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This study explores the antibacterial effects of Nigella sativa seeds on bacteria obtained from clinical samples. The aim was to assess the antibacterial properties of both aqueous and methanolic extracts of Nigella sativa seeds against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. The three samples were collected from the Microbiology Laboratory of Modibbo Adamawa Medical Centre and were reconfirmed using culture, microscopy, and some biochemical tests. The seed samples of N. sativa were procured from herbal point Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The phytochemical assay of the extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenols, cardiac glycosides, steroids, saponins, and terpenoids in both extracts. The highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa was demonstrated by the aqueous extract of N. sativa seeds, with inhibition zone diameters of 19.30 ±0.61 mm, 8.10 ±2.17 mm, and 12.00 ±0.29 mm, respectively. However, the methanol extract exhibited slightly greater activity against E. coli and P. aeruginosa, with inhibition zone diameters of 12.10 ±0.38 mm and 13.80 ±0.40 mm, respectively. Both methanol and aqueous extracts showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 25 mg/mL against S. aureus and E. coli. Similarly, for P. aeruginosa, the MIC was 25 mg/mL for methanol extract and 50 mg/mL for aqueous extract. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for both extracts against S. aureus and E. coli was determined to be 25 mg/mL. However, for P. aeruginosa, the MBC was 25 mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 50 mg/mL for the methanol extract. The study indicates that N. sativa seed extract possesses antibacterial properties against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, underscoring its potential as an effective medicinal antibacterial agent.

Persistent hyperglycemia leading to oxidative stress and inflammatory response contributes to the pathology of diabetes. This study investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic potential of Ximenia americana (XA) L. Olacaceae in silico exploring its possible mechanism of action. The study was carried out by molecular docking of the compounds present in XA with the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic targets followed by molecular dynamics simulation. Stigmasterol exhibited the lowest respective binding affinity and inhibition constant with xanthine oxidases (-8.7 kcal/mol and 4.13 ×10-1 µM), cytochrome p450 21A2 (-11.5 kcal/mol and 3.64 × 10-3 µM), myeloperoxidase (-10 kcal/mol and 4.59 × 10-2 µM), phospholipase A2 (-9.3 kcal/mol and 1.50 × 10-1 µM), inducible nitric oxide synthase (-10.8 kcal/mol and 1.19 × 10-2 µM), 11β hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase 1 (-9.4 kcal/mol and 1.27×10-1 µM), and alpha-amylase (-9.6 kcal/mol and 1.27×10-1 µM) while 4,4-Dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol showed the least BA (-7.6 kcal/mol) and Ki (2.65 µM) with interleukin associated kinase 4. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulation shows high residue displacements of up to 6.11, 3.69, 4.97, 5.24, 4.21, 4.41, 5.80, and 5.76 Å for xanthine oxidase, cytochrome p450 21A2, myeloperoxidase, phospholipase A2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin associated kinase 4, alpha-amylase, and 11β hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase 1, respectively. Conclusively, stigmasterol and 4,4-Dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol might be the key compounds involved in the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activity of XA via inhibition of the enzymes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and diabetes. Received: 13 October 2023 Accepted: 20 February 2024 Published: 15 March 2024

Background: For centuries, there has been a growing fascination with the application of herbs for fungicidal purposes worldwide. This surge in interest could be attributed to the cost-effectiveness and lower toxicities of these herbal remedies compared to the counterpart antifungal drugs. There is substantial scope to explore the curative effects of various plant components, including roots, stems, leaves and fruits of Calotropis procera, renowned for its pharmacological activities, encompassing anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. Objectives: In the present study, the antimycotic potential of the leaf and root extracts of C. procera on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer was investigated. Methods: The antimycotic potential of C. procera was established via the agar well diffusion method after initial preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts. Results: Alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids were present, while glycosides and phenolics were tested negative. The leaf extract inhibited the tested organisms in a concentration-dependent manner where at 100% concentration, both A. niger and R. stolonifer showed high mycelia inhibition of 81.1% and 79.4%, respectively. Also, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values of 31.0% and 48.0% were recorded for A. niger, as well as 28.3% and 45.7% were recorded for R. stolonifer. The aqueous root extract exhibited mycelia inhibition of 74.4% and 77.8% against A. niger and R. stolonifer at 100% concentration with respectively MIC and MFC values of 32.7% and 50.3% for A. niger and 30.3% and 52.0% for R. stolonifer. Conclusion: The study provides promising evidence of potential medicinal properties associated with C. procera, supporting its potential therapeutic applications in traditional medicine.

