The wide range of secondary metabolites in medicinal plant extracts are used to treat and manage various diseases worldwide but more recently plant-mediated bio-nanotechnology is rapidly generating great research interest. Herein, the in-vitro study of the antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiglycation, and antioxidant potentials of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized by Justicia secunda aqueous extracts was evaluated. The synthesized AgNPs was characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antioxidant activity was evaluated via reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and nitric oxide scavenging assays; antidiabetic activity was evaluated with α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory assays; antiglycation activity was evaluated using fructosamine inhibitory assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was performed using trypsin inhibitory and albumin denaturation assays. The AgNPs from all the plant parts showed good biological potentials investigated compared to the plant extracts however, the synthesized AgNPs using the leaf aqueous extract (AgNPs-JsL) showed a better antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiglycation, and anti-inflammatory potentials with an essential quality absorption band in the ultraviolet region of 410 nm and average size distribution of 50.47nm. In conclusion, all the parts of J. secunda showed substantial antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiglycation and anti-inflammatory potentials with high yield of various bioactive metabolites, however, the AgNPs-JsL was more potent followed by the flower, stem and roots extracts, respectively.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder known to impair many physiological functions via reactive oxygen species (ROS). Aldose reductase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, α-amylase and α-glucosidase are pharmacotherapeutic protein targets in type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Inhibitors of these enzymes constitute a new class of drugs used in the management and treatment of T2DM. Some reports have claimed that medicinal plant extracts that serves as food (and as an antioxidant source) can reduce these alterations by eliminating ROS caused by DM. Ethnobotanical survey claims Jatropha gossypifolia commonly called “fignut” and “Lapa-lapa” in the Yoruba land of South-western Nigeria, to be used for the treatment and management of diabetes, in addition to its nutritive value. Objective: The nutritional composition and in-silico antidiabetic potential of the bioactive constituents of J. gossypifolia leaf extracts were investigated. Methods: Proximate, minerals and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis were carried out using standard procedures. Phytocompounds present in J. gossypifolia methanol (JGM) and ethyl acetate (JGE) leaf extracts were tested as potential antagonists of selected protein targets via in-silico techniques. Drug-likeness, pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity of the promising docked ligands were also predicted. Results: The proximate and mineral analysis revealed good nutritional composition and mineral content. Additionally, cyclo-pentadecane and dibutyl phthalate from methanol extract, and benzene- 1,2,4,5-tetramethyl, benzene-1,2,3,5-tetramethyl, and benzene-1,3-dimethyl-5-(1-methylethyl) from ethyl acetate extract were present in J. gossypifolia leaf which exhibited a better binding affinity than the clinically prescribed standard, metformin. Conclusion: Benzene-1,2,4,5-tetramethyl from JGE extracts exhibited the most promising antidiabetic potential in-silico, suggesting its candidature as diabetes-target-protein inhibitor which may be developed for the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is still a major public health problem that comes with a lot of complications in both young and old individuals. Musa paradisiaca is abundant in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and has several medicinal traditional claims. Hence, this study evaluated the effect of Musa paradisiaca aqueous pulp extract (MPAPE) in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Bioactive compounds of MPAPE were identified and quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6), including control, diabetic-untreated, and diabetic-treated groups. Oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide [H2O2], nitric oxide [NO], malondialdehyde [MDA], glutathione [GSH]); lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride [TRIG], high-density [HDL-Chol, low-density [LDL-Chol], and very-low-density [VLDL-Chol] lipoprotein cholesterol; liver antioxidant (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT]); and liver function (alanine [ALT], and aspartate [AST] aminotransferase) enzymes were evaluated using standard biochemical kits and procedures. PyRx and Biovia Discovery Studio were used for molecular docking studies while swissADME and ProTox were used to predict the ADME/T properties. The results of the phytochemistry of M. paradisiaca pulp showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, and phenols, an abundant polyphenolic content. The administration of MPAPE (300 mg/kg body weight) significantly (p

Diabetes mellitus continues to be a major global public health concern, underscoring the urgent need for continuous exploration of locally available medicinal plants and functional foods that are affordable, accessible, and capable of supporting effective management and improved health outcomes. This study investigated the effect of Cucumis sativus pulp extract (CSPE) on selected oxidative stress and diabetes-related biochemical indices. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6), including control, diabetic-untreated, and diabetic-treated groups (with CSPE or glibenclamide). Oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide [H2O2], nitric oxide [NO], malondialdehyde [MDA], glutathione [GSH]); lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride [TRIG], high-density [HDL-Chol, low-density [LDL-Chol], and very-low-density [VLDL-Chol] lipoprotein cholesterol; liver antioxidant (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT]); and liver function (alanine [ALT], and aspartate [AST] aminotransferase) enzymes were evaluated using standard biochemical kits and procedures. PyRx and Biovia Discovery Studio were used for molecular docking studies while swissADME and ProTox were used to predict the ADME/T properties. Results showed that treatment with CSPE had a significant (p

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by Leishmania and Schistosoma species continue to impose a significant health burden in endemic regions, largely due to limited therapeutic options, drug resistance, and incomplete understanding of parasite biology at the molecular level. A major restriction in the development of targeted interventions is the structural inaccessibility of parasite membrane-associated proteins, which are central to host invasion, nutrient transport, immune evasion, and survival. Recent advances in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have expanded the structural biology toolkit available for studying difficult parasite proteins, particularly large and membrane-associated macromolecular assemblies. However, experimentally resolved cryo-EM structures remain limited for many of the Leishmania and Schistosoma targets relevant to therapeutic and vaccine development. This review therefore distinguishes experimentally determined structures from partial structural information and computational models and examines how potential cryo-EM approaches may address unresolved structural questions. We discuss current structural knowledge of selected parasite targets, approaches for recombinant expression and membrane-protein stabilization, membrane-mimetic systems for structural characterization, and computational methods that complement experimental structural biology. We further examine how experimentally supported structural information, complemented by computational predictions where appropriate, could contribute to structure-guided drug discovery, vaccine design, and targeted nanomedicine. At present, however, the direct translation of parasite structural information into rational nanotherapeutic design remains limited. Key gaps include the scarcity of experimentally resolved parasite membrane protein structures, challenges in their expression and structural characterization, and limited integration of structural biology with nanoparticle engineering. Resolving these gaps may improve the prospects for structure-informed therapeutic and nanomedicine applications against leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and other NTDs.

Chronic type 2 diabetes interferes with the body's ability to use insulin as intended. Two protein targets, neprilysin and alpha amylase have been reported to contribute to the emergence of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes medications are ineffective and have unfavorable side effects. The objective of this study was to discover novel chemical agents of Chromolaena odorata aqueous leaf extract that can precisely inhibit the proteins, neprilysin and alpha amylase in type 2 diabetes to restrict the proteins' actions and so covertly induce anti-diabetic effects. Using GC-MS analysis, the phytoconstituents of Chromolaena odorata's aqueous leaf extract were identified. Ten (10) of the twenty-one (21) identified compounds complied with Lipinski rule of five. Swiss-ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism & Excretion) was used to analyze the pharmacokinetic properties of the compounds that did not violate the Lipinski rule. ADME analysis revealed that the selected compounds displayed suitable pharmacokinetic properties. Molecular docking was employed using PyRx and Biovia Discovery Studio software to predict potential selected bioactive antagonists and non-covalent interactions between the selected ligands, standard drugs and the target proteins. The findings from this study revealed that the identified ligand (carbamic acid) had the highest binding affinity against the target protein neprilysin and alpha amylase when compared to the standard drug, and it also has the potential to advance into pre-clinical and clinical research for future development as an antidiabetic medication.