From the stem bark of Strychnos malacoclados, one new bisindole alkaloid, 3-hydroxylongicaudatine Y (1), was isolated along with the known alkaloids vomicine (2), bisnordihydrotoxiferine (3), divarine (4), longicaudatine (5), longicaudatine Y (6), and longicaudatine F (7). All the compounds were tested for their antimalarial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 and -resistant W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Longicaudatine was the most active compound with IC₅₀ values of 0.682 and 0.573 µM, respectively. The activity of compounds 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 against the two strains ranged from 1.191 to 6.220 µM and 0.573 to 21.848 µM, respectively. Vomicine (2), the only monomer isolated, was inactive. The alkaloids of the longicaudatine-type ( 1, 5-7) were more active than those of the caracurine-type (3- 4). The presence of the ether bridge in the molecule seems to increase the antiplasmodial activity. Compounds 1, 5, and 7 were tested against the WI-38 human fibroblast cell line. Longicaudatine was the most cytotoxic compound with an IC₅₀ of 2.721 µM. Longicaudatine F was 40-46 times more active against the two strains of P. falciparum than against the human fibroblasts and was thus considered as the more selective alkaloid. The structures of the compounds were determined based on the analysis of their spectral data.

To assess the association between periodontal diseases and cardiovascular diseases in dental patients in Cameroon, a prospective observational study was carried out in 3 hospitals in Cameroon from January 2013 to December 2015. Data on general condition, age, gender and lifestyle were collected during medical history taking. The Dutch Periodontal Screening Index assessed periodontal health during oral examination. The Wilcoxon test, the Fisher test and logistic regression analysis were performed. 558 patients (53.9% women) were included in the study. The mean age was 44±13 years (30 to 85). In terms of overall health, 161 (28.9%) had cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and 73 (13.1%) had diabetes. Hypertension accounted for 87.6% of CVD. In terms of periodontal diseases (PD), 431 (77.2%) patients had PD, the break-down by PD was 347 (62.2%) gingivitis and 84 (15%) periodontitis. Statistical associations were found between CVD and gingivitis [OR=4.30 (1.85-10.00), P=0.001], and CVD and periodontitis [OR=2.87 (1.04-7.93); P=0.04].

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Crude palm oil (CPO) is an essential ingredient of Cameroonian recipes. However, its quality is subject to doubt, considering the very often inadequate conditions of extraction, conditioning, storage, and selling in the fast growing small holder sector or in the market. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of seasons and containers on the microbiologic, physicochemical quality and the carotenoids content of CPO sold in Douala. A total of 194 samples of CPO were randomly collected in seven markets among which: 95 during the rainy season and 99 during dry season; 93 from CPO contained in opened containers and 101 in closed containers. In these samples, aerobic count colony (ACC) load, total yeasts and moulds load, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acids content (FFA), impurity level and carotenoids content were assayed.The samples tested had ACC load of 4.48±1.86x105 CFU/ml, total yeasts and moulds load of 0.30±0.14x105 CFU/ml, PV of 1.81±0.74 meqO2/kg, FFA of 4.30±1.82%, impurity level of 0.34±0.16% and carotenoids content of 756.41±110.67 mg/l. Also, none of these parameters had varied according to the market. Moreover, among these parameters, PV and carotenoids content were not varied whatever CPO is sold during rainy or dry season, in open or closed containers while others parameters analysed were significantly (P<0.05) higher during dry season or when the CPO was contained in open containers. Consequently, traders should make efforts to avoid CPO contamination during the selling. They could package it first and store it in an adequate space particularly during dry season.

Oxidative stress is a state in which oxidants are produced in excess in the body’s tissues and cells, resulting in a biological imbalance amid the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) from redox reactions. In case of insufficient antioxidants to balance, the immune system triggers signaling cascades to mount inflammatory responses. Oxidative stress can have deleterious effects on major macromolecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, hence, Oxidative stress and inflammation are among the multiple factors contributing to the etiology of several disorders such as diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) which were once referred to as dark matter have been found to function as key regulators of gene expression through different mechanisms. They have dynamic roles in the onset and development of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related diseases, therefore, are potential targets for the control of those diseases. One way of controlling those diseases is through the use of natural products, a rich source of antioxidants that have drawn attention with several studies showing their involvement in combating chronic diseases given their enormous gains, low side effects, and toxicity. In this review, we highlighted the natural products that have been reported to target ncRNAs as mediators of their biological effects on oxidative stress and several inflammation-associated disorders. Those natural products include Baicalein, Tanshinone IIA, Geniposide, Carvacrol/Thymol, Triptolide, Oleacein, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Solarmargine, Allicin, aqueous extract or pulp of Açai, Quercetin, and Genistein. We also draw attention to some other compounds including Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Canna genus rhizome, Fuzi-ganjiang herb pair, Aronia melanocarpa, Peppermint, and Gingerol that are effective against oxidative stress and inflammation-related disorders, however, have no known effect on ncRNAs. Lastly, we touched on the many ncRNAs that were found to play a role in oxidative stress and inflammation-related disorders but have not yet been investigated as targets of a natural product. Shedding more light into these two last points of shadow will be of great interest in the valorization of natural compounds in the control and therapy of oxidative stress- and inflammation-associated disorders.