Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of fractions and compound from Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.).

Medicinal plants have been documented over the years to play vital role in promoting human health. The study evaluated the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities of different fractions and isolated compound from Ricinodendron heudelotii leaves. The leaves of Ricinodendron heudelotii were extracted with ethanol and further partitioned sequentially using petroleum ether, ethylacetate and butanol. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethylacetate fraction was done using repeated column chromatographic technique while the structural elucidation of pure compound was carried out using mass spectra, 13C and 1H NMR analyses. Antioxidant potential of the fractions and isolated compound were evaluated with 2,2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assays and anti-inflammatory effect of fractions was measured by their inhibitory potency on nitric oxide (NO). Corilagin, an amorphous tannin was isolated and structurally elucidated. Corilagin showed scavenging effect against ABTS and DPPH radicals which vary in a dose dependent manner. It also showed an antioxidant potential with IC50 value of 0.003 mg/mL comparable to vitamin C 0.001 mg/mL) used as standard. The butanol and ethylacetate fractions exhibited significant (p < 0.05) NO inhibition of 60 and 69% respectively after treatment of RAW 264.7 macrophages with lipopolysaccharide. These results demonstrated the role of isolated corilagin as a promising potent antioxidant while the ethylacetate and butanol fractions suppressed the expression of an inflammation mediator by inhibiting nitric oxide.

Gene Expression Profiling Analysis Reveals Putative Phytochemotherapeutic Target for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men globally, with castration development resistant contributing significantly to treatment failure and death. By analyzing the differentially expressed genes between castration-induced regression nadir and castration-resistant regrowth of the prostate, we identified soluble guanylate cyclase 1 subunit alpha as biologically significant to driving castration-resistant prostate cancer. A virtual screening of the modeled protein against 242 experimentally-validated anti-prostate cancer phytochemicals revealed potential drug inhibitors. Although, the identified four non-synonymous somatic point mutations of the human soluble guanylate cyclase 1 gene could alter its form and ligand binding ability, our analysis identified compounds that could effectively inhibit the mutants together with wild-type. Of the identified phytochemicals, (8'R)-neochrome and (8'S)-neochrome derived from the Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) showed the highest binding energies against the wild and mutant proteins. Our results identified the neochromes and other phytochemicals as leads in pharmacotherapy and as nutraceuticals in management and prevention of castration-resistance prostate cancers.

Cytotoxic Effects of Compounds Isolated from Ricinodendron heudelotii.

This study was designed to explore the in vitro anticancer effects of the bioactive compounds isolated from Ricinodendron heudelotii on selected cancer cell lines. The leaves of the plant were extracted with ethanol and partitioned in sequence with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The ethyl acetate fraction was phytochemically studied using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography (CC). Structural elucidation of pure compounds obtained from the ethyl acetate fraction was done using mass spectra, ¹H-NMR, and 13C-NMR analysis. The isolated compounds were subsequently screened using five different cancer cell lines: HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7, SW-480, and normal lung epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B, to assess their cytotoxic effects. Nine compounds were isolated and structurally elucidated as gallic acid, gallic acid ethyl ester, corilagin, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside, 1,4,6-tri-O-galloyl glucose, 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl glucose, 1,2,6-tri-O-galloyl glucose, and 4,6-di-O-galloyl glucose. Corilagin exhibited the most cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 33.18 µg/mL against MCF-7 cells, which were comparable to cisplatin with an IC50 value of 27.43 µg/mL. The result suggests that corilagin isolated from R. heudelotii has the potential to be developed as an effective therapeutic agent against the growth of breast cancer cells.

Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Studies on Fruit-Skin Ethanol Extract of Annona muricata.