This investigation aimed to determine the prevalence and biofilm-forming potentials of bacterial uropathogenic among primary school pupils in Yola North, Adamawa State. A total of 120 clean mid-stream urine samples were collected from apparently healthy children to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated pathogen by the Kirby and Bauer disc diffusion method while the biofilm-forming potential by the standard methods. The result showed 26 % of the samples had significant bacteria growth with the Gram-negative as the highest. The infectivity pattern among the age group showed 8-10 had the highest infectivity percentage (35%) followed by 5-7 and 11-13 with 22.5% and 20% respectively. Six bacteria pathogens were isolated which are E. coli (41.9%) which is the most prevalent isolate followed by Staphylococcus aureus (29.0%), Pseudomonas sp. (9.7%), Klebsiella sp. (9.7%), Enterobacter sp. (6.5%), Proteus sp. (3.3%). The antibiotic sensitivity test showed an alarming resistance level to nearly all the tested antibiotics showing multi-drug resistant strains. The Biofilm-forming potentials depict E. coli with the strongest potential followed by S. aureus. A high occurrence of asymptomatic UTIs and antimicrobial resistance observed poses a public health concern. Thus, routine diagnostic exercise is recommended for early detection and prompt treatment of the pathogens.

Introduction: The devastating effect of persistent and recurrent bacterial infections coupled with antibiotic resistance is a driving force for prospects into alternative antibacterial therapeutics to achieve treatment. This study investigates the antibacterial potential of Ximenia americana (XA) via molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and ADMET approach. Materials and methods: The ligands and target were downloaded from respective databases and docked using PyRx software followed by molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) with iMOD and CABflex 2.0 online servers then ADMET, drug likeness, lead likeness, and medicinal chemistry predictions of the top docked ligands using pkCSM and SwissADME online servers. Results: Stigmasterol exhibited the lowest binding affinity and inhibition constant respectively with all the targets; enoyl-acyl-carrier-protein reductase (-7.1 kcal/mol and 6.16 µM), Penicillin-binding Protein 2X (-8.8 kcal/mol and 0.35 µM), dihydrofolate reductase (-9.6 kcal/mol and 0.09 µM), dihydropteroate Synthase (-7.8 kcal/mol and 1.89 µM), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase (-7.1 kcal/mol and 6.16 µM), and topoisomerase IV (-7.8 kcal/mol and 1.89 µM). The MDS showed several cluster displacements and residue fluctuations with the docked targets with higher residue fluctuations observed for enoyl-acyl-carrier-protein reductase (11.33 ?), Penicillin-binding Protein 2X (4.67 ?), dihydrofolate reductase (3.61 ?), dihydropteroate Synthase (4.97 ?), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase (3.38 ?), and topoisomerase IV (4.35 ?). 4,4-Dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol exhibited superior overall ADMET properties, oral bioavailability, drug-likeness, and medicinal chemistry. Conclusion: Conclusively, Stigmasterol and 4,4-Dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol might be responsible for the antibacterial effect of XA. Although the latter showed better interaction with the target proteins, the former showed better ADMET properties, oral bioavailability, drug-likeness, and medicinal properties. However, improvement in these properties might enhance their antibacterial activity.

