Dennettia tripetala (commonly known as Pepperfruit) is widely consumed by the inhabitants of West Africa due to its distinctive spicy taste. It is also used traditionally as a remedy for cough, fever, toothache, diabetes, and nausea. The highly nutritious fruit is rich in protein, carbohydrates, as well as the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. The plant possesses phytochemicals that have been shown to elicit antimicrobial, insecticidal, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The plant has also been shown to possess chemotherapeutic, antihyperglycemic, and antioxidant properties. In addition, D. tripetala finds application in food preservation and seasoning. This review is the first attempt to pool together scientific evidence for the ethnomedicinal uses of D. tripetala. A critique of the literature is provided, as well as suggestions for future studies that can pave the way for further discoveries on the medicinal effects of D. tripetala.

We estimated the content of specific phytochemicals and in vitro antioxidant properties of the powder, aqueous, and ethanolic extracts of ripe Dennettia tripetala fruits. We also tested the biochemical and histological effects of these fruit extracts on healthy rats. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts were prepared from the powder of ripe D. tripetala fruits, and standard phytochemical methods were used to evaluate its phytochemical content and antioxidant properties. Eighteen rats were randomized into three groups, one of which served as control, while the second and third groups received the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of D. tripetala fruits, respectively, at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg bw daily for 28 days. Our results show that the powder as well as the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of ripe D. tripetala fruits contains phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and alkaloids. The plant powder as well as both extracts scavenged DPPH and hydrogen peroxide as well as reduced ferric ions. The extracts of D. tripetala fruits did not alter liver marker enzymes or serum protein profile of the rats. The extracts also did not alter the serum concentration of urea and creatinine and the antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation levels in the liver but altered that of the kidney. The extracts altered the serum and liver lipid profile but not to any significant extents. Also, the extracts caused minimal congestion to the centrioles of the liver but were not in any other way toxic to the liver, kidney, or heart of the rats. Our results point to the fact that the fruits of D. tripetala possess phytochemicals with medicinal properties and are well tolerated by rats.

A hundred years have passed since vitamin E was identified as an essential micronutrient for mammals. Since then, many biological functions of vitamin E have been unraveled in both cell and animal models, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as regulatory activities on cell signaling and gene expression. However, the bioavailability and physiological functions of vitamin E have been considerably shown to depend on lifestyle, genetic factors, and individual health conditions. Another important facet that has been considered less so far is the endogenous interaction with other nutrients. Accumulating evidence indicates that the interaction between vitamin E and other nutrients, especially those that are enriched by supplementation in humans, may explain at least some of the discrepancies observed in clinical trials. Meanwhile, increasing evidence suggests that the different forms of vitamin E metabolites and derivates also exhibit physiological activities, which are more potent and mediated via different pathways compared to the respective vitamin E precursors. In this review, possible molecular mechanisms between vitamin E and other nutritional factors are discussed and their potential impact on physiological and pathophysiological processes is evaluated using published co-supplementation studies.

The medicinal use of Persea americana in the treatment of some diseases like hypertension, diabetes, is often with dearth of supporting scientific proof. Thus, we evaluated its ethnomedicinal benefits for possible scientific justification. Thirty healthy Wistar rats were randomly grouped in fives. Alloxan was used to induce diabetes in the rats in groups II to VI. The diabetic rats in group II were treated with glibenclamide, while those in group III were not treated. Also, the diabetic rats in groups IV to VI were treated with the ethanol extracts of the stem bark, leaf, and root of P. americana respectively. The parts of P. americana comparatively possess highest amounts of phenols (250.50 ± 0.68—bark), saponin (436.80 ± 3.76—leaf), flavonoid (382.80 ± 0.67—leaf) and tannins (58.34 ± 0.09—root). The extracts exhibited high reducing property (FRAP and total reducing), as well as high ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging ability. The enzyme (alpha-glycosidase and alpha-amylase) inhibitory activity of P. americana increases with increasing concentration of the extracts. Administration of methanol extracts of P. americana bark, leaf and root to alloxan-induced diabetic rats resulted in significant (P < 0.05) decreases in AST, ALP, ALT, Total bilirubin, LPO, plasma glucose and significant (P < 0.05) increases in GSH, CAT and SOD. These effects were like that of glibenclamide. The enzyme inhibitory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties of P. americana are some of the benefits derived from its consumption and ethnomedicinal use.

Tumour heterogeneity is a phenomenon where each cell that makes up a tumour, contains mutations that differ from that of other cells in the tumour. The clonal evolution and cancer stem cell theories of cancer formation, have been used to explain tumour heterogeneity. The theories both point to the existence of cells within a tumour that are capable of initiating the tumour in a different location. While the clonal evolution theory argues that all cells within a tumour possess this ability, the cancer stem cell theory argues that only a few cells (cancer stem cells or CSCs) within the tumour possess this ability to seed the tumour in a different location. Data supporting the cancer stem cell theory is accumulating. Researchers have targeted these CSCs therapeutically, hypothesizing that since these CSCs are the 'drivers' of tumour progression, their death may inhibit tumour progression. This was foiled by tumour cell plasticity, a phenomenon whereby a non-CSC spontaneously de-differentiates into a CSC. Researchers are now working on combinations that kill both CSCs and non-CSCs as well as drugs that prevent non-CSC-to-CSC transition. This review concisely describes CSCs and how they contribute to the difficulty in treating cancer.

People do not generally eat single or individual meals; rather they eat mixed meals, consisting of two or more individual meals. These mixed meals usually have glycemic indices which differ from that of the individual food type. This study was aimed at evaluating the glycemic indices of three commonly consumed mixed meals eaten in Okada; rice and beans (test food 1), rice and plantain (test food 2), beans and plantain (test food 3). Two hundred and forty healthy subjects aged between 18 and 30 participated in this study. They were randomized into three groups of eighty persons each, and fed with the standard food (50 g glucose) on day one and one of the test foods on day two, after an overnight fast. Blood samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the food had been eaten. The results showed that the Glycemic Index (GI) values for the test foods were high: 86.60 (test food 1), 89.74 (test food 2), 86.93(test food 3). The incremental increase in blood glucose was monitored and calculated for each food and when compared with that of the standard food (glucose), there was significant differences (p < .036) for test food 1 and (p < .068) for test food 3; both at 30 min. At 120 min, no significant differences in blood glucose levels were observed (p > .05). The results from this study indicated that the GI of the mixed meals was affected by the constituent nutrient and the response is also affected by the proportion of each nutrient. Our findings show that the selected test foods (mixed meals) consumed in Okada have high GI values.