Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro study on Aspilia pluriseta against prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Current prostate cancer treatments are associated with life-threatening side effects, prompting the search for effective and safer alternatives. Aspilia pluriseta Schweinf. ex Engl. has previously shown anticancer activity in lung and liver cancer cell lines. This study investigated its potential for prostate cancer. METHODS: A crude extract of A. pluriseta root was prepared using dichloromethane/methanol (1:1 v/v) and partitioned into hexane, ethyl acetate, and water fractions. The MTT assay was used to assess the antiproliferative activity of the fractions. The active fractions were tested at 6.25-200 µg/ml on human prostate cancer DU-145 cells and non-cancerous Vero E6 cells. Qualitative phytochemical and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses were conducted to identify chemical compounds. Network pharmacology was employed to predict molecular targets and modes of action of the identified chemical compounds, with subsequent validation through molecular docking and real-time PCR. RESULTS: Active extracts included crude dichloromethane/methanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate fractions, inhibiting DU-145 cell proliferation with IC50 values of 16.94, 20.06, and 24.14 µg/ml, respectively. Selectivity indices were determined to be 6.04 (crude), 3.62 (hexane), and 6.68 (ethyl acetate). Identified phytochemicals comprised phenols, terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, sterols, and saponins. GC-MS analysis revealed seventy-nine (79) compounds, with seven (7) meeting ideal drug candidate parameters; their hub gene targets included MAPK3, MAPK1, IL6, TP53, ESR1, PTGS2, MMP9, MDM2, AR, and MAP2K1, implicating regulation of PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and p53 signaling pathways as potential modes of action. Core compounds such as 1-heneicosanol, lanosterol, andrographolide, and retinoic acid exhibited strong binding activities, particularly lanosterol with MAPK21 (-9.7 kcal/mol), ESR1 (-8.9 kcal/mol), and MAPK3 (-8.8 kcal/mol). Treatment with A. pluriseta downregulated AR expression and upregulated p53, while also downregulating CDK1 and BCL-2 and upregulating caspase-3. CONCLUSIONS: A. pluriseta extracts inhibited DU-145 cell growth without causing cellular toxicity, suggesting great potential for development as an anti-prostate cancer agent. However, further in vitro and in vivo experiments are recommended.

Strain structure analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating among HIV negative, positive and drug resistant TB patients attending chest clinics in Western Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Despite global tuberculosis (TB) interventions, the disease remains one of the major public health concerns. Kenya is ranked 15th among 22 high burden TB countries globally. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Western Kenya, which comprises 10 counties. A multistage sampling method was used where a single sub-county was randomly selected followed by sampling two high volume health facility from each sub-county. Identification of spoligotype profiles and their family distribution and lineage level were achieved by comparison with SITVIT database. RESULTS: Lineage distribution pattern revealed that the most predominant lineage was CAS 220 (39.8%) followed by Beijing 128 (23.1%). The other lineages identified were T, LAM, H, X, S and MANU which were quantified as 87 (15.7%), 67 (12.1%), 16 (2.8%), 10 (1.8%), 8 (1.4%) and 5 (0.9%) respectively. CAS and Beijing strains were the most predominant lineage in both HIV negative and positive TB patients. The Beijing lineage was also the most predominant in resistant M. tuberculosis strains as compared to wild type. A total of 12 (2.0%) were orphaned M. tuberculosis strains which were spread across all the 10 counties of the study site. In multivariate logistic regression adjusting for potential cofounders three potential risk factors were significant. HIV status (OR = 1.52, CI = 0.29-3.68 and P value of 0.001), Alcohol use (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.43-3.12 and P-value =0.001) and cross border travel (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.49-3.87 and P value = 0.026). Most M. tuberculosis clinical isolates showed genetic clustering with multivariate logistic regression indicating three potential risk factors to clustering. HIV status (OR = 1.52, CI = 0.29-3.68 and P value of 0.001), Alcohol use (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.43-3.12 and P-value =0.001) and cross border travel (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.49-3.87 and P value = 0.026). CONCLUSION: There exist diverse strains of M. tuberculosis across the 10 counties of Western Kenya. Predominant distribution of clustered genotype points to the fact that most TB cases in this region are as a result of resent transmission other than activation of latent TB.

In vitro assessment and comparison of quality of alcohol-based hand rubs, pre- and peri-COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Kenya.

