Studies have shown that curcumin from Curcuma longa has a wide range of medicinal and immunomodulatory properties. These activities have, however, been hindered by its low bioavailability. Meanwhile, incorporation of nanoparticles has been shown to increase bioavailability of certain drugs. This study was, therefore, conducted to comparatively evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of free and nanoparticulate curcumin in mice. Healthy albino mice were sensitized with sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) and thereafter free and nanoparticulate curcumin were administered orally at doses of 5 mg/kg/day and 10 mg/kg/day for 10 days to the mice. The assessment of the immunomodulatory activity was carried out by determining the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses using hemagglutination and delayed-type hypersensitivity assays, respectively. Hematological components and some lymphoid organs of treated mice were further evaluated. The study showed that nanoparticulate curcumin stimulated higher early cell-mediated immune response at 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg when compared to control. While nanoparticulate curcumin significantly stimulated primary humoral immune response with 9.00 ± 1.00 antibody titre (p < 0.05), the free curcumin suppressed the immunity with 3.33 ± 0.67 antibody titre when compared to control. Similar result was observed with secondary humoral antibody titres. Production of white blood cells and weight of the lymphoid organs were also enhanced in the groups that received 10 mg/kg nanocurcumin. This work showed that poly d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid entrapped curcumin nanoparticle could increase bioavailability of curcumin for improved immunity.

Background: Despite the widely reported potentials of n-Hexadecanoic acid (HA) as a bioactive, its multi-stage antiplasmodial activity and toxicity profiles remain largely unknown.Methodology: Thus, this study uses a combination of in silico approaches and in vivo studies to assess the inhibitory activities of HA at different stages of the Plasmodium lifecycle, antiplasmodial performance, and toxicity profiles. The HA was retrieved from the PubChem database, while antiplasmodial target proteins from different stages of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle were collated from the Protein Databank (PDB). Molecular Docking and Visualization were conducted between the compound and target proteins using AutoVina PyRx software and Biovia Discovery Studio, respectively. Also, the AdmetLab 3.0 algorithm was used to predict the absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) profiles of HA. Based on a 4-day suppressive test, the antiplasmodial activity against the Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain in mice was evaluated. Furthermore, subacute toxicity and micronucleus assays were used for further toxicity assessment.Results: The molecular docking analysis indicates multi-stage, multi-target potentials of HA with favourable ligand-receptor complexes across the four Plasmodium falciparum stages. Meanwhile, the mice administered with 100 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg of HA demonstrated considerable chemosuppression in a dose-dependent manner of 89.74%, 83.80%, and 71.58% percentage chemosuppression, respectively, at p < 0.05. The ADMET prediction, histopathological tests, and micronucleus assays show that HA is safer at a lower dose.Conclusion: This study showed that n-Hexadecanoic acid is a potential drug candidate for malaria. Hence, it is recommended for further molecular and biochemical investigations.

Poverty and poor sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa are the main reasons for parasitic infection prevalence. Medicinal herbs have been sources of natural and cheaper remedies for the treatment of many parasitic infections, including intestinal parasites. The study aimed to document medicinal herbs used in treating intestinal worm infections in the Ibadan metropolis through an ethnobotanical survey. The three main traditional herb markets, Oje, Oja Oba and Iwo Road, in Ibadan city, were purposively selected for the survey. The respondents, who were mainly herb sellers, were interviewed using structured questionnaires. The information obtained included demographic information, names of plants used in the treatment of worms, plant parts, dosage and method of preparation. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and the Relative Frequency Citation (RFC), Use Value (UV) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) of the mentioned plants were calculated. The survey revealed 45 plants that are used in the treatment of intestinal worms in Ibadan. These plants belong to 31 families. The most frequently mentioned plants with their RFCs were Cryptolepis sanguinoleta (Lindl.) Schltr (0.39) and Aristolochia albida Duch (0.39) while most of the plants belong to the Families Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The roots (25%) and the leaves (18.75%) were the most commonly used plant parts. Most of the plants were indicated to be used singly while some were used in combinations of two or more. The study has revealed the medicinal plants that are used against intestinal parasites. Thus, bioassay studies to confirm the claims should be carried out to establish the activities of these plants.

Immunomodulation constitutes a crucial part of individual organisms’ defense systems. Moreover, the utilization of plant-based natural products as herbal medicine for immunomodulation has garnered significant interest. Herein, we examined the immunomodulatory potentials of active phytocompounds extracted from Withania somnifera and Aloe barbadensis by employing ADMET screening, network pharmacology, and molecular docking techniques. This study follows the paradigm in drug discovery, which has shifted from a “one-target, one-drug” mode to a “network-target, multiple-component-therapeutics” mode. Phyto compounds sourced from W. somnifera and A. barbadensis were mined from online databases, including Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical Ethnobotanical Database. After screening these active compounds, their potential targets were predicted through in silico ADMET property prediction models. Network pharmacology was utilized to establish a “compound-protein/gene-disease” network and reveal the regulatory mechanism of small molecules in a high-throughput manner through STRING, Cytohubba plugin in Cytoscape, and the g: Profiler software. A molecular docking simulation was performed to examine the binding affinity between the selected hub targets and bioactives. The findings showed that phytocompounds derived from the W. somnifera and A. barbadensis exhibit immunomodulatory effects by inhibiting specific protein targets, notably AKT1, HCK, JAK2, PDPK1, KIT, and IL2. Molecular docking analysis further revealed the potential of withanolide G, somniferine, and somniferanolide as promising immunomodulatory compounds against HCK, JAK2, and PDPK1 proteins, which are involved in multiple myeloma pathways, encompassing the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. In conclusion, these compounds are recommended for further in vivo and in vitro investigations to ascertain their potential as treatments for multiple myeloma.

The conventional management of malaria in most endemic areas is based on phytomedicine. It is commonly believed that prevention is better than cure when it comes to disease management. Therefore, medicinal plants commonly used for treatment in herbal medicine are also used for prevention purposes. Hence, it is important to investigate the efficacy of medicinal plants in relation to the timing of their use. To document the medicinal plants used for treating malaria, a structured questionnaire-based ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria. The survey revealed the use of 31 plant species from 24 families, with origin in Omu-Aran, in herbal antimalarial recipes. Some of the identified plants were subjected to in vivo antimalarial bioassays. The aqueous and dichloromethane: Methanol (1:1) extracts of the leaves and stem bark of Morinda lucida and Nauclea latifolia, as well as the leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata, Tithonia diversifolia, and Lawsonia inermis were tested at doses of 100, 250 and 400 mg/kg against Plasmodium berghei Anka. The repository and curative tests were conducted to assess the residual and curative abilities of the extracts, respectively, with chloroquine as a reference drug. The tested extracts demonstrated better antiplasmodial activities in the repository tests, particularly the aqueous extracts. Only the organic extract of T. diversifolia at 100 mg/kg exhibited a high antiplasmodial activity with a percentage chemosuppression (PCS) value of 66.13%, while other extracts showed moderate (PCS: 30 – 60%) to no activity (PCS: <0%) in curative tests. In repository tests, only N. latifolia showed high activity with percentage chemoprophylaxis (PCP) values ranging from 61.51% to 81.69%, while other extracts generally showed moderate activities. Chloroquine showed strong chemosuppression (92.74 ≤ PCS ≤ 98.77) in curative tests but weak chemoprophylaxis (PCP <30%). The efficacy tests showed that most of the investigated medicinal plants were more effective for prevention rather than for curative purposes.