Innocent Pierre Guissou

Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Waltheria indica L. (syn. Waltheria americana): a review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Waltheria indica L. (syn. Waltheria americana) is commonly used in traditional medicine in Africa, South America and Hawaii, mainly against pain, inflammation, conditions of inflammation, diarrhea, dysentery, conjunctivitis, wounds, abscess, epilepsy, convulsions, anemia, erectile dysfunctions, bladder ailments and asthma. Aim of the review to provide an up-to-date overview of the botany, phytochemistry, traditional uses, pharmacological activities and toxicity data of Waltheria indica. Additionally, studies providing an evidence for local and traditional uses of Waltheria indica are discussed. Further phytochemical and pharmacological potential of this species are suggested for future investigations. MATERIALS AND METHODS The information was collected from scientific journals, books, theses and reports via academic libraries and electronic search. These sources include Pubmed, Web of Science, Portal de Portales-Latindex, Science Research.com and Google scholar. These studies about the medical botanical, traditional uses, chemical, pharmacological and toxicological data on Waltheria indica were published in English, Portuguese, Spanish, German and French. RESULTS Crude extracts and isolated compounds from Waltheria indica were investigated and showed analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anti-anemic, anti-oxidant, sedative and anticonvulsant activities. The phytochemical investigations showed the presence of cyclopeptid alkaloids, flavonoids (e.g., (-)-epicatechin, quercetin, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O-β-d-(6″-E-p-coumaryl)-glucopyranoside), tannins, sterols, terpenes, saponins, anthraquinones. Studies of acute toxicity in animal indicated that Waltheria indica can be toxic. CONCLUSION Waltheria indica possess therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammation, malaria, infectious diseases (e.g., lungs infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, diarrhea due to Candida albicans or Escherichia coli) and prevention of oxidative stress. Further studies are necessary to explore pure compounds responsible for the pharmacological effects and the mechanisms of action. Further investigations are also needed to provide an evidence base for traditional uses of this species against pain, anemia, convulsions and epilepsy. In addition, there is a pressing need to investigate the other traditional uses such as dysentery, syphilis, erectile dysfunctions and asthma.

An Overview of Cancer Chemopreventive Potential and Safety of Proanthocyanidins

Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. Over two-thirds of cancer-related deaths could most probably be prevented through lifestyle modification, particularly through dietary means. Proanthocyanidins (PAs), the most abundant polyphenolic substances after lignin in the plant kingdom, have been widely investigated for their chemopreventive potential. The PAs literature has, however, been mostly concerned with positive cardiovascular activities, and recent reviews about cancer chemoprevention are scarce. The present review highlights a series of in vitro and in vivo studies indicating (1) that PAs can act as anticarcinogenic agents through their antioxidant, apoptosis-inducing, immuno-modulating, and/or enzyme modulating properties, effects on epigenetics; and (2) that PAs could be particularly safe dietary compounds. These convergent data encourage further research to better understand the many aspects of cancer chemoprevention by PAs.

5(6)-Carboxyfluorescein diacetate as an indicator of Caenorhabditis elegans viability for the development of an in vitro anthelmintic drug assay

A new in vitro assay for anthelmintic activity using Caenorhabditis elegans is based on the ability of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) to indicate the worms viability. It is shown for the first time that the treatment of a suspension of worms with a solution of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (4.2%) for 30min transiently induces fluorescence in dead worms only, allowing a fast and efficient determination of the proportion of dead worms by fluorescence microscopy. The proposed test has been validated using mixtures of populations of living and killed C. elegans and proved to be selective, linear in the range 0-100%, accurate and precise. The suitability of the assay to detect anthelmintic activity was then evaluated by studying the toxicity against C. elegans of a series of known anthelmintic compounds (mebendazole, levamisole, niclosamide, pyrantel, piperazine, and thiabendazole) with various modes of action. The worms were exposed to each drug at two concentrations, 50 and 100microg/ml for piperazine, niclosamide, pyrantel and 5 and 10microg/ml for the others. We observed that, in the tested range of doses, piperazine and niclosamide were only moderately toxic, yielding 13.1 and 17.5% of dead worms; due to their mode of action and/or specificity, the low toxicity of these compounds was as expected. The marked activities of all the other compound fully agree with those described in the literature and obtained by other more laborious techniques. These validation data indicate that the proposed in vitro anthelmintic assay using 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate allows for sensitive measurement of worm viability.

