In vivo toxicity, anti-hyperlipidaemic, antioxidant and anti-atherogenic activities of 'LIPO A' A traditional herbal product in rodents.

Hyperlipidemia accounts for about 17 million deaths worldwide each year. High cost and side effects have limited the use of conventional anti-lipidaemic agents in some cases, majority of whom resort to traditional medicine. The current research focused on validating the safety and efficacy of a herbal product, 'LIPO A' used in the management of hyperlipidaemia. Induction of hyperlipidaemia was achieved by oral administration of 3 mL of cholesterol in coconut oil for 4 weeks in male Sprague Dawley rats with water available as 40 % sucrose. Subsequently, the animals were treated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the product 'LIPO A' for 4 additional weeks with atorvastatin as reference drug (at 2 mg/kg body weight). Blood samples were taken for serum biochemistry and atherogenic ratios were then calculated. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, total antioxidant capacity, physicochemical and phytochemical analysis were also carried out using standard methods. Treatment resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in total cholesterol with maximum reduction of 46.01 % at 400 mg/kg compared to atorvastatin with 49.30 %. There were significant changes in the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c/HDL-c) and Total Cholesterol (TC/HDL-c) ratios which measures the atherogenic and coronary risk indices respectively. Acute and subacute toxicity studies did not reveal any signs of toxicity. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint revealed six well resolved peaks with two prominent compounds with retention times 24.88 and 23.95 min, which could serve as quality control markers for the product. The herbal product showed considerable antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant actions in rodent models and lend credence to its use in traditional medicine for hyperlipidaemia.

Antimalarial Properties of Sida cordifolia L. Leaf Extract in Mice: Survivability Depends Less on Parasitaemia Suppression.

Sida cordifolia has been used to treat malaria in Ghana albeit without scientific evidence of antimalarial activity and safety. This work aimed to assess the antimalarial properties and acute toxicity of the aqueous leaf extract of S. cordifolia in murine models. Aqueous extract of the plant was analysed for both suppressive and curative antimalarial properties in chloroquine-sensitive ANKA strains of rodent Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Acute toxicity evaluation was performed in rats according to the OECD 425 guidelines. The extract displayed antiplasmodial activity in vivo with ED50 of 117.49 ± 15.22 mg/kg and 144.84 ± 18.17 mg/kg in suppressive and curative studies, respectively. The highest % parasitaemia suppression exerted was 76.90 ± 0.64% and 61.50 ± 0.97%, respectively, in the suppressive and curative studies. Survival of infected mice treated with the extract was significantly prolonged. This was dependent on the dose of the extract but imperfectly related to the % parasitaemia suppression. Related antimalarial parameters including percentage hematocrit, changes in body weight, and temperature of experimental mice indicated alleviation of malarial symptoms of treated animals. The extract did not show toxicity in rats. Sida cordifolia L. has antimalarial properties, and was safe. It suppressed parasitaemia in both suppressive and curative studies, was not toxic to animals and prolonged the life of infected animals under treatment. This, therefore, justifies the traditional use of S. cordifolia for the treatment of malaria in Ghana.

Antibacterial, Resistance Modulation, Anti-Biofilm Formation, and Efflux Pump Inhibition Properties of Loeseneriella africana (Willd.) N. Halle (Celastraceae) Stem Extract and Its Constituents.

This study investigated the antibacterial, resistance modulation, biofilm inhibition, and efflux pump inhibition potentials of Loeseneriella africana stem extract and its constituents. The antimicrobial activity was investigated by the high-throughput spot culture growth inhibition (HT-SPOTi) and broth microdilution assays. The resistance modulation activity was investigated using the anti-biofilm formation and efflux pump inhibition assays. Purification of the extract was carried out by chromatographic methods, and the isolated compounds were characterized based on nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared and mass spectrometry spectral data and comparison with published literature. The whole extract, methanol, ethyl acetate, and pet-ether fractions of L. africana all showed antibacterial activity against the test bacteria with MICs ranging from 62.5 to 500.0 µg/mL The whole extract demonstrated resistance modulation effect through strong biofilm inhibition and efflux pump inhibition activities against S. aureus ATCC 25923, E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Chromatographic fractionation of the ethyl acetate fraction resulted in the isolation of a triterpenoid (4S,4αS,6αR,6ßS,8αS,12αS,12ßR,14αS,14ßR)-4,4α,6ß,8α,11,11,12ß,14α-Octamethyloctadecahydropicene-1,3(2H,4H)-dione) and a phytosterol (ß-sitosterol). These compounds showed antibacterial activity against susceptible bacteria at a MIC range of 31-125 µg/mL and potentiated the antibacterial activity of amoxicillin (at » MIC of compounds) against E. coli and P. aeruginosa with modulation factors of 32 and 10, respectively. These compounds also demonstrated good anti-biofilm formation effect at a concentration range of 3-100 µg/mL, and bacterial efflux pump inhibition activity at ½ MIC and » MIC against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Loeseneriella africana stem bark extracts and constituents elicit considerable antibacterial, resistance modulation, and biofilm and efflux pump inhibition activities. The results justify the indigenous uses of L. africana for managing microbial infections.