Investigation of the antimycobacterial activity of African medicinal plants combined with chemometric analysis to identify potential leads.

The emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is a threat to global health necessitating the discovery of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Natural products drug discovery, which previously led to the discovery of rifamycins, is a valuable approach in this endeavor. Against this backdrop, we set out to investigate the in vitro antimycobacterial properties of medicinal plants from Ghana and South Africa, evaluating 36 extracts and their 252 corresponding solid phase extraction (SPE) generated fractions primarily against the non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium aurum species.

Antibacterial, Resistance Modulation, Anti-Biofilm Formation, and Efflux Pump Inhibition Properties of (Willd.) N. Halle (Celastraceae) Stem Extract and Its Constituents.

This study investigated the antibacterial, resistance modulation, biofilm inhibition, and efflux pump inhibition potentials of stem extract and its constituents. The antimicrobial activity was investigated by the high-throughput spot culture growth inhibition (HT-SPOTi) and broth microdilution assays. The resistance modulation activity was investigated using the anti-biofilm formation and efflux pump inhibition assays.

Pyridine-N-Oxide Alkaloids from and Their Synthetic Disulfide Analogs as Potential Drug Candidates against : A Molecular Docking, QSBAR, and ADMET Prediction Approach.

In this study, we consider pyridine-N-oxide alkaloids from and their synthetic disulfide analogs (PDAs) as candidates for next-generational antimycobacterial agents, in light of growing resistance to existing conventional therapies. studies involving molecular docking simulations of 12 PDAs were carried out against 7 target proteins (MTs) to determine their theoretical binding affinities. Compounds A3, A6, and B9 demonstrated stronger binding affinities on similar MTs.

The Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of , , and : 'Talented' Taxa from the Amaryllidaceae.

Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera , , and biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects.

Clinical characteristics of external bacterial ocular and periocular infections and their antimicrobial treatment patterns among a Ghanaian ophthalmic population.

Empirical antimicrobial therapy is linked to a surge in antimicrobial resistant infections. However, an insight on the bacteria etiology of ocular infections is essential in the appropriation of choice of antimicrobial among clinicians, yet there remains a dearth of data from Ghana. We investigated the bacteria etiology of external ocular and periocular infections and antimicrobial treatment patterns among a Ghanaian ophthalmic population.

Effect of Diclofenac and Andrographolide Combination on Carrageenan-Induced Paw Edema and Hyperalgesia in Rats.

Studies into drug combination at low doses are a promising approach to the management of pain and inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-edema and anti-hyperalgesic effects of a combination of diclofenac and andrographolide. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were first treated with diclofenac or andrographolide alone (3-100 mg/kg), as well as a combination of the 2 drugs.

Palmatine Attenuates Metastatic Lung Colonization of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Metastatic breast cancer to the lungs is a serious, life-threatening complication that is difficult to cure. Circulating tumor cells play a key role in the metastatic spread of breast cancer to the lungs the lymphatic or circulatory system. Palmatine is a protoberberine alkaloid, identified as an active component of traditional African herbal preparations.

Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, and Efflux Pump Inhibitory Properties of the Crude Extract and Fractions from Stem Bark.

Microbial infections remain a public health problem due to the upsurge of bacterial resistance. In this study, the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and efflux pump inhibitory activities of the stem bark of , an indigenous African medicinal plant, were investigated. In traditional medicine, the plant is used in the treatment of microbial infections and inflammatory conditions.

Self-Medication and Antimicrobial Resistance: A Survey of Students Studying Healthcare Programmes at a Tertiary Institution in Ghana.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges facing mankind. Inappropriate uses of antibiotics including self-medication promote the increase and spread of AMR. Self-medication has not been well-studied among students.

Investigating Ghanaian Species for Anti-Infective and Resistance-Reversal Natural Product Leads to Mitigate Multidrug-Resistance in Tuberculosis.

The bulbs of species are a known source of antibacterial phytochemicals. Anti-infective, efflux pump and biofilm inhibitory activities of bulb extracts of selected Ghanaian shallots var aggregatum were evaluated using the HT-SPOTi assay and other whole-cell phenotypic screening techniques to determine their possible mechanisms of action. Ethanol and aqueous extracts of white inhibited the growth of mc 155 and respectively.

Antimicrobial pentacyclic triterpenes and glycosides from the stem bark of .

The stem bark of is used traditionally for the treatment of different types of infection and pain. A bioassay guided fractionation of the methanol stem bark extract led to the isolation of five pentacyclic triterpenes and glycosides identified based on spectroscopic data as 23-hydroxyursolic acid (), hederagenin (), 3--α-L-arabinopyranosyl-echinocystic acid (), 3--α-L-arabinopyranosyl- oleanolic acid () and 3--α-L-arabinopyranosyl-ursolic acid (). are being reported for the first time from this species.

Analogues of Disulfides from Allium stipitatum Demonstrate Potent Anti-tubercular Activities through Drug Efflux Pump and Biofilm Inhibition.

Disulfides from Allium stipitatum, commonly known as Persian shallot, were previously reported to possess antibacterial properties. Analogues of these compounds, produced by S-methylthiolation of appropriate thiols using S-methyl methanethiosulfonate, exhibited antimicrobial activity, with one compound inhibiting the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at 17 µM (4 mg L) and other compounds inhibiting Escherichia coli and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations ranging between 32-138 µM (8-32 mg L). These compounds also displayed moderate inhibitory effects on Klebsiella and Proteus species.

Early diagnosis and effective treatment regimens are the keys to tackle antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis (TB): A report from Euroscicon's international TB Summit 2016.

To say that tuberculosis (TB) has regained a strong foothold in the global human health and wellbeing scenario would be an understatement. Ranking alongside HIV/AIDS as the top reason for mortality due to a single infectious disease, the impact of TB extends far into socio-economic context worldwide. As global efforts led by experts and political bodies converge to mitigate the predicted outcome of growing antimicrobial resistance, the academic community of students, practitioners and researchers have mobilised to develop integrated, inter-disciplinary programmes to bring the plans of the former to fruition.

HT-SPOTi: A Rapid Drug Susceptibility Test (DST) to Evaluate Antibiotic Resistance Profiles and Novel Chemicals for Anti-Infective Drug Discovery.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the major threats to global health and well-being. The past decade has seen an alarming rise in the evolution and spread of drug-resistant strains of pathogenic microbes. The emergence of extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance among the ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) as well as fungal pathogens (such as certain species of Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, and Trichophyton) poses a significant 21st century scientific challenge.

Development of a rapid, reliable and quantitative method--"SPOTi" for testing antifungal efficacy.

A reference method for the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of common fungal pathogens such as dermatophytes, is currently lacking. In this study, we report the successful adaptation of solid agar-based spot culture growth inhibition assay (SPOTi) for dermatophytes, currently being used as a gold-standard in the anti-tubercular drug discovery field. The fungal-SPOTi assay correlated with the disc-diffusion method, and is validated using mycelial plugs.

Tackling tuberculosis: Insights from an international TB Summit in London.

Tuberculosis (TB) poses a grave predicament to the world as it is not merely a scientific challenge but a socio-economic burden as well. A prime cause of mortality in human due to an infectious disease; the malady and its cause, Mycobacterium tuberculosis have remained an enigma with many questions that remain unanswered. The ability of the pathogen to survive and switch between varied physiological states necessitates a protracted therapeutic regimen that exerts an excessive strain on low-resource countries.