Entomotherapy as an alternative treatment for diseases due to Gram-negative bacteria in Burkina Faso.

Insects are known for their harmful effects. However, they also benefit humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems. Its beneficial uses include entomophagy and entomotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of insect extracts against Gram-negative bacteria. Antibacterial activities of thirteen crude extracts of medicinal insects were tested against twelve Gram-negative bacteria by diffusion on agar. Imipenem was used as an antibiotic for positive control. The thirteen extracts acted differently against certain Gram-negative bacteria. The largest inhibition diameter was for extracts of Cirina butyrospermi and Mylabris variabilis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853 and Salmonella enteritidis ATCC13076, respectively. The diameters of inhibition obtained using imipenem against these same bacterial strains were 13.0 ± 0.0 mm and 22 ± 1.0 mm, respectively. The lowest inhibition diameter (7.5 ± 0.0 mm) was obtained using Anopheles gambiae extract against Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC14028. Imipenem was active on all strains tested. The highest values of the index multi-resistance to insect's extracts were reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC9027 and Serratia odorifera 652411. Overall, the results of this study confirmed the antibacterial activities of insects used by traditional health practitioners to treat different pathologies. Entomotherapy could be an alternative treatment for certain infectious pathologies caused by gram-negative bacteria.

Phytopharmaceutical practices of traditional health practitioners in Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Traditional health practitioners constitute an important part of the health care system in Burkina Faso, particularly in the supply of traditional herbal medicines. Quality and safety of these medicines rely heavily on practices employed during their traditional development. However, traditional phytopharmaceutical practices are poorly described in Burkina Faso. This study aimed to describe the phytopharmaceutical practices of traditional medicine practitioners in Burkina Faso. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive ethno-pharmaceutical study, conducted from October 1 to November 30, 2020, among traditional practitioners in four randomly selected health districts: Nongr-Massom (Centre region), Tenkodogo (Centre-East region), Diapaga (East region) and Dafra (Hauts-Bassins region). An anonymous semi-structured face-to-face questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and data on raw materials and finished products. RESULTS: Sixty-seven (67) traditional health practitioners, aged 56 years on average, including a majority of men (72%), participated in the study. Gathering of wild medicinal plants was the main source of raw materials acquisition (51.5%), which were usually leaves (32.3%). These raw materials were usually sun-dried (43.9%) and packaged mostly in plastic bags (37.2%). They were derived from 60 plant species belonging to 33 botanical families. Fabaceae was the most represented family (18.7%) and Khaya senegalensis Juss. (Meliaceae) the most cited plant species (5.2%). The finished products had an average shelf life of 17 months and were usually prepared as a decoction (31.7%) and administered most often orally (71.4%). Gastrointestinal disorders were the main predictable adverse events of the finished products (54%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that THPs have important knowledge in the use of medicinal plants, but several shortcomings are observed in their phytopharmaceutical and plant protection practices. Continuous improvement of these practices, through education and training of traditional health practitioners, is essential for the conservation of plant biodiversity and quality assurance of traditional herbal medicines.

Use of traditional medicines among conventional medicine practitioners in Burkina Faso / Utilisation des médicaments traditionnels chez les praticiens de la médecine conventionnelle au Burkina Faso

INTRODUCTION: The integration of traditional medicine into biomedical health care practice is highly dependent on its acceptability by conventional medical practitioners. Its use by conventional practitioners was previously unknown in Burkina Faso. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of traditional medicine use and the frequency of occurrence of adverse events associated with this use among conventional medical practitioners in Burkina Faso. RESULTS: The majority of the practitioners surveyed were women (56.1%) and the average age was 39.7±7 years. Nurses (56.1%), midwives (31.4%) and physicians (8.2%) were the most represented professions. The prevalence of the use of traditional medicines in the 12 months preceding the survey was 75.6%. Malaria was the main medical reason for using traditional medicines (28%). The frequency of reported adverse events was 10% and mainly concerned gastrointestinal disorders (78.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of conventional medical practitioners in Burkina Faso use traditional medicines for their health problems. This finding suggests the effective integration of traditional medicine into biomedical health care practice which could benefit from good acceptability by these professionals.

Introduction: L'intégration de la médecine traditionnelle dans le système de santé moderne est fortement dépendante de son acceptabilité par les praticiens de ce système. Leur recours à la médecine traditionnelle était jusque-là méconnu au Burkina Faso. But de l'étude: Le but de cette étude était d'estimer la prévalence de l'utilisation des médicaments traditionnels et la fréquence de survenue des événements indésirables parmi les praticiens de santé conventionnels au Burkina Faso. Résultats: La majorité des praticiens enquêtés étaient des femmes (56,1 %) et l'âge moyen s'établissait à 39,7 ±7 ans. Les infirmiers (56,1 %), les sages-femmes (31,4 %) et les médecins (8,2 %) étaient les professions les plus représentées. La prévalence de l'utilisation de médicaments traditionnels durant les douze mois précédant l'enquête était de 75,6 %. Le paludisme apparaissait comme la principale raison médicale du recours aux médicaments traditionnels (28 %). La fréquence des événements indésirables rapportés s'élevait à 10 % et concernaient principalement des troubles gastro-intestinaux (78,3 %). Conclusions: Les praticiens de la médecine conventionnelle ont largement recours aux médicaments traditionnels. Cela suggère l'intégration effective de la médecine traditionnelle dans la pratique biomédicale des soins et la surveillance des risques associés à cette utilisation.

Current Status and Challenges of Pharmacovigilance of Traditional Medicines in French-Speaking West African (UEMOA) Countries.