This research aimed to investigate the phytoconstituents and antibacterial effects of methanol and ethyl acetate stem bark extracts of Detarium microcarpum (DM). The phytochemicals were detected and quantified while the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi was established determining the zone of inhibition (ZI), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Phytochemical screening showed alkaloids (16.33% ±0.88) were present in the methanol extract only while saponins and flavonoids were detected in concentrations of 31.00% ±2.31 and 21.01% ±2.33 respectively for the methanol extract and 21.67% ±1.76 and 38.01% ±1.16, for the ethyl acetate. The methanol extract exhibited the highest ZI on S. aureus (21.3 mm ±1.11) with its least inhibition observed on E. coli (6.5 mm ±0.77) while the ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the highest ZI on S. typhi (19.1 mm ±2.01). S. typhi exhibited more sensitivity to DM extracts at the least concentrations of 12.5 mg/ml (methanol) and 25 mg/ml (ethyl acetate) while the MBC results showed that the 12.5 mg/ml and 25 mg/ml were the effective respective concentration for methanol and ethyl acetate extracts against S. typhi. Conclusively, DM exhibited an antibacterial effect against the test organisms with notable inhibitory and bactericidal effects.

This study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of compounds from Anogeissus leiocarpus (AL) in silico and the potential of the compounds as antidiabetic drug candidates. Molecular docking (MD), molecular dynamics simulation (MDS), and ADMET were carried out in silico to evaluate the compounds' antidiabetic potential and drug candidacy. The MDS revealed the least BA (-8.7 kcal/mol) was exhibited by compound X (palmitic acid) with Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor (GLP1), while the highest BA (-5.8 kcal/mol) was demonstrated by I (1,2,4-benzetriol) with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) among the best interactions. The MDS result showed good docked complexes' flexibility, deformability, and stability with low eigenvalues ranging from 8.52 × 10-5 to 1.30 × 10-4. All the compounds had a bioavailability score of 0.55 except VI (0.85), while the synthetic ability showed a good score of ≤3.01. Eight compounds were predicted to be soluble, with two poorly soluble. Additionally, all the compounds had high gastrointestinal absorption, with the majority being blood-brain barrier permeant, while skin permeation value was between -2.55 and -7.48 cm/s. Furthermore, none of the compounds were either permeability glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate or CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 inhibitors, though some were CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 inhibitors. Moreover, the toxicity study showed moderate to non-toxicity results with toxicity classes between 3 and 5. Conclusively, the compounds from AL showed good binding interactions, which are the protein targets of antidiabetic therapy and potentially good candidates for antidiabetic drug development.

Hyperlipidemia is characterized by elevated levels of Triglycerides, Cholesterol, LDL, and decreased levels of HDL are challenges in the management of Diabetes mellitus which might lead to death. This study aimed to determine the hypolipidemic potential of ethyl acetate extract of Hyphaene thebaica fruit in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The hypolipidemic potential of H. thebaica fruit in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was determined. Rats were divided into six groups. Treatment groups were administered the extract at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg body weight. Oral administration of the extract at 400 mg/kg body weight for four weeks significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the levels of total cholesterol (151.7 mg/dl ±2.40), Triglyceride (84.0 mg/dl ±1.15), LDL (75.2 mg/dl ±1.20) and increased HDL (39.3 mg/dl ±1.88) level. However no significant (p < 0.05) difference was observed between the 400 and 200 mg/kg body weight dose. Conclusively, H. thebaica can be used as a medicinal plant due to its protective action against dyslipidemic complications of diabetes mellitus.

Complications of Diabetes mellitus caused by persistent hyperglycemia is a challenge in management of the disease as synthetic drugs used are often expensive, specific and associated with side effects. This study was aimed to determine the anti-diabetic potential of mesocarp extract of Hyphaene thebaica fruit in streptozotocin-induced Diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic effects of methanol, aqueous and ethylacetate extract of Hyphaene thebaica fruit oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were determined followed by the effects of the ethylacetate extract on body weight, blood glucose, liver and kidney. Glucose was fed to rats the 30 minutes after pretreatment with extract, followed by measurement of blood glucose levels at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 240 minutes to assess the effect of the extracts on blood glucose levels of the glucose loaded animals. The rats were also divided into six groups and treated ethylacetate extract daily by intragastric tube for four weeks. The result revealed the ethylacetate extract was more hypoglycemic in OGTT than the other extracts. There was a significant (p < 0.05) improvement in body weight of rats administered ethylacetate extract at 400 mg and 200 mg/kg body weight with significant (p < 0.05) decrease in blood glucose, AST, GGT, creatinine, and urea levels. Conclusively, H. thebaica can be used in the management of diabetes evident to its hypoglycemic effects and significant improvement in weight and hepato-renal function.