Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus and transmitted by the female Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia sand flies. The currently prescribed therapies still rely on pentavalent antimonials, pentamidine, paromomycin, liposomal amphotericin B, and miltefosine. However, their low efficacy, long-course treatment regimen, high toxicity, adverse side effects, induction of parasite resistance and high cost require the need for better drugs given that antileishmanial vaccines may not be available in the near future. Although most drugs are still derived from terrestrial sources, the interest in marine organisms as a potential source of promising novel bioactive natural agents has increased in recent years. About 28,000 compounds of marine origin have been isolated with hundreds of new chemical entities. Recent trends in drug research from natural resources indicated the high interest of aquatic eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms, marine algae in the search for new chemical entities given their broad spectrum and high bioactivities including antileishmanial potential. This current review describes prepared extracts and compounds from marine macroalgae along with their antileishmanial activity and provides prospective insights for antileishmanial drug discovery.

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common cancers in men. The global burden of this disease is rising. Its incidence and mortality rates are higher in African American (AA) men compared to white men and other ethnic groups. The treatment decisions for PC are based exclusively on histological architecture, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and local disease state. Despite advances in screening for and early detection of PC, a large percentage of men continue to be diagnosed with metastatic disease including about 20% of men affected with a high mortality rate within the African American population. As such, this population group may benefit from edible natural products that are safe with a low cost. Hence, the central goal of this article is to highlight PC disparity associated with nutritional factors and highlight chemo-preventive agents from medicinal plants that are more likely to reduce PC. To reach this central goal, we searched the PubMed Central database and the Google Scholar website for relevant papers. Our search results revealed that there are significant improvements in PC statistics among white men and other ethnic groups. However, its mortality rate remains significantly high among AA men. In addition, there are limited studies that have addressed the benefits of medicinal plants as chemo-preventive agents for PC treatment, especially among AA men. This review paper addresses this knowledge gap by discussing PC disparity associated with nutritional factors and highlighting the biomedical significance of three medicinal plants (curcumin, garlic, and Vernonia amygdalina) that show a great potential to prevent/treat PC, as well as to reduce its incidence/prevalence and mortality, improve survival rate, and reduce PC-related health disparity.

Recently, spices have attracted the attention of scientists and agrochemical companies for their potential as insecticidal and acaricidal agents, and even as repellents to replace synthetic compounds that are labeled with detrimental impacts on environment and human and animal health. In this framework, the aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal potential of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from three Cameroonian aromatic plants, namely Monodora myristica (Gaertn.) Dunal, Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich., and Aframomum citratum (J. Pereira) K. Schum. They were produced by hydrodistillation, with yields of 3.84, 4.89, and 0.85%, respectively. The chemical composition was evaluated by GC-MS analysis. The EOs and their major constituents (i.e., geraniol, sabinene, α-pinene, p-cymene, α-phellandrene, and β-pinene) were tested against the polyphagous moth pest, i.e., Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.), the common housefly, Musca domestica L., and the filariasis and arbovirus mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Say. Our results showed that M. myristica and X. aethiopica EOs were the most effective against M. domestica adults, being effective on both males (22.1 µg adult⁻¹) and females (LD₅₀: 29.1 µg adult⁻¹). The M. myristica EO and geraniol showed the highest toxicity on S. littoralis, with LD₅₀₍₉₀₎ values of 29.3 (123.5) and 25.3 (83.2) µg larva⁻¹, respectively. Last, the EOs from M. myristica and X. aethiopica, as well as the major constituents p-cymene and α-phellandrene, were the most toxic against C. quinquefasciatus larvae. The selected EOs may potentially lead to the production of cheap and effective botanical insecticides for African smallholders, although the development of effective formulations, a safety evaluation, and an in-depth study of their efficacy on different insect species are needed.

Aframomum pruinosum seeds are traditionally used in Cameroon to treat cardiac palpitations. The present work evaluates the cardioprotective effects of the aqueous (AE) and ethanolic (EE) extracts from A. pruinosum seeds against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction. Male Wistar rats were pretreated for 14 days with AE or EE at doses of 75 and 150mg/kg/day or propranolol (10mg/kg/day). On days 15 and 16, they were injected subcutaneously with isoproterenol (85mg/kg/day). Blood pressure and heart rate were weekly recorded by tail-cuff plethysmography during pretreatment and 24 hours after the second dose of isoproterenol. At the end of the treatment period, serum Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), cardiac nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and oxidative stress parameters (SOD, catalase, MDA, and GSH) were assayed. Sections of left ventricle tissue were subjected to histological analysis. The vasorelaxant effects of cumulative concentrations of AE or EE (3300µg/mL) were evaluated on intact or endothelium-denuded isolated aorta rings precontracted with noradrenaline (1µM). The vasorelaxant effects of the plant extracts were also tested in the presence of N^ω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100µM). AE and EE significantly prevented blood pressure decrease and heart rate increase elicited by isoproterenol. Both plant extracts inhibited the increase in ALT, AST, NO, and MPO but did not prevent LDH surge. Oxidative stress parameters were improved following A. pruinosum pretreatment. AE and EE highly reduced cardiomyocyte necrosis and fibrosis but did not prevent leukocyte infiltration. Both extracts induced a concentration-dependent vasorelaxation that was significantly inhibited by the destruction of the endothelium and by L-NAME. Extracts of A. pruinosum exhibited cardioprotective effects, and EE was the most active. The cardioprotective effects of A. pruinosum extracts could be ascribed to their antioxidant, antinecrotic, and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effects.

The traditional medicine in Africa in general and specifically in Cameroon does not manage diabetes and arterial hypertension very well. Yet, these pathologies are becoming more prevalent among the populations that need adequate knowledge to fight against them. Therefore the present study was designed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of indigenous people regarding diabetes and hypertension control, and to assess the epidemiological aspects of these diseases in order to reinforce their health education and promote a better health care through traditional medicine.

In many developing countries traditional medicine constitutes a major part of health care because of its local availability and affordability compared to modern medicine. However, little is known about the specific uses and availability of medicinal plants. In this research an exploratory study was conducted to determine the uses of three medicinal plants in Cameroon, and to examine their relative distribution and abundance in specific habitats. From a questionnaire administered to traditional healers, we and found that three species of medicinal plants including: Alstonia boonei, Picralima nitida and Sarcocephalus latifolius that are commonly used, either singly or in mixtures to treat human diseases such as muscle and joints pains, hyperthermia, hypertension, hepatitis, jaundice and rheumatism. Fresh or dry barks of the tree plants and fresh fruits of Picralima nitida, as well as various ethnopharmacological preparations (decoctions, maceration, infusion and powder) are widely commercialized. Findings from our ecological study revealed that Alstonia boonei was represented by 2, or 1 % of total individuals recorded in 0.5 ha, implying 3 individuals and 6 trees/ha. This tree was well represented and was sometime among the forests. Picralima nitida was represented by 0.6 % of total trees recorded in 0.5 ha, implying 0.70 tree and 1 tree/ha. This tree was poorly represented and was not a dominant species in its habitats. Sarcocephalus latifolius belonged to a group of 72 plants with a recovery < 5% corresponding to Braun- Blanquet scale1. Hence, this plant was not densely represented in the Sudono-Guinean and Sahelian savannahs. It is the most harvested species of the three species that has undergone a strong anthropogenic destruction. Therefore these three plants, and especially Sarcocephalus latifolius, need to be protected through a sustainable management of their habitats in Cameroon.