BACKGROUND: West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) countries are characterised by a high prevalence of informal use of medicinal plants and traditional medicines by their population for health care, requiring the establishment of pharmacovigilance, in order to monitor the associated health risks. However, the state of implementation of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines in UEMOA countries is not known. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the state of implementation of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines in the eight UEMOA countries, describing the relevant community provisions, assessing the integration of traditional medicines monitoring into national pharmacovigilance systems and identifying related national challenges. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using questionnaires, conducted between 1 May and 31 August 2022. A face-to-face questionnaire was administered to officials responsible for the issue within UEMOA and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO). A second online questionnaire was specifically sent to the pharmacovigilance focal points of the eight UEMOA countries. Questionnaires were designed using the WHO indicators for pharmacovigilance. The face-to-face questionnaire collected two types of data, namely community policies and regulations on pharmacovigilance and technical and financial support from sub-regional organisations to countries. The online questionnaire sent to countries collected four categories of data on the study issue: structural data, process data, impact data and data on national challenges. RESULTS: As a community provision, WAHO has a harmonised regulatory framework for phytovigilance. The monitoring of traditional medicines is not effectively implemented in the pharmacovigilance systems of UEMOA countries. Only two reports of adverse events due to traditional medicines have so far been recorded in the Union. The countries have neither funding nor sufficient human resources for pharmacovigilance in general. Monitoring of traditional medicines in the unregulated market, training of stakeholders, risk communication, and integration of traditional health practitioners in reporting systems are the main challenges of countries for the development of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines. CONCLUSION: The effective compliance of WAHO's harmonised phytovigilance regulatory framework by UEMOA countries and addressing the challenges identified by the countries constitute the basis for the development of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines within UEMOA.

In Vitro Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties of Various E. senegalensis Extracts.

Although Erythrina senegalensis is a plant widely used in traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa, its biological properties have been poorly investigated to date. We first characterized by conventional reactions the composition of several stem bark extracts and evaluated in acellular and cellular assays their pro- or antioxidant properties supported by their high phenolic and flavonoid content, particularly with the methanolic extract. The pro- or antioxidant effects observed did not correlate with their IC50 concentrations against five cancer cell lines determined by MTT assay. Indeed, the CH2Cl2 extract and its ethyl acetate (EtOAc) subfraction appeared more potent although they harbored lower pro- or antioxidant effects. Nevertheless, at equipotent concentration, both extracts induced ER- and mitochondria-derived vacuoles observed by fluorescent microscopy that further led to non-apoptotic cell death. LC coupled to high resolution MS investigations have been performed to identify chemical compounds of the extracts. These investigations highlighted the presence of compounds formerly isolated from E. senegalensis including senegalensein that could be retrieved only in the EtOAc subfraction but also thirteen other compounds, such as 16:3-Glc-stigmasterol and hexadecanoic acid, whose anticancer properties have been previously reported. Nineteen other compounds remain to be identified. In conclusion, E. senegalensis appeared rich in compounds with antioxidant and anticancer properties, supporting its use in traditional practice and its status as a species of interest for further investigations in anticancer drug research.

Physical formulation approaches for improving aqueous solubility and bioavailability of ellagic acid: A review.

Ellagic acid (EA) is a polyphenolic active compound with antimalarial and other promising therapeutic activities. However, its solubility and its permeability are both low (BCS IV). These properties greatly compromise its oral bioavailability and clinical utilizations. To overcome these limitations of the physicochemical parameters, several formulation approaches, including particle size reduction, amorphization and lipid-based formulations, have been used. Although these strategies have not yet led to a clinical application, some of them have resulted in significant improvements in the solubility and bioavailability of EA. This critical review reports and analyses the different formulation approaches used by scientists to improve both the biopharmaceutical properties and the clinical use of EA.

Promotion de la medecine traditionnelle du Burkina Faso : essai de developpement d'un medicament antidrepanocytaire; le FACA

La recherche et le developpement de medicaments antidrepanocytaires est une priorite en Afrique; ou vivent la grande majorite des personnes souffrant de drepanocytoses. C'est dans ce sens que le FACA a ete developpe au Burkina Faso; a partir de la Medecine Traditionnelle et avec le soutien du bureau regional de l'OMS. Les proprietes antifalciformantes; anti-inflammatoires; antipyretiques et myorelaxantes ont ete evaluees. Il en est de meme de la toxicite. Les plantes composant le FACA; agissent en synergie contre les principaux symptomes de la crise drepanocytaire. Administre en evaluation clinique; le FACA est bien tolere et reduit de maniere significative; la frequence des crises. Apres son autorisation de mise sur le marche; le FACA fait maintenant l'objet d'une production industrielle

Synthesis and enzymatic degradation of epichlorohydrin cross-linked pectins.

The water solubility of pectin was successfully decreased by cross-linking with increasing amounts of epichlorohydrin in the reaction media. The initial molar ratios of epichlorohydrin/ galacturonic acid monomer in the reaction mixtures were 0, 0.37, 0.56, 0.74, 1.00, 1.47, and 2.44. The resulting epichlorohydrin cross-linked pectins were thus referred to as C-LP0, C-LP37, C-LP56, C-LP75, C-LP100, C-LP150, and C-LP250, respectively. Methoxylation degrees ranged from 60.5 +/- 0.9% to 68.0 +/- 0.6%, and the effective cross-linking degrees, determined by quantification of the hydroxyl anions consumed during the reaction, were 0, 17.8, 26.0, 38.3, 46.5, 53.5, and 58.7%. respectively. After incubating the different cross-linked pectins (0.5% w/v) in 25 mL of 0.05 M acetate-phosphate buffer (pH 4.5), containing 50 microL of Pectinex Ultra SP-L (pectinolytic enzymes), between 60 and 80% of the pectin osidic bounds were broken in less than 1 hr. Moreover, increasing the cross-linking degree only resulted in a weak slowing on the enzymatic degradation velocity.