Ahmed Olatunde

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University · Department of Medical Biochemistry

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common non-communicable and chronic metabolic disorder regarded as a global epidemic with high morbidity and mortality. Although, conventional medicines are available for the management of DM, Indigenous knowledge, including the use of botanicals, has contributed to the management of this life-threatening disease in Afri...

While the use of plants in traditional medicine dates back to 1500 B.C., modern advancements led to the development of innovative therapeutic techniques. On the other hand, in the field of anti-infective agents, lack of efficacy and the onset of resistance stimulate the search for novel agents. Genus Artemisia is one of the most diverse among pere...

Drug repositioning or repurposing has gained worldwide attention as a plausible way to search for novel molecules for the treatment of particular diseases or disorders. Drug repurposing essentially refers to uncovering approved or failed compounds for use in various diseases. Cancer is a deadly disease and leading cause of mortality. The search for...

Malaria is a vector-borne disease that is responsible for a large number of mortality globally. The currently available synthetic antimalarial agents are affected with drug resistance. The other challenges linked to these synthetic antimalarial agents are poor water solubility, detrimental effect, and impaired bioavailability of drugs. Based on the...

Numerous natural products found in our diet, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, can prevent the progression of cancer. Luteolin, a natural flavone, present in significant amounts in various fruits and vegetables plays a key role as a chemopreventive agent in treating various types of cancer. By inducing apoptosis, initiating cell cycle arrest, and...

Free radicals are unstable species that are formed from cellular metabolic processes and a certain concentration of these unstable and reactive species confers acceptable effects on the immune activities in biological systems. These free radicals can become harmful to the cell when their levels exceed that of the cellular antioxidant system, in a p...

Mushrooms have long been revered not only as a staple food source but also for their potential medicinal properties. Their role as a natural repository of bioactive compounds positions them uniquely in the pharmaceutical domain, with particular relevance to cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics. The global ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological chroni...

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that leads to the derangement of carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism as well as the induction of oxidative stress, which is a physiological condition that results in diabetic complications. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory activity of 38 compounds from Ficus palmata (...

Oxidative stress is a concept used to describe the condition of oxidative challenges resulting from the critical imbalance between free radical generation and antioxidant defences. Oxidative stress, arising as a result of an imbalance between free radical production and antioxidant defences, is associated with damage to a wide range of molecular sp...

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the Dalbergiella welwitschia alkaloid-rich extracts on liver damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Hence, to induce diabetes, 45 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin was intraperitoneally injected into the Wistar rats. Subsequently, 5 % (w/v) of glucose water was given to the induced animals for 24...

Free radicals are produced in diabetes mellitus (DM), due to protein glycosylation and glucose autooxidation. However, compounds from plants were proven to be effective in the management of DM and related conditions. This study evaluated the antioxidant effect of verbenone, L-arginine, and their ratio combinations in diabetic mice. DM was induced i...

Parasitic diseases undermine the public health and economy of developing countries that lies within the tropical and subtropical regions in the world. This is partly due to the challenges associated with disease treatment because of the development of resistance by the parasites to synthetic drugs, prompting the need for the development of new or a...

Parasitic protozoans such as Trypanosoma and Plasmodium cause many of the most prevalent and dreadful diseases in humans. The survival of these parasitic protozoans relies on the successful evasion of the host organism immune system. These include invasion and replication with host cells, as well as alterations of their surface proteins. In some ca...

Impairment of the central nervous system (CNS) or the nerves conducting messages results in CNS disorders. These CNS disorders could be mild or severe depending on the type of disorder. CNS disorders include depression, anxiety, Huntington's disease, epilepsy, and others. Over the years, natural medicine has been used globally in the management of...

Enicostema axillare (Lam.) A. Raynal, commonly known as the Indian whitehead, has a long history of medicinal use in India and some parts of Africa, including South Africa. In ancient times, the plant was often used to treat cough, congestion, alleviation of fever, diabetes, and a range of other diseases. The plant has also demonstrated various pha...

