This study aimed to report two cases of patients who are diagnosed with heart stroke induced by ischemic stroke timely successfully cured by traditional medicine therapy and it does not cause serious complications. The formula and ingredients for the treatment of acute heart stroke in two reported cases were discussed. The authors recommend that using herb gradients for the treatment of acute heart stroke is potent and that thorough scientific scrutiny is necessary in future studies.

Keywords: Heart stroke, ischemic stroke, herbal medicine, therapeutics

Even though depression is usually understood to be explained by the monoamine theory, it is significantly more complicated than that, and treatments that target the disease's pathway have not yet been produced. In this sense, having a better understanding of neuroinflammation and neurovascular dysfunction might make it possible to take a more holistic approach to treating depression. The immune system, endocrine system, and neurological system are all involved in the process of inflammation, which can be thought of as a form of allostatic load. In the pathophysiology of depression, neuroinflammation plays a role by elevating levels of proinflammatory cytokines, activating the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, elevating levels of glucocorticoid resistance, and affecting serotonin synthesis and metabolism, neuronal apoptosis and neurogenesis, and neuroplasticity. In the future, the identification of the subtypes of depression that are associated with an increased vulnerability to inflammation and the testing of the effects of inflammatory modulating medications in these patient groups by means of clinical studies will lead to more precise findings regarding the subject matter. Mood disorders are linked to increased inflammation, and the resolution of symptoms following the administration of numerous treatments is frequently accompanied by a return to normal levels of pro-inflammatory. Treatments for refractory mood disorders have included a wide array of neuromodulation procedures, which alter the activities of specific regions of the brain. Their usefulness, on the other hand, varies from person to person and there is no accurate indicator of it. This review provides a summary of human and animal studies on inflammation in brain circuits that are associated with anxiety and depression, as well as the evidence that neuromodulation therapies regulate neuroinflammation in the treatment of neurological illnesses. It has been reported that neuromodulation therapies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), photobiomodulation (PBM), transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), can all attenuate neuroinflammation and reduce the release of pro-inflammatory factors. This may be one of the reasons why patients experience an improvement in their mood. This study gives a better knowledge of the successful mechanism of neuromodulation treatments and reveals that inflammatory biomarkers may serve as a reference for the assessment of pathological states and treatment options in anxiety and depression. Moreover, this research demonstrates that neuromodulation therapies have the potential to be beneficial in the treatment of anxiety and depression.

Abstract

To determine the anti-oxidant and anti-adhesin activities of the n-hexane and methanolic extracts of Caryota no (CN) seeds. For anti-adhesin properties, the wells of a sterile flat-bottomed tissue culture plate were filled with 200µL of each extract in several concentrations, incubated and washed twice. 200µL of bacterial suspension was added, incubated and washed thrice with PBS. Adherent bacteria were fixed with methanol, plates emptied, left to dry and stained with crystal violet. Excess stain was rinsed under running water, air dried, bound dye resolubilized with glacial acetic acid, and the absorbance measured using a microplate reader to calculate the percentage inhibition. For antioxidant properties, three different concentrations of the DPPH solution were prepared. 2 mg of each extract was weighed out and dissolved in 10 mL of their corresponding solvent. 1 mL of DPPH solution was added to 2 ml solution of the extracts and ascorbic acid. The reaction mixture was vortexed and left in the dark for 30 minutes then absorbance was measured against blank solution to calculate the percentage scavenging radical inhibition. Statistical difference was presumed at P < 0.05. The extracts showed significant (P < 0.05) adhesin inhibition activities, n-hexane (64%) and methanolic (46%) at 200µg/mL concentrations. The fractions of the extracts also showed various remarkable results. The anti-adhesin activity increased with increasing extract concentration in both extracts. Antioxidant assays revealed that at 200 mg/mL, both extracts were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the control. Both the n-hexane and methanolic extracts showed remarkable adhesin inhibition activities at concentration of 200 µg/mL and antioxidant effects, with the methanolic extract demonstrating comparable levels as the standard, ascorbic acid. This implies that both extracts may serve as veritable natural sources of anti-adhesins, antioxidants and thus adjunct anti-infective agents or immune enhancers.

