Antiplasmodial Activity of β-Ionone and the Effect of the Compound on Amelioration of Anaemia and Oxidative Organ Damage in Mice Infected with Plasmodium berghei

INTRODUCTION

Owing to evolution of parasite strains that are resistant to existing antimalarial drugs, research for novel antimalarial medicines is progressing on numerous fronts.

PURPOSE

Herein, we evaluated the in vivo anti-Plasmodium berghei activity of β-ionone including its ameliorative potential towards P. berghei-associated anaemia and oxidative organ damage.

METHODS

Mice were infected with chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. berghei and then treated with β-ionone at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) for seven days. The parasitemia, packed cell volume and redox sensitive biomarkers in the liver, brain and spleen were estimated.

RESULTS

Our result showed that β-ionone, in a dose-dependent fashion, significantly (p < 0.05) repressed the multiplication of P. berghei. More so, the compound, at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg BW, significantly (p < 0.05) mitigated anaemia and organ damage induced by P. berghei.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the findings demonstrated that β-ionone has antiplasmodial actions and plays a mitigative role against P. berghei-induced anaemia and oxidative organ damage.

Boswellia Essential Oil: Natural Antioxidant as an Effective Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Agent

The research aimed to determine the chemical composition, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity as well as the antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and two fungal Candida ATCC strains of a commercial Boswellia essential oil (BEO) containing Boswellia carteri, Boswellia sacra, Boswellia papryfera, and Boswellia frereana. Additionally, molecular docking was carried out to show the molecular dynamics of the compounds identified from the essential oil against three bacterial protein targets and one fungal protein target. The major components identified by GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) were represented by α-pinene, followed by limonene. Evaluation of antioxidant activity using the DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl) method showed high inhibition comparable to the synthetic antioxidant used as a control. Oxidative stability evaluation showed that BEO has the potential to inhibit primary and secondary oxidation products with almost the same efficacy as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). The use of BEO at a concentration of 500 ppm provided the best protection against secondary oxidation during 30 days of storage at room temperature, which was also evident in the peroxide value. Regarding the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity, the membrane lysis assay and the protein denaturation test revealed that even if the value of protection was lower than the value registered in the case of dexamethasone, the recommendation of using BEO as a protective agent stands, considering the lower side effects. Gram-positive bacteria proved more sensitive, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa presented different sensitivity, with higher MICs (minimal inhibitory concentration). Haemophilus influenzae demonstrated a MIC at 2% but with consecutive inhibitory values in a negative correlation with the increase in concentration, in contrast to E. coli, which demonstrated low inhibitory rates at high concentrations of BEO. The computational tools employed revealed interesting binding energies with compounds having low abundance. The interaction of these compounds and the proteins (tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, DNA gyrase, peptide deformylase, 1,3-β-glucan synthase) predicts hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues, which are reported in the active sites of the proteins. Even so, compounds with low abundance in BEO could render the desired bioactive properties to the overall function of the oil sustained by physical factors such as storage and temperature. Interestingly, the findings from this study demonstrated the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Boswellia essential oil against food-related pathogens, thus making the oil a good candidate for usage in food, feed or food-safety-related products.

Therapeutic activity of eugenol towards mitigation of anaemia and oxidative organ damage caused by Plasmodium berghei

The parasite responsible for causing malaria infection, Plasmodium, is known to exhibit resistance to a number of already available treatments. This has prompted the continue search for new antimalarial drugs ranging from medicinal plant parts to synthetic compounds. In lieu of this, the mitigative action of the bioactive compound, eugenol towards P. berghei-induced anaemia and oxidative organ damage was investigated following a demonstration of in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial effects. Mice were infected with chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. berghei and thereafter treated with eugenol at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) for seven days. The packed cell volume and redox sensitive biomarkers in the liver, brain and spleen were measured. Our result demonstrated that eugenol significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated the P. berghei-associated anaemia at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW. In addition, the compound, at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW, significantly (p < 0.05) alleviated the P. berghei-induced organ damage. This evidently confirmed that eugenol plays an ameliorative role towards P. berghei-related pathological alterations. Hence, the study opens up a new therapeutic use of eugenol against plasmodium parasite.