Background: In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Health Organization recommended the use of alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) to curb transmission, leading to increased production and use. This has posed a danger of production and use of poor-quality ABHRs. Methods: This study assessed and compared the quality of ABHRs in the Kenyan market that were produced before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Quality testing was carried out against European EN 1500:2013 and Kenyan EAS 789:2013 Standards and 20 samples analyzed for alcohol content by GC-FID. Results: The study found that 27.8% of the peri-COVID-19 pandemic sanitizers had less than 90% bactericidal reduction activity as compared to 12.5% manufactured pre-COVID-19 pandemic. Only 25% peri-COVID-19 pandemic ABHRs met the EAS 789:2013 acceptable limit of over 60% alcohol content. Product adulteration with methanol was found in 20 % of the samples with only 5% complying with FDA approval limit of <0.063% v/v methanol. Study found no correlation between the total alcohol content and the efficacy of ABHRs. Conclusions: The study found that more substandard products were produced during the pandemic. This raises a concern about possible emergence of alcohol resistant strains of microorganisms. The study therefore recommends an adequate quality monitoring system to curb against substandard products.

Household perception and infestation dynamics of bedbugs among residential communities and its potential distribution in Africa.

Bedbugs have experienced an extraordinary upsurge in the recent past across the world. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the community perception of the pest outbreaks, the population dynamics, and dispersal patterns under different habitat systems. A survey was conducted within communities in nine counties in Kenya, where geographical coordinates of the sites of bedbug presence were recorded and maximum entropy distribution modelling (MaxEnt) was used to map and predict the potentially suitable habitat, while system thinking and system dynamics approach with Vensim PLE 8.0.9 software was applied to implement bedbug infestation dynamics. Our results indicated that majority of the respondents had ample knowledge on bedbugs and were concerned about the physico-psychologic and socio-economic health effects. Spatial distribution analysis showed regions in Kenya with optimal to suitable for bedbug occurrence in the whole country, and similar results were found at continental level across Africa. Furthermore, infestation dynamics results showed a rapid mobility of bedbug from one house to another. In terms of management strategies, the models showed that the combination of chemical with other control methods was considerably much more effective compared to the use of chemical approach only, appointing integrated pest management strategy as a better intervention approach in controlling the pest.

Development of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Combined with Lateral Flow Dipstick Assay for a Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Cystic Echinococcosis in Livestock in Kenya.

Background: Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode stage of Echinococcus granulosus and occurs worldwide, causing considerable economic losses and public health problems. The currently available methods for the diagnosis of animal hydatidosis are time-consuming and require well-equipped laboratories which make them incompatible with testing in resource-poor settings. This study developed and evaluated a rapid, more sensitive, and specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick assay for the rapid and sensitive detection of cystic echinococcosis. Results: In this study, a specific primer set and FITC-labeled probe targeting the conserved region of the NADH-1 gene were designed. The LAMP reaction was performed at 60°C for 40 minutes, and the amplification products were successfully visualized by LFD strips. The analytical sensitivity of LAMP-LFD was determined using 10-fold serial dilutions of E. granulosus DNA. The minimal concentration detected was 10 fg/µl, and no cross-reactivity was observed with DNA extracted from Taenia solium, Taenia saginata, and Fasciola hepatica. The ability of the developed LAMP-LFD assay to detect cystic echinococcosis was further evaluated with 62 cyst samples from slaughtered cattle in Juja Abattoir, Kiambu County, Kenya. The LAMP-LFD was able to detect 59/62 (95.2%, 95% CI 0.87-0.98) as positive samples of E. granulosus compared to 53/62 (85.5%, 95% CI 0.75-0.92) by nested PCR assay. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the developed LAMP-LFD technique was more sensitive than the nested PCR assay, rapid, and easy to perform with a simple visual detection of products. Therefore, it could be an important point-of-care diagnostic tool for cystic echinococcosis.

Carica papaya Leaf Extract Silver Synthesized Nanoparticles Inhibit Dengue Type 2 Viral Replication In Vitro.

The current global occurrence of dengue infection annually is approximately 400 million, with a case fatality rate of 2.5%. However, there are no antiviral agents. Carica papaya leaf extract is known for its medicinal value, due to the presence of organic compounds that possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. This study determined the anti-dengue effect of C. papaya leaf extract silver synthesized nanoparticles. In this study, aqueous and non-aqueous extractions were carried out, followed by the synthesis of silver nanoparticles as well as characterization through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro anti-dengue effect was evaluated using a focus reduction neutralization test on kidney Vero E2 cell lines. In silico studies involved molecular docking to determine the potential interactions between the bioactive compounds in C. papaya leaf extract and the viral NS5 protein. C. papaya leaf methanol extract silver synthesized nanoparticle was the most promising with an IC50 of 9.20 µg/mL. Molecular docking showed 5,7 dimethoxycoumarin as the best ligand, with binding energy of -7.75 kcal/mol, indicating high affinity for the NS5 protein. These results highlight that C. papaya leaf methanol extract silver synthesized nanoparticles could be used to inhibit dengue virus type 2 viral replication. However, we recommend further studies to determine their toxicity and the safety profiles.