Keywords

DPPH, Caryota no, Adhesin, Reactive oxygen species, anti-oxidant

After curcuminoids, xanthorrhizol is the second primary bioactive compound from Curcuma xanthorrhiza. Traditionally, the rhizome of Curcuma xanthorriza is well-known for its appetite stimulation. However, the mechanism of appetite stimulation is still unclear, particularly its interaction with the appetite-related ghrelin system. Therefore, understanding interactive molecular modulations of xanthorrhizol with ghrelin, GOAT (ghrelin-O-acyl transferase), and ghrelin receptor (GHS-R: growth hormone secretagogue receptor is essential. Xanthorrhizol, an appetite stimulant, may interact with ghrelin, GOAT, and GHS-R. Herein, this study aimed to do in silico analysis to hypothetically predict the molecular interaction of xanthorrhizol with ghrelin, ghrelin-O-acyl transferase (GOAT), and growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). Docking analysis was conducted to understand the interactive molecular patterns of xanthorrhizol, ghrelin, GOAT, and GHS-R. The docking studies showed that the molecular interaction of xanthorrhizol is with Arg10 of ghrelin and not with Ser2, which is essential for the linkage of octanoic acid. The molecular interaction of xanthorrhizol with GOAT is in the active sites of either deacylated ghrelin or octanoic acid. Therefore, xanthorrhizol  is a competitive inhibitor of GOAT. It inhibits GOAT activity. Xanthorrhizol interacts with GHS-R in its small cavity II. Itnis still unclear whether this interaction is agonist or antagonist. This in silico analysis showed that xanthorrhizol is probably not a stimulating appetite natural drug via stimulating GHS-R signaling.

Dengue is causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In poor and underdeveloped countries, the disease is spreading at an alarming rate due to a rise in population density and a decline in environmental cleanliness. Due to the mutation and variety of distinct dengue virus species, the disease is difficult to cure with standard techniques. In addition, there is still a need for effective vaccination against this fatal virus. Designing a vaccine needs a full explanation of the structural characteristics of the NS3 protease, the primary antigenic component of the virus. Several bioinformatics methods were utilized in this study to characterize the NS3 protease of the dengue virus utilizing data from various public databases. Different physio-chemical properties were determined using the ProtParam tool. Secondary structure and motifs were predicted using the SOPMA server and MEME suit. Finally, homology modeling of the selected protein was conducted using the PHYRE2 server. Quality assessment of the predicted structures was performed by employing Ramachandran plot, ERRAT, RAMPAGE, verify 3D, and RMSD scores to establish and suggest one best model for further experimentation. A satisfactory validation score in all those quality assessments implies the proposed model to be a good fit for the future experiment on this protein. Such homology modeling of the viral protein paves the way to a successful protein model and consequently leads to efficient vaccine design.

Identifying priority medicinal plants at the local level is crucial for the improvement of integrative and strong conservation solutions around these resources. This study was carried out to determine underused and overused botanical families, and, analyse the correlation between botanical families, used plant parts, and categories of treated diseases in the Guinean zone of Togo. Ethnobotanical field surveys conducted via semi-structured interviews (individuals/focus groups) among traditional healers and medicinal plant sellers helped to identify the rich diversity of medicinal plants used in the Guinean zone. Bayesian statistics and the Imprecise Dirichlet Model (IDM) were used to detect botanical families' level of use (under/overused). A matrix analysis via phylogeny coupled with a cladogram was carried out to highlight the preferences of users in plant parts and botanical families in the treatment of diseases. It appears that 12.43% of the local flora in the Guinean zone of Togo is used in traditional medicine. The most treated diseases with a high plant diversity are general and unspecified categories of diseases (228 plants), followed by cardiovascular diseases (133 plants). Both Bayesian and IDM approaches show that the most overused families are Amaranthaceae, followed by Combretaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rutaceae. The underused families are Cyperaceae, Orchidaceae, and Poaceae. The leaves and roots are the plant parts in high demand for the preparation of medicinal drugs. The presence of chemical groups such as phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponosides, coumarins, and alkaloids would justify the choice of a botanical family or specific plant parts for the treatment of a category of diseases. It is necessary to develop conservation strategies for overused plant families to ensure sustainability for future generations.

Peucedanum ostruthium W.D.J.Koch, commonly known as masterwort, is a flowering perennial species in the Apiaceae family with known medicinal and aromatic properties. This study was designed to chemically characterize the essential oil (EO) obtained from the leaves and investigate some aspects of its bioactivity. Thirty-two compounds were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and sesquiterpenoids identified as the dominating group of compounds. The major ones were caryophyllene oxide (20.7%) and spathulenol (17.2%), followed by cubenol (8.7%), δ-cadinene (6.1%) and humulene epoxide II (5.6%). EO was evaluated in vitro by ABTS⋅⁺ (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and DPPH⋅ (2,2-diphenyl-picryl hydrazyl) assays, showing a marked scavenging ability, in particular towards the ABTS⋅⁺ radical cation (2.02 ± 0.00 μM Trolox eq/mL). EO was also screened for phytotoxic activity against mono- and dicotyledonous weeds. It exhibited significant effects by reducing the growth of Lolium multiflorum Lam. and Sinapis alba L. seedlings up to 90.7% and 76.6%, respectively.