Urtica dioica is a perennial herb from the family of Urticaceae that is commonly known as stinging nettle. This plant is widespread in Europe, Africa, America, and a part of Asia, as it adapts to diferent environments and climatic conditions. The leaves, stalk, and bark of U. dioica found applications in the feld of nutrition, cosmetics, textile, p...

Edible mushrooms are popular functional foods attributed to their rich nutritional bioactive constituent profile influencing cardiovascular function. Edible mushrooms are omnipresent in various prescribed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Mediterranean diet, and fortified meal plans as they are rich in amino acids, dietary fiber, proteins, s...

Pulses have been consumed worldwide for over 10 centuries and are currently among the most widely used foods. They are not economically important, but also nutritionally beneficial as they constitute a good source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, folate and magnesium. Pulses, but particularly species such as Macrotyloma...

Highlights • Verbenone, a natural bicyclic ketone monoterpene, and L-arginine, a natural amino acid, are both found in Daucus carota and other medicinal plants useful in the management of diabetes mellitus. • Verbenone and L-arginine possess in vitro antidiabetic activities, improve glucose uptake, and inhibit haemoglobin glycation. • Verbenone pos...

Constipation is the inability of individuals to empty the bowel for a period of three times a week which causes discomfort and even sometimes lead to colorectal cancer. This work was aimed at estimating the laxative potential of ethanol leaf extract of Securinega virosa in constipated rats induced with loperamide. Experimental adult rats were induc...

Huperzine A (HupA), an alkaloid found in the club moss Huperzia Serrata, has been in use for centuries in Chinese traditional medicine to treat dementia owing to its ability to inhibit the cholinergic enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), thus acting as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI). An imbalance of metal ions in the brain is linked to Al...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has extensively spread worldwide with high mortality. Besides vaccination, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved only one oral medication as a treatment. Medicinal plants with antiviral and immunomodulatory properties could be explored as complementary treatments for COVID-19. Ogbomosho is home...

The Himalayan region supports a wide diversity of flora and fauna; hence it is home to many natural resources. Despite this, the people living here are struggling for essential needs such as food and nutrition. However, in Himalayan region, wild plants and their fruits contribute significantly to the livelihood of local people and communities. Seve...

Despite advancements in the development of synthetic antimicrobial medicines, infectious diseases continue to pose a significant burden on world health. This is due to the setbacks linked to the use of these synthetic antimicrobial agents, which include drug resistance and toxicity. Therefore, the search for alternative therapeutic strategies are n...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that affects millions of individuals, both male and female, around the world. Nanomedicine has significantly improved the health of diabetic patients through the provision of non-obstructive systems for the treatment of diseases such as DM. This technique has provided several advanced insulin delivery s...

Malaria remains a burden for the tropical and subtropical countries where the disease frequently spreads. The major challenge in the treatment of malaria is the development of resistance by the parasite to currently used drugs. Several methods have been proposed to tackle and prevent the development of resistance to the antimalarial drug, including...

Antioxidants are molecules that associate with free radicals, terminate the chain reaction associated with these reactive metabolites, and donate an electron to form a stable product. Nanotechnology-based innovations have been used to enhance the oral bioavailability and therapeutic potentials of antioxidants. Antioxidant nanoparticle formulations...

Once the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Infectious Disease-19) outbreak to be pandemic, massive efforts have been launched by researchers around the globe to combat this emerging infectious disease. Strategies that must be investigated such as expanding testing capabilities, developing effective medicines, as wel...

Background: Natural products are utilized globally for the management of diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Carrot seeds are ethnobotanically used in the management of diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo antihyperglycemic activities of verbenone and L-arginine, which are compounds found in carrot seed. Results: Ver...

The present study conducted an in silico investigation and identifications of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) cellular entry. Thirty nine (39) bioactive compounds with evidence of in vitro or in vivo antidiabetic activities from medicinal plants were utilized in order to...

