Therapeutic role of medicinal plant extracts and bioactive compounds in osteoarthritis

Euphorbia serpens extracts mediated synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles and their biological applications

With the passage of time there is enormous development in the field of science and technology, however, human health remained the utmost concern. There are different strategies that helps us to treat various diseases but they have adverse reactions on our bodies. Nanobiotechnology is the advanced field consisting of new techniques and fabrication procedures for nanostructures for making drugs more effective against diseases in less time. These bio-nanoparticles easily target diseased cells, bind to them and damage the diseased tissue. Green synthesis of CuONPs is multi-purposed and can also be used for several bio-applications. The present study involves fabrication of economically viable copper oxide nanoparticles using aqueous plant extracts. The medicinal plants used in current study were Euphorbia serpens. The orchestrated nanoparticles were validated using several analytical techniques; Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared), EDS, FT-IR and DLS (Dynamic light scattering). The average/mean size of the greenly fabricated nanoparticles was found to be 20.39 nm. Further, the biosynthesized NPs were evaluated for multiple biological activities. The bactericidal properties of green synthesized NPs were demonstrated using different bacterial strains revealing significant antibacterial potentials. The fungicidal properties were also demonstrated using different fungal strains showing significant antifungal potential. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) values were calculated for different bacterial and fungal strains via disc-diffusion method. Further, our Euphorbia serpens orchestrated nanoparticles revealed excellent cytotoxic potentials against nascent brine shrimp larvae (IC50: 32.88 μg/mL) and have shown potential antioxidant properties. In conclusion, the asynthesized nanoparticles have shown significant in vitro bio-potentials. In future, different in vitro activities; antileishmanial, anticancer, enzyme degradation assays and different in vivo studies using animal models are recommended to further investigate the role of these NPs in different biomedical applications. Also, the formulations of multi-organic functional groups and biometallic NPs with regulated/balanced surface chemistry is worthy for the consideration.

Ethnomedical knowledge of plants used in alternative medicine to treat hemorrhoidal diseases in Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga province, Southern Democratic Republic of Congo

BACKGROUND

A variety of medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine in Lubumbashi for the management of hemorrhoidal diseases. However, no investigation has been conducted to gather the knowledge required for this type of management in the region. The present study was conducted to inventory the plants used in Lubumbashi to treat hemorrhoidal diseases and to relate their ethnomedical characteristics.

METHODS

This study was conducted between March 2022 and February 2023 by interviews using semi-structured questionnaire with households (n = 1520), herbalists (n = 25), and traditional healers: THs (n = 59).

RESULTS

The 1,604 respondents (sex ratio M/F = 0.9; mean age: 56 ± 3 years; experience: 12 ± 3 years) provided information on 100 taxa, 84 of which are used against internal hemorrhoids, Phyllanthus amarus being the most cited (Citation Index, CI: 0.76). Most of them are trees (38%) or shrubs (32%), belonging to 90 genera and 45 families dominated by the Fabaceae (10%) and Asteraceae (9%). They are indicated in 76 other pathologies, dominated by gastrointestinal disorders (GID), wounds and sexually transmitted infections (CI > 0.57). From these 100 taxa, 117 anti-hemorrhoidal formulations were derived, 11 of which combined more than one plant. In all these recipes, the leaf is the most commonly used part (> 60%) and the liniment (> 45%) is the most popular form of application. For the first time, this study reports 14 taxa as plants used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Among these taxa, Ficus stuhlmannii, Ficus laurifolia, and Ocimum centraliafricanum are listed as medicinal plants for the first time. Khaya nyasica, and Syzygium cordatum, each with 11 uses, have the highest traditional medicinal value.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study indicate that a significant number of medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine in Lubumbashi for the treatment of hemorrhoidal diseases. Some of these plants are endemic to the biodiversity area, while others are shared with other cultures and regions. A series of pharmacological studies is currently underway with the objective of validating the anti-hemorrhoidal properties of these plants and in order to identify phytochemical compounds responsible of this activity.

Plant Nutrition for Human Health: A Pictorial Review on Plant Bioactive Compounds for Sustainable Agriculture

Is there any relationship between plant nutrition and human health? The overall response to this question is very positive, and a strong relationship between the nutrition of plants and humans has been reported in the literature. The nutritional status of edible plants consumed by humans can have a negative or positive impact on human health. This review was designed to assess the importance of plant bioactive compounds for human health under the umbrella of sustainable agriculture. With respect to the first research question, it was found that plant bioactives (e.g., alkaloids, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenoids) have a crucial role in human health due to their therapeutic benefits, and their potentiality depends on several factors, including botanical, environmental, and clinical attributes. Plant bioactives could be produced using plant tissue culture tools (as a kind of agro-biotechnological method), especially in cases of underexploited or endangered plants. Bioactive production of plants depends on many factors, especially climate change (heat stress, drought, UV radiation, ozone, and elevated CO2), environmental pollution, and problematic soils (degraded, saline/alkaline, waterlogged, etc.). Under the previously mentioned stresses, in reviewing the literature, a positive or negative association was found depending on the kinds of stress or bioactives and their attributes. The observed correlation between plant bioactives and stress (or growth factors) might explain the importance of these bioactives for human health. Their accumulation in stressed plants can increase their tolerance to stress and their therapeutic roles. The results of this study are in keeping with previous observational studies, which confirmed that the human nutrition might start from edible plants and their bioactive contents, which are consumed by humans. This review is the first report that analyzes this previously observed relationship using pictorial presentation.