Current treatment options for advanced cervical cancer are limited, especially for patients in poor-resource settings, with a 17% 5-year overall survival rate. Here, we report results in animal models of advanced cervical cancer, showing that anti-CD40 therapy can effectively boost the abscopal effect, whereby radiotherapy of a tumor at one site can engender therapeutically significant responses in tumors at distant untreated sites. In this study, two subcutaneous cervical cancer tumors representing one primary and one metastatic tumor were generated in each animal. Only the primary tumor was treated and the responses of both tumors were monitored. The study was repeated as a function of different treatment parameters, including radiotherapy dose and dosing schedule of immunoadjuvant anti-CD40. The results consistently suggest that one fraction dose of radiotherapy with a single dose of agonistic anti-CD40 can generate highly effective abscopal responses, with a significant increase in animal survival (p = 0.0004). Overall, 60% of the mice treated with this combination showed long term survival with complete tumor regression, where tumors of mice in other cohorts continued to grow. Moreover, re-challenged responders to the treatment developed vitiligo, suggesting developed immune memory for this cancer. The findings offer a potential new therapy approach, which could be further investigated and developed for the treatment of advanced cervical cancer, with major potential impact, especially in resource-poor settings.

Indigenous populations use plants as an important healthcare resource or remedy for different diseases. Here, isolated extracts from Justicia (family Acanthanceae) plant leaves used in Africa as remedy for anemia are characterized by different methods to assess composition and potential nutritional or therapeutic value. Extracts from Justicia leaves were obtained by aqueous extraction, with further isolation by centrifuging and high-performance liquid chromatography. Extracts and isolated compounds were characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Hemoglobin activity was assessed using different hemoglobin assays (Cayman Chemical, and Sigma–Aldrich), as well as ELISA. In addition, the safety of the isolated samples was assessed in vitro and in vivo in mice. ICP-MS study results revealed many essential metabolites found in blood plasma. The UV-Vis spectroscopy results highlighted the presence of hemoglobin, with assays showing levels over 4 times higher than that of similar mass of lyophilized human hemoglobin. Meanwhile, in vivo studies showed faster recovery from anemia in mice administered with the isolated extracts compared to untreated mice. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo studies highlighted safety of the extracts. This study reveals the presence of high levels of elements essential for blood health in the isolated extracts from Justicia plant leaves. The findings inspire further research with the potential applications in food fortification, and as remedy for blood disorders like anemia, which disproportionally affects cancer patients, pregnant women, and populations in low- and middle-income countries.