The development of efficacious therapeutic agents with relatively low or no level of toxicity was necessitated due to the reemergence of coronavirus. The present study investigated the inhibitory potentials of 4-aminoquinolines (amopyroquine, mefloquine, amodiaquine, bispyroquine, quinine, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine hydrochloride,...

Background The PTP 1B is a negative regulator of insulin signal transduction and hence, serves as a therapeutic target in the treatment of diabetes. Objective The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, and syringaldehyde on the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatases phosphatase 1B (PTP 1B) in vitro...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease characterized by higher leukocyte numbers, acute respiratory distress, and elevated levels of plasma proinflammatory cytokines. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, begins its pathogenesis by the binding of the virus to the h...

Neuroinflammation, a protective response of the central nervous system (CNS), is associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The CNS is composed of neurons and glial cells consisting of microglia, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. Entry of any foreign pathogen activates the glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) and overactivati...

Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is a known natural aromatic flavoring agent and the major component of vanilla extracted from cured vanilla pods. Vanillin has several applications in foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, perfumes and cosmetics. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) ha...

The corticosteroid drug “dexamethasone” has been in use since 1960s for reducing inflammation in a variety of conditions such as certain cancers and other inflammatory disorders. It is an affordable agent and currently off-patent in most countries and listed in multiple formulations since 1977 in the World Health Organization model list of essentia...

The treatment of parasitic diseases is multifaceted. The control methods require a complex interplay involving experts in public health, government policies, education, and medical sciences. Several strategies used in the treatment of parasitic diseases are considered and they are based on the availability, effectiveness, affordability, and accepta...

The trend of natural product consumption as therapeutics or pharmaceuticals is increasing day by day because of their safety profile in addition to other benefits such as organ specificity, extensive effectiveness, prolonged mode of action, and high solubility. Macromolecules such as carbohydrates, peptides, proteins, and lipids from natural origin...

Phyllanthus nivosus leaf has been constantly used in the Eastern part of Nigeria for the treatment of malaria and other ailments, but there seem to be no available data regarding its safety. In this study, the toxicity profile of the bioactive compounds of aqueous extract of Phyllanthus nivosus leaf was determined through an in silico approach and...

This study evaluated the anti-hyperlipidemic properties of aqueous (AQF) and ethyl acetate (EAF) partitioned fractions of Daucus carota seed in triton X-100 induced hyperlipidemia in mice. Hyperlipidemia was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of freshly prepared triton X-100 (100 mg/kg body weight) in forty (40) mice, which were randomly d...

Investigation on medicinal plants’ therapeutic potential has gained substantial importance in the discovery of novel effective and safe therapeutic agents. The present study is aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective potential of Seriphidium kurramense methanolic extract (SKM) against carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced hepatotoxicity in rats...

Centrifugation is one of the separation techniques used in many fields, including biochemistry, pharmacy, and medicine, among others. This separation technique uses centrifugal field force for the separation of several components of a mixture on the basis of their size and/or density. Substances that do not settle at the bottom of their container a...

The current review discuss the chemistry, nutritional composition, toxicity, and biological functions of garlic and its bioactive compounds against various types of cancers via different anticancer mechanisms. Several scientific documents were found in reliable literature and searched in databases viz Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus...

Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease among the other 17 major groups of neglected tropical diseases and currently the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The causative organism Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted pathogenic bacteria. C. trachomatis thrives in ocular and genital infections leading to infant...

Cancers are regarded as one of the main causes of death and result in high health burden worldwide. The management of cancer include chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. The chemotherapy, which involves the use of chemical agents with cytotoxic actions is utilised as a single treatment or combined treatment. However, these managements of cancer...

Background: Honokiol is a pleiotropic compound which been isolated from Magnolia species such as Magnolia grandiflora and Magnolia dealbata. Magnolia species Magnolia grandiflora is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Purpose: The objective of this review is to summarize the pharmacological potential and therapeutic...

Many short-lived and highly reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide anion (O2 - ) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), are toxic or can create oxidative stress in cells, a response involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases depending on their concentration, location, and cellular conditions. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as an endogenou...