Uncontrolled cell proliferation hallmarks cancer and most cancer cells have developed multiple resistance to the drugs employed for their treatment. The study examined the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of the fruit-skin ethanol extract of Annona muricata Linn. (ESA) and its effect on rat liver mitochondrial membrane permeability transition (MMPT). Qualitative phytochemical study and antioxidant assays were carried out following established protocols while the opening of the MMPT pore in the presence of varying concentrations of the extract was assayed spectrophotometrically under succinate-energized conditions. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) and spermine were used to trigger and inhibit pore opening respectively. Cytochrome c release was assayed for using ELISA kit. Terpenoids, steroids, phenols among other phytochemicals were found present in ESA and the extract showed very low antioxidant properties at the tested concentrations based on the diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay. Lipid peroxidation was induced in a concentration-dependent manner on both the cytosolic and mitochondrial hepatocyte fractions in vitro. In the absence of CaCl2 0.84 mg/mL concentration of ESA induced MMPT pore opening by 129% while the extracts showed no inhibitory activity in its presence. The induction fold corresponded with the concentrations of cytochrome c released. The fruit-skin ethanol extract of Annona muricata at certain concentrations may possibly contain bioactive compounds that induce apoptosis.

An Estimate of the Incidence of Prostate Cancer in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is rated the second most common cancer and sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among men globally. Reports show that African men suffer disproportionately from PCa compared to men from other parts of the world. It is still quite difficult to accurately describe the burden of PCa in Africa due to poor cancer registration systems. We systematically reviewed the literature on prostate cancer in Africa and provided a continent-wide incidence rate of PCa based on available data in the region. METHODS: A systematic literature search of Medline, EMBASE and Global Health from January 1980 to June 2015 was conducted, with additional search of Google Scholar, International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and WHO African region websites, for studies that estimated incidence rate of PCa in any African location. Having assessed quality and consistency across selected studies, we extracted incidence rates of PCa and conducted a random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Our search returned 9766 records, with 40 studies spreading across 16 African countries meeting our selection criteria. We estimated a pooled PCa incidence rate of 22.0 (95% CI: 19.93-23.97) per 100,000 population, and also reported a median incidence rate of 19.5 per 100,000 population. We observed an increasing trend in PCa incidence with advancing age, and over the main years covered. CONCLUSION: Effective cancer registration and extensive research are vital to appropriately quantifying PCa burden in Africa. We hope our findings may further assist at identifying relevant gaps, and contribute to improving knowledge, research, and interventions targeted at prostate cancer in Africa.

Correlation between body mass index and waist circumference in nigerian adults: implication as indicators of health status.

BACKGROUND: Anthropometric measures have been widely used for body weight classification in humans. Waist circumference has been advanced as a useful parameter for measuring adiposity. This study evaluated the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference and examined their significance as indicators of health status in adults. DESIGN AND METHODS: The subject included 489 healthy adults from Ota, Nigeria, aged between 20 and 75 years, grouped into early adulthood (20-39 years), middle adulthood (40-59 years) and advanced adulthood (60 years and above). Weight, height and abdominal circumference were measured. BMI was calculated as weight kg/height2 (m2) and World Health Organization cut-offs were used to categorize them into normal, underweight, overweight and obese. RESULTS: Abnormal weight categories accounted for 60 % of the subjects (underweight 11 %, overweight 31%, and obese 18%). The waist circumference of overweight and obese categories were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the normal weight category. There was no significant difference between waist circumference of underweight and normal subjects. The correlation coefficient values of BMI with waist circumference (r=0.63), body weight (r=0.76) and height (r=-0.31) were significant (P<0.01) for the total subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that waist circumference can serve as a positive indicator of overweight and obesity in the selected communities; however, it may not be used to determine underweight in adults. Regular BMI and waist circumference screening is recommended as an easy and effective means of assessing body weight and in the prevention of weight related diseases in adults. Significance for public healthThis manuscript describes the correlation between body mass index, waist circumference and body weight of two communities in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria and the use of these anthropometric measures for body weight classification in human populations of the selected communities. This was carried out to evaluate the health status of the indigenes of the two communities for proper health awareness and public health intervention programmes.