In silico modeling revealed phytomolecules derived from Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) leaf extract as promising candidates for malaria therapy.

The emergence of varying levels of resistance to currently available antimalarial drugs significantly threatens global health. This factor heightens the urgency to explore bioactive compounds from natural products with a view to discovering and developing newer antimalarial drugs with novel mode of actions. Therefore, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of sixteen phytocompounds from Cymbopogon citratus leaf extract against Plasmodium falciparum drug targets such as P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP), P. falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (PfMSP1) and P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). In silico approaches including molecular docking, pharmacophore modeling and 3D-QSAR were adopted to analyze the inhibitory activity of the compounds under consideration. The molecular docking results indicated that a compound swertiajaponin from C. citratus exhibited a higher binding affinity (-7.8 kcal/mol) to PfMSP1 as against the standard artesunate-amodiaquine (-6.6 kcal/mol). Swertiajaponin also formed strong hydrogen bond interactions with LYS29, CYS30, TYR34, ASN52, GLY55 and CYS28 amino acid residues. In addition, quercetin another compound from C. citratus exhibited significant binding energies -6.8 and -8.3 kcal/mol with PfCSP and PfEMP1, respectively but slightly lower than the standard artemether-lumefantrine with binding energies of -7.4 kcal/mol against PfCSP and -8.7 kcal/mol against PfEMP1. Overall, the present study provides evidence that swertiajaponin and other phytomolecules from C. citratus have modulatory properties toward P. falciparum drug targets and thus may warrant further exploration in early drug discovery efforts against malaria. Furthermore, these findings lend credence to the folkloric use of C. citratus for malaria treatment.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Therapeutic potential of rutin in male infertility: A mini review.

Male infertility has become a problem worldwide, and recent research has emphasized the development of more effective therapy options. Among natural compounds, rutin has been widely studied for its potential to treat dysfunction related to male infertility, including a reduction in sperm quality, spermatogenesis disruption and structural disruption in the testis. A thorough review of scientific literature published in several databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus, was used to synthesize the present state of research on the role of rutin in male reproductive health. Rutin has been shown to possess antiapoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, among others, which are crucial in the management of male infertility. Numerous investigations have shown that rutin protects against male infertility and have explored the underlying mechanisms involved. The present review, therefore, assesses the therapeutic mechanisms involved in male infertility treatment using rutin. Rutin was able to mitigate the induced oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and related physiological processes that can cause testicular dysfunction. Please cite this article as: Rotimi DE, Elebiyo TC, Ojo OA. Therapeutic potential of rutin in male infertility: A mini review. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 130-135.

Chemical fingerprinting, comparative in vitro antioxidant properties, and biochemical effects of ginger and bitterleaf infusion.

Botanicals with remarkable pharmacological properties include Zingiber officinale Roscoe [Zingiberaceae] (ginger) and Gymnanthemum amygdalinum (Delie) Sch. Bip [Asteraceae] (bitterleaf). The plants are frequently used as teas and decoctions, and have been studied in the treatment of various illnesses. Thus, this study investigated the in vitro antioxidant activities and chemical fingerprints of ginger and bitter leaf infusions separately and as a combination. In addition, we assessed the effects of the tea infusions on rat liver and kidney indices. The findings from this study showed that the bitterleaf infusion had the highest phenolic content (21.77 ± 3.140 µg gallic acid equivalent/mg) in comparison with that of ginger (15.17 ± 1.50 µg gallic acid equivalent/mg) and their combination (8.81 ± 0.48 µg gallic acid equivalent/mg). The ginger infusion had the highest flavonoid content (547.15 ± 1.17 µg quercetin equivalent/mg), which was preceded by bitterleaf (473.02 ± 10.48 µg quercetin equivalent/mg) and the ginger and bitterleaf infusion (415.08 ± 4.15 µg quercetin equivalent/mg). Furthermore, our results showed that the tea infusions had no significant effect on the liver function indices (ALT and AST) compared to the control. In contrast, the rat plasma urea significantly increased in the groups given bitterleaf and a combination of ginger and bitterleaf infusions, while creatinine significantly decreased in the group that received the combined form of the infusion. The GC-MS analysis of ginger and bitterleaf infusions revealed that n-hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, and ergosterol were most abundant in the bitterleaf infusion. At the same time, gingerol, 2-butanone, and 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) were the most abundant in the ginger infusion. Together, the findings are not only evidence in support of the medicinal value of these plants but also reinforce their prospects as nutriceuticals.

Zingiber officinale and Vernonia amygdalina Infusions Improve Redox Status in Rat Brain.

The study investigated the effects of Zingiber officinale root and Vernonia amygdalina leaf on the brain redox status of Wistar rats. Twenty-four (24) rats weighing 160 ± 20 g were randomly assigned into four (4) groups, each with six (6) rats. Animals in Group 1 (control) were orally administered distilled water (1 mL), while the test groups were orally administered 5 mg/mL of either Z. officinale, V. amygdalina infusion, or a combination of both, respectively, for 7 days. The rats were sacrificed at the end of treatments and blood and tissue were harvested and prepared for biochemical assays. Results showed that administration of V. amygdalina and Z. officinale, as well as their coadministration, reduced the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in rat brain tissue compared with the control group. Conversely, coadministration of V. amygdalina and Z. officinale increased the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in rat brain tissue compared with the control group. However, the administration of the infusions singly, as well as the combination of both infusions, did not have any effect on the rat brain levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) antioxidant enzymes compared to the control. Taken together, the findings indicate that the V. amygdalina and Z. officinale tea infusions have favorable antioxidant properties in the rat brain. The findings are confirmatory and contribute to deepening our understanding of the health-promoting effects of V. amygdalina and Z. officinale tea infusions.