Frondosides are the major saponins (triterpene glycosides) of the North Atlantic sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa). Frondosides possess amphiphilic characteristics due to the presence of various hydrophilic sugar moieties and hydrophobic genin (sapogenin). Saponins are abundant in holothurians, including in sea cucumbers that are widely distributed across the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Over 300 triterpene glycosides have been isolated, identified, and categorized from many species of sea cucumbers. Furthermore, specific saponins from sea cucumbers are broadly classified on the basis of the fron-dosides that have been widely studied. Recent studies have shown that frondoside-containing extracts from C. frondosa exhibit anticancer, anti-obesity, anti-hyperuricemic, anticoagulant, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiangiogenic, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the exact mechanism(s) of action of biological activities of frondosides is not clearly understood. The function of some frondosides as chemical defense molecules need to be understood. Therefore, this review discusses the different frondosides of C. frondosa and their potential therapeutic activities in relation to the postulated mechanism(s) of action. In addition, recent advances in emerging extraction techniques of frondosides and other saponins and future perspectives are discussed.

The study investigated the cytoactivities of methanolic leaf extract (MLE) and fractions of Senecio biafrae , profiled, and elucidated their metabolites. Hydromethanolic extract of S. biafrae obtained by maceration was partitioned and subjected to cytotoxicity using brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA), human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and prostate cancer cell (PC3) lines. The bioactive principles of most active fractions were profiled using GC-MS. The dichloromethane fraction (DMF) was purified using column and high-performance liquid chromatography to afford compounds 1 and 2 identified by 1H and 13C, DEPT-90, DEPT-135, COSY, NOESY and EIMS spectra. The MLE and its fractions exhibited good toxicity on nauplii brine shrimp. The HF exhibited a pronounced cytoactivity on PC-3 cell line with 92.8% followed by DMF. The GC-MS profiling of HF and DMF identified 17 and 6 constituents respectively comprising saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, diterpenoidal alcohol, phytol and aromatic compounds. Hexadecanoic acid, cis, cis, cis-9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid, and phytol accounted for the highest percentage of the constituents in both fractions. Structure elucidation confirmed compounds 1 and 2 as stigmasterol and ergosterol with cytoactivity which compared favourably with doxorubicin. The study revealed that S . biafrae contains cytotoconstituents evidenced by proliferation inhibition of HeLa and PC-3 cell lines. The cyto-activities and bioconstituents indicate that S . biafrae has the potential to be considered as a candidate for drug development in the management of cancer-related conditions. Further investigation into the specific bioactive compounds and their mechanisms of action could provide valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of S . biafrae in cancer treatment.

Recently, there has been more attention on the bioactivity of phytochemicals and other metabolites in agro-food by-products for the management of oxidative stress–related conditions. Hence, the objective of this paper is to assess the nutraceuticals potential by investigating antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory potentials of seed coat protein isolates from four melon species namely: Citrullus colocynthis, Citrullus mucosospermus, Cucumeropsis mannii and Lagenaria siceraria using appropriate standard methods. At highest concentration, Lagenaria siceraria had the strongest free radical scavenging activity (38% inhibition). The strongest chelating effect was exhibited by C. mannii (IC50 = 0.59 ± 0.08 mg/ml), which also showed highest ferric reducing potential at all concentrations. At 0.05 mg/ml, C. colocynthis, C. mucosospermus, C. mannii, and L. siceraria seed coat protein extracts inhibited alpha-amylase activity by 43.2%, 16.76%, 2.6% and 22.3%, respectively, and inhibition of 60.9%, 28.6%, 38.3% and 29.5% were recorded for the seed protein extracts respectively, at 0.5 mg/ml. In conclusion, the various melon seed coat protein isolates showed appreciable levels of antioxidants and possessed inhibitory activity against α-amylase. Hence, the seed coats of the four melon varieties assessed in this study are promising potential sources of antioxidants for the supplementary treatment of oxidative stress–induced conditions.

The physicochemical properties of water from Igun gold mine reservoir in Southwestern, Nigeria were assessed to estimate the impacts of human activities on the water and the level of cyanide-detoxifying enzymes in fish species were investigated. This was with a view to studying the survival of the fish species in the reservoir despite its high level of pollution. These werewith a view to studying the survival of the fish species in the reservoir despite its high level of pollution. Water parameters and level of cyanide in the reservoir were determined for two seasons using standard methods. Level of cyanide in selected fish tissues was determined using distillation and titration techniques. Enzyme activities were determined using standard methods. Results show that dissolved oxygen (3.82±0.23 mg/L), total hardness (11.83±0.31 mg/L) and pH (7.06±0.05) have higher mean values during rainy season unlike transparency (62.44±22.23 cm), total alkalinity (86.00±2.00 mg/L), temperature (27.00±1.00°C) and conductivity (170.90±0.70 mg/L) which peaked during the dry season. Analysis of cyanide in the water showed that a higher mean level of cyanide (36980±6973.57 µg/L) was recorded in the rainy season as against 26150.22±1046.59 µg/L for the dry season. Negative results recorded for cyanide level in the fish tissues indicated that fishes do not bioaccumulate the compound. In all fish tissues studied, rhodanese and 3-MST were present in different amounts. Also, inter-species differences were noticed in the levels of enzymes in the tissues. In all the fish tissues studied, the liver showed highest mean value of rhodanese and 3-MST activities while fillet showed lowest mean value. The study concludes that Igun gold mine reservoir is highly cyanide-polluted owing to indiscriminate artisanal mining activities which incessantly impact the reservoir. However, these fishes did not bioaccumulate cyanide in their tissues which make fishes obtained from the environment fit for human consumption. Key words: Mining, cyanide, rhodanese, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulphurtransferase,Igun Reservoir.

Environmental protection practices include minimizing the level of synthetic chemicals as pesticides in agricultural activities. Reduction of cholinergic and metabolizing enzymes by natural products are safer pest-controlling alternatives in food security. Hence, the objective of this study is to assess the ability of Ackee apple (Blighia sapid) stem-bark extract as a potential biological pest control agent to interfere with acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and biomarkers in brain, liver, and blood of Wistar rat using standard methods. The Wistar rat brain and liver were excised and blood was collected into heparinized tubes at the end of a 28-day experiment for biochemical investigations. Data obtained revealed that the activities of AChE and GST decreased at a dose-dependent rate (P < 0.05). A non-significant difference in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) for all the treated groups and a dose-dependent increase in total protein concentration were detected. The extract did not significantly alter ALT, AST, and ALP, particularly at repeated doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg. The extract of Blighia sapida reduced AChE and GST activity; a property that could be exploited in the formulation of pest control agents.