Prostate cancer is one of the malignancies that affects men and significantly contributes to increased mortality rates in men globally. Patients affected with prostate cancer present with either a localized or advanced disease. In this review, we aim to provide a holistic overview of prostate cancer, including the diagnosis of the disease, mutations leading to the onset and progression of the disease, and treatment options. Prostate cancer diagnoses include a digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen analysis, and prostate biopsies. Mutations in certain genes are linked to the onset, progression, and metastasis of the cancer. Treatment for localized prostate cancer encompasses active surveillance, ablative radiotherapy, and radical prostatectomy. Men who relapse or present metastatic prostate cancer receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), salvage radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Currently, available treatment options are more effective when used as combination therapy; however, despite available treatment options, prostate cancer remains to be incurable. There has been ongoing research on finding and identifying other treatment approaches such as the use of traditional medicine, the application of nanotechnologies, and gene therapy to combat prostate cancer, drug resistance, as well as to reduce the adverse effects that come with current treatment options. In this article, we summarize the genes involved in prostate cancer, available treatment options, and current research on alternative treatment options.

The aim of the research was to examine Cola nitida and Cola acuminata for their phytochemical and proximate compositions. Presence of secondary metabolites do provide information about the plants for their potentials as a lead candidates for the novel drug discovery. The proximate analysis was done using the method of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and the phytochemical analysis was done using methods of Markkar and Goodchild for tannin, Brunner for saponin, Harbone for alkaloid and Bohm and Koupai-Abyazani for flavonoid. The proximate results showed that the moisture content of Cola acuminata and Cola nitida were in the range of 9.73-9.81%, ash 2.72-2.21%, fat 3.02-2.20%, protein 19.14-15.24%, crude fiber 7.30-4.18% and carbohydrate 58.09 66.45%. Cola acuminate has more protein content, ash and fat than Cola nitida. The result of phytochemical analysis showed that Cola acuminata has more alkaloids (2.22%), tannin (6.46%) and saponin (8.06%) than Cola nitida. The phenol contents of the two kola nuts were the same range 0.27%, the flavonoid were in the range of 0.12-0.14%. The presence of secondary metabolites in these plants are indications that if well researched, novel bioactive compounds can be discovered in them as there are worldwide efforts by scientists looking for new bioactive compounds to combat various ailments which have developed high resistant to already known antibiotics.

Chemotherapy remains an important approach in the fight against malaria. Artemether-lumefantrine combination is widely in use due to its effectiveness against Plasmodium falciparum. Misuse in the form of multiple repeated doses of this anti-malaria drug is rampant in Nigeria. This study was designed to assess the hepatotoxic and clastogenic potential of extreme misuse of artemether-lumefantrine in rats. Graded doses of artemether-lumefantrine (1-5 mg/kg body weight) were administered by oral gavage for 6 weeks, twice daily, for 3 consecutive days per week. Artemether-lumefantrine, at all doses, did not have significant effects on the body and relative liver weight of treated group compared to the negative control group. The mean γ-glutamyltransferase, alanine, and aspartate aminotransaminase activity in groups of artemether-lumefantrine treated rats were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the negative control group indicating that repeated administration of artemether-lumefantrine may be hepatotoxic. Findings from histological analyses of liver cross-section support the enzyme pattern of hepatoxicity. In addition, the drug, at all experimental doses, significantly induced (p < 0.05) formation of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in the bone marrow cells of the treated rats compared with the negative control indicating clastogenic potential of the drug when misused.

No abstract