Yeasts infections, cancer and other diseases associated with free radical generation and inflammation are currently a critical public health issue that needs innovative control measures. In order to search for solutions, this study was designed to assess the antifungal, radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, and antineoplastic activities of essential oils from four Annonaceae plants (Monodora myristica, Xylopia aethiopica, and Xylopia parviflora) collected in Chad and Cameroon. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation. The antifungal activity of the oils was determined using the microdilution method; and their antiradical activity was determined using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using the inhibitory effect of oils against the 5-lipoxigenase. Flow cytometry was used to assess the effect of essential oils on cell cycle. The essential oils of X. aethiopica, X. parviflora, and M. myristica inhibited the growth of Candida albicans ATCC24433, Candida parapsilosis ATCC22019, and Cryptococcus neoformans IP95026 with MIC values ranging from 5 to 10 mg/mL. Essential oils of X. aethiopica, X. parviflora, and M. myristica showed free radical scavenging potential with SC_50­ values between 8.9 and 11.74 g/L. The oils samples at 100 μg/mL from both origins significantly inhibited cancer cell (MCF-7) and normal epithelial cells of the eye (ARPE-19) growth, with a notable cell cycle arrest at phases G0/G1 and S at 72h respectively. According to the findings of this study, essential oils from Annonaceae plants contain bioactive secondary metabolites that have the potential to inhibit pathogenic yeasts, free radicals, inflammatory and cancer cells. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and formalize their eventual application to control the targeted affections.

Worldwide attention on plant study has expanded, and a wealth of data has accumulated to demonstrate the enormous potential of medicinal plants employed in diverse traditional systems. In the traditional medical system, Flacourtia indica (FI) has been used to cure a variety of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, hepatic disorders, and snakebites. Due to the presence of a variety of phytochemicals, including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, it may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Thus, this study was designed to assess the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of the ethanolic extract of Flacourtia indica. Flacourtia indica was extracted using 100% ethanol followed by assessing acute toxicity and doses selected for the studies were 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight. Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing 25-30 gm and Sprague dawley rats weighing 180-200 gm were used in this study. Analgesic activity was evaluated by using acetic acid induced writhing test, formalin induced paw licking and hot plate test. Anti-inflammatory effect was assessed using xylene and croton oil induced ear edema test and carrageenan induced paw edema test. Also the antipyretic effect was investigated. The Flacourtia indica extract exhibited significant effect against pain in acetic acid test (p<0.01), formalin test (p<0.01) and insignificantly in hot plate test. Inflammation was reduced by FI extract in xylene test (p<0.05), croton oil test (p<0.01) and significantly reduced the paw edema (p<0.001) in carrageenan-induced paw edema test. In the yeast-induced antipyretic test, administration of Flacourtia indica at both doses significantly (p< 0.001) reduced pyrexia. Within these two doses, higher doses (1000 mg/kg body weight) had better aptitudes in the reduction of pain, inflammation and pyrexia. The FI extract shown strong analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic capabilities, according to the study results, and more research is needed to assess these effects and the potential of the plants.

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Weeding is a practice of primary importance both in conventional agriculture where the intensive use of herbicides can represent a significant environmental risk and in organic farming where this practice is prohibited. Therefore, the need to identify alternative means of controlling weeds is evident. In this respect, allelopathy proves to be a useful tool to be integrated with conventional agronomic techniques for the management of infesting flora. In this work, we investigated the phytotoxic potential of Achillea moschata Wulfen (Asteraceae) against Echinochloa oryzoides (Ard.) Fritsch and Lolium multiflorum Lam., two noxious plants for crops such as rice and wheat. Preliminary anti-germination assays were carried out in controlled conditions by testing both the powder (0.25 g) and the aqueous extract (1%, 10% and 20%) from the A. moschata aerial parts. The obtained results showed that the powder was more effective than the extract in inhibiting seed germination (up to –81.6% vs –48.8% at 20% concentration) and seedling development (up to –99.4% vs –75.9% at 20% concentration) of both target species, although L. multiflorum was more susceptible than E. oryzoides to treatments. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the two used matrices was characterized by Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) sampling technique and Gas Chromatograph/Mass spectrometer (GC/MS) analyses. Camphor (25.8% and 49.9%) and 1,8 cineole (25.9% and 20.7%) were the main constituents in the samples, followed by bornyl acetate (6.7%) in the powder and fragranol (10.5%) in the aqueous extract.

The plant Adenanthera pavonina L. (Leguminosae) is a traditionally and pharmacologically important medicinal plant of the Asian subcontinent. Various parts of the plant particularly seeds, roots and leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatism, inflammations, diarrhoea, boils and lowering of blood pressure. A critical phytochemical survey was executed on the phytochemistry of A. pavonina, and found a plethora of phytochemicals that consisted of various phytochemical groups namely phytosterols, saponins and sapogenins, flavonoids, alkaloid, alcohols, hydrocarbons, fatty acids and ester, carbohydrates, sugars and amino acids. Current phytochemical studies reveal the presence of 71 isolated compounds, a few of which have been shown different pharmacological activities. This review compiles a wealth of information on the phytochemistry of A. pavonina from the standpoints of chemistry and medicine that would be explored in order to carry on future research in the discovery and development of new therapeutic lead drug molecules.