Mutagenic effect, antioxidant and anticancer activities of six medicinal plants from Burkina Faso

The antiproliferative activities of six medicinal plant extracts from Burkina Faso were evaluated in order to justify their traditional use for the treatment of cancer. The SOS chromotest method was used in vitro on Escherichia coli PQ37 to evaluate the mutagenic effect of the plant extracts. The DPPH method was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of each plant. The antiproliferative activity was evaluated by MTS method on normal cells (Vero and MCR5) and cancer cells (KB) in contact with the extracts for 72 h. The results showed that the studied plants are not genotoxic. Lantana ukambensis and Acacia macrostachya induced a very significant antiproliferative effect against cancer cells with 94% and 95%, respectively. They also developed a strong antioxidant activity. The IC50 values were 5.96 ± 0.40 µg mL−1 for L. ukambensis and 4.30 ± 0.26 µg mL−1 for A. macrostachya. These two plants are therefore potential sources for isolating new antioxidant and anticancer molecules.

The topical antiinflammatory effect of chloroform extract from Khaya senegalensis stem barks

The croton oil‐induced mice ear oedema test was used to study the topical antiinflammatory effects of petroleum ether and chloroform extracts of Khaya senegalensis stem barks. It was found that these fractions exhibited dose‐dependent inhibitory effects. The chloroform extract activity was closely related to that of indomethacin used as standard, was more active than the petroleum ether extract and played a pivotal role in the topical antiinflammatory effect of Khaya senegalensis stem barks.

STAT3 Serine 727 Phosphorylation: A Relevant Target to Radiosensitize Human Glioblastoma

Radiotherapy is an essential component of glioma standard treatment. Glioblastomas (GBM), however, display an important radioresistance leading to tumor recurrence. To improve patient prognosis, there is a need to radiosensitize GBM cells and to circumvent the mechanisms of resistance caused by interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment. STAT3 has been identified as a therapeutic target in glioma because of its involvement in mechanisms sustaining tumor escape to both standard treatment and immune control. Here, we studied the role of STAT3 activation on tyrosine 705 (Y705) and serine 727 (S727) in glioma radioresistance. This study explored STAT3 phosphorylation on Y705 (pSTAT3‐Y705) and S727 (pSTAT3‐S727) in glioma cell lines and in clinical samples. Radiosensitizing effect of STAT3 activation down‐modulation by Gö6976 was explored. In a panel of 15 human glioma cell lines, we found that the level of pSTAT3‐S727 was correlated to intrinsic radioresistance. Moreover, treating GBM cells with Gö6976 resulted in a highly significant radiosensitization associated to a concomitant pSTAT3‐S727 down‐modulation only in GBM cell lines that exhibited no or weak pSTAT3‐Y705. We report the constitutive activation of STAT3‐S727 in all GBM clinical samples. Targeting pSTAT3‐S727 mainly in pSTAT3‐Y705‐negative GBM could be a relevant approach to improve radiation therapy.

Étude des activités anti-inflammatoire, analgésique et antipyrétique des décoctés aqueux des feuilles et des racines de Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (Fabaceae)

RésuméPterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (Fabaceae) est une plante médicinale utilisée dans la prise en charge de nombreuses pathologies dont les maladies à composante inflammatoire. L’objectif du travail était d’étudier les effets anti-inflammatoire, analgésique et antipyrétique des décoctés aqueux des feuilles et des écorces de racines de Pterocarpus erinaceus afin de valoriser son utilisation en médecine traditionnelle. Aux doses de 200, 400 et 600 mg/kg, les décoctés aqueux des feuilles et des écorces de racines ont réduit significativement l’œdème de la patte de la souris induit par la carragénine et les contractions abdominales produites par l’injection de l’acide acétique chez la souris. Les deux extraits ont inhibé les deux phases de douleur produites par la solution de formaldéhyde. L’hyperthermie chez la souris induite par la levure de bière a été réduite par les deux décoctés aqueux, cet effet reste cependant plus marqué pour les feuilles que les racines. Le criblage phytochimique des extraits a permis de mettre en évidence la présence de tanins et polyphénols, de flavonoïdes, de saponosides, de triterpènes et stéroïdes, qui pourraient être responsables des propriétés pharmacologiques.AbstractPterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of several diseases including inflammatory diseases. The aim of this work was to carry out the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of aqueous decoction of the leaves and roots barks of Pterocarpus erinaceus in order to enhance its use in folk medicine. At 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg aqueous decoctions of leaves and roots bark significantly reduced edema induced by carrageenan and writhing produced by acetic acid injection. These extracts inhibited both phases of pain induced by formaldehyde injection. Hyperthermia induced by the yeast was reduced by aqueous decoction of leaves and roots bark but leaves aqueous decoction showed more strong activity than roots bark. Phytochemical screening of extracts allowed the identification of tannins/polyphenols, flavonois, saponins, triterpènes and steroids, which may responsible for pharmacological properties.