[Using mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of non-obstructive azoospermia]

Approximately 15% of couples of reproductive age are infertile. Among patients with infertility, nearly 10-15% have azoospermia. The current treatment methods of non-obstructive azoospermia, in particular the use of mesenchymal stem cells, and the comparative analysis of the cost-effectiveness of different methods are discussed in the article.

Molecular study of rabies virus in slaughtered dogs in Billiri and Kaltungo local government areas of Gombe state, Nigeria

Rabies is one of the most dreadful diseases and a major viral zoonosis which has been shown to cause an almost 100% fatality rate in infected victims. It is characterized by acute progressive encephalitis in mammals. This study determined the genotypic characteristics of rabies virus in dogs slaughtered for human consumption based on sequence of a fragment of nucleoprotein gene. Brain tissues were collected from 50 dogs slaughtered in Billiri and Kaltungo Local Government Areas of Gombe State, Nigeria. Direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT) was used to screen for the presence of rabies virus antigen. Viral RNA isolated from DFAT positive brain tissues were subjected to the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by sequencing of the amplicons. Maximum Likelihood (ML) was used to construct a phylogenetic tree for sequences obtained with 1000 bootstrap replicates. The DFAT detected rabies antigen in 3 (6%) of the 50 dog brain tissues, from which 1 (2%) was positive by RT-PCR. ML phylogeny approach of the nucleotide sequences inferred members as originating lyssavirus genus and dog species. Essentially, MK234794 in this study displayed 99.3% sequence similarity with other related rabies viruses in the Africa 2 cluster (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger). Interestingly, MK234794 showed no cluster relation with the Africa 1a, 1b, 3 and Africa 4 clades, respectively. This indicates there is in-country and trans-boundary circulation of the rabies viruses with no co-circulation between the Africa lineages, especially as dogs are continuously being traded due to consumption of dog meat in West Africa. This finding has given additional insight into the molecular epidemiology of rabies virus in Nigeria, therefore providing more baseline information for future design of rabies control programs in the country.

The chemotherapeutic potential of chalcones against leishmaniases: a review

Leishmaniases are endemic diseases in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and are considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be among the six most important neglected tropical diseases. The current therapeutic arsenal against the disease is associated with a series of chemotherapeutic setbacks. However, since the early 1990s, naturally occurring chalcones with promising antileishmanial effects have been reported, and several other synthetic chalcones and chalcone-hybrid molecules have been confirmed to possess potent activity against various Leishmania species. This paper is a comprehensive review covering the antileishmanial activity of 34 naturally occurring chalcones, 224 synthetic/semisynthetic chalcones and 54 chalcone-hybrid molecules. Several chalcones in the synthetic/semisynthetic category had IC₅₀ values < 5 µM, with very good selectivity against parasites, and the structure-activity relationships as well as the proposed mechanism of action are discussed. We identified knowledge-gaps with the hope of providing future direction for the discovery of novel antileishmanial drugs from chalcones.

Some characteristics of the psychiatric population attending a primary care centre in Kuwait

This study examined the sociodemographic correlates of psychiatric illness in a primary care centre in Kuwait. A total of 164 psychiatric patients seen over a 3-year period formed the experimental group while 165 nonpsychiatric patients attending the same centre formed the control group. Results showed significant differences in basic demographic variables of the 2 groups. The psychiatric patients were significantly more likely to be single, unskilled, young, less educated and living alone or in an overcrowded household and to report more recent life events than controls. The absence of family and social support, lacking a meaningful job and chronicity of illness were significantly correlated with poor treatment response. Possible interpretations of the results were discussed in the cultural context of our patients. The fact that 57% of the psychiatric patients had been ill for more than 6 months prior to consultation highlights the importance of orientation of primary care practitioners to the psychiatric aetiology of somatic presentation of many of their patients.

