Background: Liver is a vital organ that plays a major role in the elimination of xenobiotics from the body. Diseases that affect the liver become major health problems and challenge health-care professionals as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Since the conventional treatment of liver diseases is associated with a wide range of adverse effects, botanical agents are commonly used. Among these agents, Clutia abyssinica is the most widely used herb in Ethiopian traditional medicine. Objective: To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the crude 80% methanol extract and solvent fractions of Clutia abyssinica leaves in mice. Methods: The leaves of Clutia abyssinica were extracted by cold maceration using 80% methanol as a solvent, and the solvent fractions were obtained in liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform, n-butanol and distilled water. Male mice were treated with the vehicles (distilled water or 2% Tween 80), three different doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of the crude 80% methanol extract and three solvent fractions, the standard drug (silymarin 100 mg/ kg), and the hepatotoxicant carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4). Then, the levels of biomarkers of liver injurysuch as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)and liver function such as total protein, albumin, and bilirubin were measured. Evaluation of the change in body weight and liver weight, histopathologic examination and in vitro antioxidant assay against CCl 4-induced hepatotoxicity were also carried out. Results: The 80% methanol extract decreased the absolute and relative weight of the liver of mice at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). It also suppressed the plasma levels of AST, ALT and ALP (p<0.001) in the aforementioned doses. Among fractions, the n-butanol fraction showed maximum hepatoprotective activity in its dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg (p<0.001, in all cases). Likewise, the chloroform fraction (400 mg/kg) reduced to a similar extent (p<0.001 in all cases). In stark contrast, the aqueous fraction failed to affect the levels of all biomarkers of hepatocyte injury. The crude methanol extract and n-butanol fraction were able to return the normal hepatic architecture of hepatocytes and scavenge free radicals in the 1,1-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Conclusion: Clutia abyssinica is endowed with hepatoprotective activity, probably mediated via its antioxidant activity. Thus, Clutia abyssinica can be taken as one candidate for the development of hepatoprotective agents because of its good safety profile.

Background The emergence of drug resistance together with the global burden of malaria triggers the necessity for the searching of new antimalarial agents. This study, therefore, was initiated to investigate the in vivo antimalarial activity of Hypoestes forskalei in mice based on the strong supported evidence from the ethnobotanical claims and the in vitro anti-plasmodial activity of the plant. Methods The 4-day suppressive (crude extract and fractions) and the Rane’s (n-butanol fraction) tests were used to evaluate the antimalarial activity of the plant. A cold maceration technique with 80% methanol was used for the crude extraction of the plant. The crude extract was then fractionated using solvents of different polarity (chloroform, n-butanol, and water). Results All the test doses of the crude extract as well as the fractions reduced parasitemia and prolonged mean survival time significantly ( P <0.001) as compared to their negative control groups. Maximum parasitemia suppression effect (56%) was observed at the highest dose (600 mg/kg) of the crude extract during the 4-day suppressive test. Likewise, the n-butanol, chloroform, and aqueous fractions showed a percentage suppression of about 50, 38, and 19, respectively, at the dose of 600 mg/kg. Therefore, the n-butanol fraction showed the highest parasitemia suppression followed by the chloroform fraction and then the aqueous fraction. Moreover, the n-butanol fraction showed a significant curative effect ( P <0.001) in Rane’s test with a percentage suppression of about 49 at a dose of 600 mg/kg. Conclusion The study has revealed that the plant has a promising antimalarial activity, the activity being more in the crude extract than the fractions. The highest antimalarial activity of the n-butanol fraction suggests that non-polar and medium polar principles could be responsible for the observed activity.

Background Thalidomide is the most teratogenic human medicine ever marketed and was associated with birth defects in approximately 10,000 children in the 1960s. The pharmacological effects of thalidomide are attributed to its anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and modulatory effect on cytokines principally tumor necrosis factor-α, while the teratogenic effects are linked to two molecular targets, namely cereblon and tubulin. Teratogenicity is the gravest adverse effect of thalidomide depending on the dose and time of exposure. Nonetheless, with System for Thalidomide Education and Prescribing Safety program, the possibility of teratogenicity can be completely avoided. The sensitive period during pregnancy for thalidomide teratogenicity in humans is approximately 20-34 days after fertilization. Methods Relevant articles were identified from Google scholar and PubMed (MEDLINE) using different search strategies. Conclusion Clinical trials showed that thalidomide has been found effective in the treatment of advanced renal cancer, esophageal cancer, chemotherapy refractory endometrial cancer and pancreatic cancer, which can suggest its future therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. Thalidomide is also used in the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders and has shown promising effect in the treatment of autoimmune disorders and inflammatory bowel disease. Despite thalidomide being a renowned teratogen and neurotoxin, it has been successfully repositioned and FDA approved for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum and multiple myeloma under strict control.

Background: Nature has gifted a variety of phytochemicals having a potential effect against diabetes mellitus. Datura stramonium has been used as a remedy for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The study aimed to determine the in vivo antidiabetic potential of hydromethanolic seed extract of the plant. Methods: Dried seeds of Datura stramonium were macerated in hydromethanol. Three doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) of the seed extract were given orally to normoglycemic, glucose-loaded, and Streptozocin-induced diabetic mice. Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine (DPPH) assay was employed to determine antioxidant activity of the seed extract. Results: All doses of hydromethanolic seed extract of D. stramonium were devoid of any significant hypoglycemic effect in normoglycemic mice compared to the negative control group. Acute glucose reduction was significant (P<0.05 at 100, P<0.01 at 200 and 400 mg/ kg) with respect to negative control in oral glucose-loaded mice. All doses of seed extract significantly (P<0.0l) reduced blood glucose level on weeks 1 and 2 in STZ-induced dailytreated diabetic mice. The seed extract at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly (P<0.05) improved the body weight of diabetic mice on weeks 1 and 2. A low (100 mg/kg) dose of the seed extract delayed and significantly (P<0.05) increased body weight of mice on week 2 compared to negative control. The finding showed that the antioxidant activity of the hydromethanolic seed extract was concentration dependent and comparable with ascorbic acid. IC50 of the seed extract and ascorbic acid was found to be 11.95 and 5.07 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusion:The findings of the study showed that hydromethanolic seed extract of Datura stramonium endowed significant antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activity.

Objective To evaluate the antibacterial effects of the leaf latex of Aloe weloensis against infectious bacterial strains. Methods The leaf latex of A. weloensis at different concentrations (400, 500, and 600 mg/ml) was evaluated for antibacterial activities using the disc diffusion method against some Gram-negative species such as Escherichia coli (ATCC 14700) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 35619) and Gram-positive such as Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 50080) and Enterococcus fecalis (ATCC 4623). Results The tested concentrations of the latex ranging between 400 and 600 mg·mL−1 showed significant antibacterial activity against bacterial strain. The highest dose (600 mg/ml) of A. weloensis leaf latex revealed the maximum activity (25.93 ± 0.066 inhibition zone) followed by the dose 500 mg/ml against S. aureus. The lowest antibacterial activity was observed by the concentration 400 mg/ml (5.03 ± 0.03) against E. coli. Conclusion The results of the present investigation suggest that the leaf latex of A. weloensis can be used as potential leads to discover new drugs to control some bacterial infections.