Modulatory activities of Agelanthus dodoneifolius (Loranthaceae) extracts on stimulated equine neutrophils and myeloperoxidase activity

Agelanthus dodoneifolius DC Danser (Loranthaceae) is used for the treatment of various diseases including asthma. The aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts have been reported to have anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic and bronchorelaxant activities. The present study investigates the effects of the aqueous decoction and the diethyl ether, ethyl acetate and butanolic fractions of Agelanthus dodoneifolius DC Danser (Loranthaceae) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and myeloperoxidase (MPO) release by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-stimulated equine neutrophils and on purified equine MPO activity. ROS production and MPO release by the PMA-stimulated neutrophils were measured by the lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence and ELISA assays, respectively. Specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection (SIEFED) was used to specifically measure the equine MPO activity. Identification and quantification of the individual and total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were performed using UPLC-MS/MS equipment and colorimetric methods involving Folin-Ciocalteu and AlCl₃, respectively. All the tested extracts displayed dose-dependent inhibitory effects on the oxidant activities of neutrophils; a stronger effect was observed with the organic fractions than the aqueous decoction. These findings could be correlated with a high content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The results confirm the previously shown anti-inflammatory effect of Agelanthus dodoneifolius and its potential use for the treatment of neutrophil-dependent inflammatory diseases.

Médecine traditionnelle et maladies des reins au Burkina Faso

Kidney diseases are becoming public health problem worldwide, particularly in Africa. Kidney symptoms are frequent in African population witch have recourse to traditional medicine for primary cares. For a better knowledge of medicinal plants used for the treatment of kidney symptoms, we conducted a prospective study from January to March 2007 to collect the opinion of traditional healers in the area of three towns (Ouagadougou, Ziniare, Fada NGourma) of Burkina Faso. Thirty traditional healers were interrogated and results showed that they had limited knowledge on the kidney, urine origin (70% do not know it) and kidney diseases symptoms. Eighty-three percent of traditional healers found that the origin of kidney symptoms was related to food supplementation. We identify 61 medicinal plants related to 30 families and 51 genders. Combretum micranthum, Chrysantellum americanum and Tamarindus indica were the most frequent species plants under use. This traditional use is justified par bibliographic data on few plants. In conclusion, although traditional healers have limited knowledge on kidney, they continue to provide medicinal plants to treat kidney symptoms. There is a great need, in Burkina Faso, for studies to define the medicinal plants inventory, their evaluation use, and their effects on the kidneys diseases.

Prescription drugs among pregnant women in Lome, Togo, West Africa

ObjectiveTo assess the trends in prescription drugs and the potential repercussions to newborns among pregnant women who attended prenatal consultations and gave birth in the Department of Gynaecology of Tokoin’s University Hospital, Lome (Togo).MethodsA retrospective study of the registers of prenatal visits and deliveries of the eligible population was performed.ResultsIn total, 184 different drugs were prescribed to 627 pregnant women attending prenatal consultations. The profile of pharmacotherapeutic groups prescribed was: anti-anaemics (33.33%), antimalarial drugs (24.75%), vitamins ± mineral salts, amino acids and appetite stimulants (14.96%) and antispasmodics and anti-emetics (7.22%). The median proportion of prescriptions for each pharmacotherapeutic group increased significantly from the first to third trimester (9.72, 25.17 and 64.00 respectively; P < 0.05). The median number of drugs prescribed did not vary significantly (P = 0.051) with the age groups, parity (P = 0.068) or obstetrical–gynaecological history (P = 0.401); it did, however, increase significantly with the medical–surgical history (P < 0.05). There were complications associated with deliveries that had no obvious cause related to drug prescription, including four cases of minor defects, 28 stillborns, 65 cases of low birth weight and 27 hospitalised newborns for neonatal diseases. Some interventions were needed for safeguarding the health of the mother, the foetus and the newborn.ConclusionThe trends in obtaining prescription drugs and the consumption of drugs by pregnant women can be assessed using multiple parameters. We limited our study to age groups, gestational age, parity and the medical history of the pregnant woman, profile of pharmacotherapeutic groups, median number of drugs prescribed and the potential risks of the drugs used. The results of our retrospective study were not alarming in terms of neonatal outcomes.