There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Leu-M

Phenolic compounds constitute a group of secondary metabolites which have important functions in plants. Besides the beneficial effects on the plant host, phenolic metabolites (polyphenols) exhibit a series of biological properties that influence the human in a health-promoting manner. Evidence suggests that people can benefit from plant phenolics obtained either by the diet or through skin application, because they can alleviate symptoms and inhibit the development of various skin disorders. Due to their natural origin and low toxicity, phenolic compounds are a promising tool in eliminating the causes and effects of skin aging, skin diseases, and skin damage, including wounds and burns. Polyphenols also act protectively and help prevent or attenuate the progression of certain skin disorders, both embarrassing minor problems (e.g., wrinkles, acne) or serious, potentially life-threatening diseases such as cancer. This paper reviews the latest reports on the potential therapy of skin disorders through treatment with phenolic compounds, considering mostly a single specific compound or a combination of compounds in a plant extract.

The Potential of Plant Phenolics in Prevention and Therapy of Skin Disorders

The use of medicinal plants as a fundamental component of the African traditional healthcare system is perhaps the oldest and the most assorted of all therapeutic systems. In many parts of rural Africa, traditional healers prescribing medicinal plants are the most easily accessible and affordable health resource available to the local community and at times the only therapy that subsists. Nonetheless, there is still a paucity of updated comprehensive compilation of promising medicinal plants from the African continent. The major focus of the present review is to provide an updated overview of 10 promising medicinal plants from the African biodiversity which have short- as well as long-term potential to be developed as future phytopharmaceuticals to treat and/or manage panoply of infectious and chronic conditions. In this endeavour, key scientific databases have been probed to investigate trends in the rapidly increasing number of scientific publications on African traditional medicinal plants. Within the framework of enhancing the significance of traditional African medicinal plants, aspects such as traditional use, phytochemical profile, in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies and also future challenges pertaining to the use of these plants have been explored.

/pdf/traditional-medicines-in-africa-an-appraisal-of-ten-potent-1mii56tzak.pdf

Traditional Medicines in Africa: An Appraisal of Ten Potent African Medicinal Plants

The treatment of skin wounds is a key research domain owing to the important functional and aesthetic role of this tissue. When the skin is impaired, bacteria can soon infiltrate into underlying tissues which can lead to life-threatening infections. Consequently, effective treatments are necessary to deal with such pathological conditions. Recently, wound dressings loaded with antimicrobial agents have emerged as viable options to reduce wound bacterial colonization and infection, in order to improve the healing process. In this paper, we present an overview of the most prominent antibiotic-embedded wound dressings, as well as the limitations of their use. A promising, but still an underrated group of potential antibacterial agents that can be integrated into wound dressings are natural products, especially essential oils. Some of the most commonly used essential oils against multidrug-resistant microorganisms, such as tea tree, St. John’s Wort, lavender and oregano, together with their incorporation into wound dressings are presented. In addition, another natural product that exhibits encouraging antibacterial activity is honey. We highlight recent results of several studies carried out by researchers from different regions of the world on wound dressings impregnated with honey, with a special emphasis on Manuka honey. Finally, we highlight recent advances in using nanoparticles as platforms to increase the effect of pharmaceutical formulations aimed at wound healing. Silver, gold, and zinc nanoparticles alone or functionalized with diverse antimicrobial compounds have been integrated into wound dressings and demonstrated therapeutic effects on wounds.

/pdf/treatment-strategies-for-infected-wounds-3anlmw5692.pdf

Treatment Strategies for Infected Wounds.

Background Essential oils (EOs) have remained in the limelight of the scientific community due their versatility coupled with consumers increasing demand for natural, safe and effective health products. Besides, their applications in the food, pharmaceutical, agricultural and textile industries amongst others have consolidated their popularity. Scope and approach EOs are rich sources of pharmacologically active phytoconstituents which justifies their health and industrial applications. Despite their wide applications, their low aqueous solubility, high volatility and sensitivity to light, temperature and oxygen compromise the exploration of their abounding benefits. Hence, this paper focuses on disseminating the chemistry, pharmacology, modes of action as well as the applications of EOs in various industries. Additionally, it focuses on the factors affecting their yield and composition as well as novel methods (micro-/nano-technology) that can be employed to optimize or potentiate their effects. Key findings and conclusions: The pharmacological properties (anti: microbial; oxidant; hyperpigmentation; diabetic; viral; and cancer properties as well as the cardio-, hepato- and neuro-protective effects) of EOs have been validated through various studies and their corresponding mechanisms of action have been reported in this paper. Notably, their antimicrobial and antioxidant attributes have enabled their exploration in active packagings whereby they extend the shelf-life alongside maintaining food quality. On the other hand, their encapsulation in nanodelivery sytems allows to target and modulate their release, thereby enhancing their pharmacological potentials for biomedical applications. In addition to imparting fragrance, they serve as antimicrobials in fabrics in textile industry, while their biocidal effects makes them effective eco-friendly pesticides for agricultural uses.

Chemistry, bioactivities, mode of action and industrial applications of essential oils

Ethnomedicinal application of native remedies used against diabetes and related complications in Mauritius.

Herbal medicine commonly used against non-communicable diseases in the tropical island of Mauritius

Despite the significant advances in screening methods for early diagnosis, breast cancer remains a global threat and continues to be the leading cancer diagnosed in women, requiring effective therapy. Currently, combination therapy has become the hallmark of breast cancer treatment due to the high incidence of tumor recurrence and disease progression after monotherapeutic treatments, including surgery, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and chemotherapy. Over the past decades, there has been considerable interest in studying the anticancer effect of bioactive phytochemicals from medicinal plants combined with these conventional therapies. The rationale for this type of therapy is to use combinations of drugs that work by different mechanisms, thereby decreasing the likelihood that cancer cells will develop resistance, and also reduce the therapeutic dose and toxicity of single treatments. Three agents have received great attention with regard to their anticancer properties: 1) piperine, a dietary phytochemical isolated from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and long pepper (Piper longum L.); 2) sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate mainly derived from cruciferous vegetables; and 3) thymoquinone, the active compound from black seed (Nigella sativa L.). This review focused on the combined effect of these 3 compounds on conventional cancer therapy with the objective of observing enhanced efficacy compared with single treatments. This review also highlights the importance of the nanoformulation of such bioactive phytochemicals that could enhance their bioavailability by providing an efficient targeted delivery system with a reduced systemic dose while resulting in a more efficient dosing at the target site.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cncr.32022

M. Fawzi Mahomoodally

Papers

Traditional Medicines in Africa: An Appraisal of Ten Potent African Medicinal Plants

Chemistry, bioactivities, mode of action and industrial applications of essential oils

Ethnomedicinal application of native remedies used against diabetes and related complications in Mauritius.

Herbal medicine commonly used against non-communicable diseases in the tropical island of Mauritius

Combating breast cancer using combination therapy with 3 phytochemicals: Piperine, sulforaphane, and thymoquinone.