The profile of parasucide repeaters in Kuwait

A one-year cohort of 92 parasuicides was followed up at 6 monthly intervals for a period of 2 years since their index parasuicide to study the outcome and evaluate the level of social readjustment. One male patient died of suicide (1.1%) and 18 (19.6%) individuals repeated parasuicide using self-poisoning. The rate of repeated parasuicidal behaviour in this investigation was considerably higher than that reported in comparable studies from developing countries but similar to that from a number of western European cities. The data indicated that the probability of further episodes of parasuicidal behaviour increased in the few months after the index episode. Although the repeaters and non-repeaters were essentially similar in most of their sociodemographic characteristics, the former were a distinctive group in many respects. The factors found to be significantly associated with subsequent parasuicide included self-poisoning by prescribed drugs at the index parasuicide, previous parasuicidal behaviour prior to the index, occupational status of a housewife, past history of depression and/or dependence and precipitating life events in the family environment. Contrary to our hypothesized theory, none of the types of attitudes received by the patients from their family members at the index parasuicide related to outcome. The global level of social readjustment of non-repeaters was about three times higher than that of repeaters of parasuicide. The implications of these findings for future policy making were discussed with respect to prevention of parasuicide.

The correlates of hypochondriasis in depressed patients

Of 100 inpatients with depressive illness, fifty-three had evidence of depressed mood prior to their hypochondriacal symptoms, sixteen had the opposite sequence of development and thirty-one had no hypochondriacal symptoms. Comparisons of the three groups revealed some differences that would suggest a less severe depressed mood in association with hypochondriacal symptoms. Whether hypochondriasis preceded or followed depressed mood did not make any other difference to the total clinical picture. This should not be taken to imply that treatment and prognosis are the same in hypochondriacal and nonhypochondriacal depressions.

Psychosocial profile of the parasuicidal patient in Kuwait

A consecutive sample of 92 parasuicides aged 14-44 years (mean age +/- standard deviation, 22.9 +/- 5.6) was seen during the period December 1984-November 1985 at Kuwait's main teaching general hospital (catchment area 449000 population). Self-poisoning accounted for 85.9%. Their sociodemographic characteristics were consistent with contemporary trends of parasuicidal behaviour reported in other countries. The structure of the Kuwaiti population is quite special. The majority (58.3%) are expatriates mostly males at the working age group while the minority (41.7%) are Kuwaiti nationals. Family discord was the dominant antecedent life event in Kuwaitis. On the other hand, non-Kuwaiti Arabs and non-Arab expatriates reported an excess of work-related problems as precipitating factors. Non-Arab females resorted to more violent methods than other females. Acute situational distress was the most common diagnosis while depression was present in about 25% of the total sample. The attitudes of family members of the parasuicidal patients were discussed in the light of the socio-cultural perspective. Attention to possible preventive measures is suggested. Parasuicide (Kreitman et al 1970) is a topic which has stimulated considerable research in recent years. A wealth of information has become available on the subject and its patterns in different cultures and various countries (WHO 1974). In the "Arab World" a few studies have dealt with parasuicide. El-Islam (1974) studied the characteristics of hospital referred parasuicide in Qatar and indicated that intergenerational conflict was the commonest precipitating life event.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The WHO collaborative study on strategies for extending mental health care, II: The development of new research methods

Teams in seven developing countries under sponsorship of the World Health Organization have been carrying out collaborative operational research on providing mental health care through primary health care services. New techniques of identifying mental disorders in children and adults have been developed and tested. Methods of assessing the skills and attitudes of health workers toward mental health work and of gauging community attitudes toward mental illness have also been developed. Results have been directly applied in planning better mental health care. The authors conclude that cross-cultural collaborative research is effective in improving mental health care for those in greatest need.