Drug repositioning identifies salvinorin A and deacetylgedunin (DCG) enriched plant extracts as novel inhibitors of Mpro, RBD-ACE2 and TMPRRS2 proteins.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide with severe health, social, and economic repercussions. Although vaccines have significantly reduced the severity of symptoms and deaths, alternative medications derived from natural products (NPs) are vital to further decrease fatalities, especially in regions with low vaccine uptake. When paired with the latest computational developments, NPs, which have been used to cure illnesses and infections for thousands of years, constitute a renewed resource for drug discovery.

Safety evaluation and bioassay-guided isolation of antimycobacterial compounds from Morella salicifolia root ethanolic extract.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Although the available medicines can cure almost all tuberculosis drug-susceptible patients some problems including the emergence of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains press for the need of new anti-TB medicines. Morella salicifolia is a common plant that is widely used in traditional medicine for managing HIV and AIDS-related conditions including tuberculosis but no studies have been done to evaluate its safety and efficacy.

Aim Of The Study: This study was designed to investigate the antimycobacterial activity and safety of M.

An Annotated Inventory of Tanzanian Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used for the Treatment of Respiratory Bacterial Infections.

This review comprehensively covers and analyzes scientific information on plants used in Tanzanian traditional medicine against respiratory diseases. It covers ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological information extracted from SciFinder, Google Scholar, and Reaxys as well as the literature collected at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Dar-es-Salaam. Crude extracts and fractions of 133 plant species have literature reports on antimicrobial bioassays.

Two mosquito larvicidal arabinofuranosidetridecanol from exudate.

Two new arabinofuranosidetridecanol, namely 1,2-tridecanediol-1--α-L-5'-acetylarabinofuranoside () and 1,2-tridecanediol-1--α-L-arabinofuranoside () together with known compound, 1,2-tridecanediol () were isolated from exudate. Compound showed larvicidal activity against (LC = 40.66 µg/mL) (LC = 22.

Habitat productivity and pyrethroid susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the main vector of the dengue virus globally. Dengue vector control is mainly based on reducing the vector population through interventions, which target potential breeding sites. However, in Tanzania, little is known about this vector's habitat productivity and insecticide susceptibility status to support evidence-based implementation of control measures.

Ethnobotanical survey and toxicity evaluation of medicinal plants used for fungal remedy in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania.

Background/aim: Some of the antifungal drugs used in the current treatments regime are responding to antimicrobial resistance. In rural areas of Southern Tanzania, indigenous people use antifungal drugs alone or together with medicinal plants to curb the effects of antibiotic resistance. This study documented ethnobotanical information of medicinal plants used for managing fungal infections in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania and further assess their safety.

Trends and challenges toward integration of traditional medicine in formal health-care system: Historical perspectives and appraisal of education curricula in Sub-Sahara Africa.

The population residing Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) continues to suffer from communicable health problems such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and various neglected tropical as well as non-communicable diseases. The disease burden is aggravated by shortage of medical personnel and medical supplies such as medical devices and minimal access to essential medicine. For long time, human beings through observation and practical experiences learned to use different plant species that led to the emergence of traditional medicine (TM) systems.

Cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of substituted phenanthrenes from the roots of Combretum adenogonium Steud Ex A. Rich (Combretaceae).

Aim: The aim of this study was to isolate the bioactive compounds from the roots of Combretum adenogonium and assess for its antibacterial and cytotoxic properties.

Materials And Methods: The extract was obtained using 20% aqueous ethanol and further subjected to fractionation with 1:1 n-butanol/water. Chromatographic analyses of the n-butanol fraction led to the isolation of compounds (1-3).

Anti-mosquito plants as an alternative or incremental method for malaria vector control among rural communities of Bagamoyo District, Tanzania.

Background: Plants represent one of the most accessible resources available for mosquito control by communities in Tanzania. However, no documented statistics exist for their contribution in the management of mosquitoes and other insects except through verbal and some publications. This study aimed at assessing communities' knowledge, attitudes and practices of using plants as an alternative method for mosquito control among selected communities in a malaria-prone area in Tanzania.

Comparison of the effects of extracts from three Vitex plant species on Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae.

Acetone and methanol extracts of different parts of three Vitex species (leaves and stem bark of Vitex trifolia, leaves, stem bark and root bark of Vitex schiliebenii and stem and root bark of Vitex payos) were evaluated for their potential to control Anopheles gambiae Giles s.s. larvae (Diptera: Culicidae).

Antibacterial, anti-HIV-1 protease and cytotoxic activities of aqueous ethanolic extracts from Combretum adenogonium Steud. Ex A. Rich (Combretaceae).

Background: Records have shown that Combretum adenogonium Steud. Ex A. Rich (Combretaceae) is used in traditional medicine systems of several tribes in Tanzania.

A New Isoflavone Glycoside from Dalbergia vacciniifolia (Fabaceae).

5,5'-Dihydroxy-2',4'-dimethoxy-7-[(6-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-oxy]isoflavone (1) was isolated as the major constituent of Dalbergia vacciniifolia root bark ethanol extract together with the four known compounds 5,7-dihydroxy-2',4',5'-trimethoxyisoflavone (3), 5,7-dihydroxy-2',4'-dimethoxy-isoflavone (4), 5-hydroxy-2',4',7-trimethoxyisoflavone (5) and 7-hydroxy-2',4',5'-trimethoxyisoflavone (6). Identification of compounds was achieved through extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and MS spectroscopy.

Larvicidal, antimicrobial and brine shrimp activities of extracts from Cissampelos mucronata and Tephrosia villosa from coast region, Tanzania.

Background: The leaves and roots of Cissampelos mucronata A. Rich (Menispermaceae) are widely used in the tropics and subtropics to manage various ailments such as gastro-intestinal complaints, menstrual problems, venereal diseases and malaria. In the Coast region, Tanzania, roots are used to treat wounds due to extraction of jigger.

Bioactive isoflavones from Dalbergia vacciniifolia (Fabaceae).

Three new 5-dehydroxy isoflavone compounds, 6,2'-dimethoxy-7,4'-dihydroxyisoflavone (1), 6,2',4'-trimethoxy-7-hydroxyisoflavone (2), and 6,2',4',5'-tetramethoxy-7-O-[beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] isoflavone (3), along with a known isoflavone, 6,2',4',5'-tetramethoxy-7-hydroxyisoflavone (4), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Dalbergia vacciniifolia Vatke. Their structures were established by spectroscopic techniques including one- and two-dimension NMR. Compound 1 showed mild cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp larvae with a LC50 value of 266 microg/mL.

Constituents of the essential oil of Suregada zanzibariensis leaves are repellent to the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.s.

In traditional African communities, repellent volatiles from certain plants generated by direct burning or by thermal expulsion have played an important role in protecting households against vectors of malaria and other diseases. Previous research on volatile constituents of plants has shown that some are good sources of potent mosquito repellents. In this bioprospecting initiative, the essential oil of leaves of the tree, Suregada zanzibariensis Verdc.

Mosquito larvicidal constituents from Lantana viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi (A. rich) Verdc (Verbenaceae).

Background & Objectives: Lantana viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi is used in Tanzania ethnobotanically to repel mosquitoes as well as in traditional medicine for stomach ache relief. Bioassay-guided fractionation and subtraction bioassays of the dichloromethane extract of the root barks were carried out in order to identify the bioactive components for controlling Anopheles gambiae s.s.