Iturin, a metabolite produced by Bacillus subtilis, has a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect, and because they are secreted in the rhizosphere of plants, iturins are often mixed with many organic molecules. In recent years, people have improved their separation and purification methods but still cannot achieve simple and effective procedures, maki...

Plants provide various types of compounds that are both beneficial and harmful. These compounds possess such significant bioactivities as they are, sometimes in synergy and/or in dysergy with each other. Given their activities, some of them have been critically central to some decisions that have influenced military strategies and operations to dif...

Marine habitats are well-known for their diverse life forms that are potential sources of novel bioactive compounds. Evidence from existing studies suggests that these compounds contribute significantly to the field of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. The isolation of natural compounds from a marine environment with protease inh...

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibition is considered as potential therapeutic for the treatment of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. In our present work, we investigated the anti-diabetic potential of 8-hydroxydiospyrin (8-HDN) from D. lotus against PTP1B enzyme. It showed significant inhibitory activity of PTP1B with IC50 value of...

Background The recent reemergence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has prompted for the search of effective treatments in forms of drugs and vaccines. Aim In this regards, we performed an in silico studies of 39 active antidiabetic compounds from medicinal plants to prov...

Saffron (Crocus sativus L., family Iridaceae) is used traditionally for medicinal purpose in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Persian and Unani medicines. The bioactive constituents such as apocarotenoids, monoterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids and phytosterols are widely investigated in experimental and clinical studies for a wide range of therapeutic effe...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which originated in an outbreak in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus belongs to the beta-coronavirus class, like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus. Interestingly, the virus binds with angiotensin-conve...

The present study was designed to investigate the role of methoxylation on the anti-diabetic potential of ρ-hydroxybenzaldehyde (ρ-BN) and its derivatives vanillin (VN) and syringaldehyde (SN) in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fructose-fed streptozotocin-induced T2D rat model was used and orally treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight of ρ-BN, VN and SN...

Diet has an important impact on human health. Healthy diets, therefore, promote good health. The most recent scientific literature broadly supports the importance of diet-related habits during pregnancy and breastfeeding, in the same manner, lifestyle also affect the health of mothers and their offspring. Consumption from the preconceptional era of...

Carotenoids are hydrocarbon compound consisting of conjugated double bond system responsible for the red to pink colors found in seeds, fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids are classified into two groups based on the presence or absence of oxygen molecule in their basic structure. They are widely distributed in nature. Their synthesis are via geranyl...

Functional Foods: Health Benefits of Milk and Milk Products

Plants have been used since ancient times to cure certain infectious diseases, and some of them are now standard treatments for several diseases. Due to the side effects and resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics and most drugs on the market, a great deal of attention has been paid to extracts and biologically active compounds isola...

Daucus carota seed is medicinally useful in the management of disease such as diabetes mellitus, which is associated with oxidative stress. This study investigated the phytochemical constituents, in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities of aqueous fraction (AQF) and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) of D. carota seed in triton X-100 induced oxidative...

Objectives Glycoproteins are organic compounds formed from proteins and carbohydrates, which are found in many parts of the living systems including the cell membranes. Furthermore, impaired metabolism of glycoprotein components plays the main role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of gl...

This study evaluated the chemical composition, physicochemical properties, toxicological and environmental potentials of the Datura metel (D. metel) leaves extracts. Fresh leaves of D. metel were harvested at three different times of the day (morning, afternoon and evening), extraction done in succession using n-hexane and ethanol solvents respecti...

The quantitative phytochemical analysis of Annona senegalensis leaf was carried out and the effects of its ethanolic extract on some haematological and biochemical parameters of oxidative stress in Trypanosoma brucei brucei infected mice were determined. Treatment of T. b brucei-infected mice with 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg body weight of ethanolic extr...

Human exposure to environmental carcinogens like Cadmium (Cd) is one of the major causes of cancer. Acute or chronic exposure induces severe toxicity in various organs, majorly through the induction of oxidative stress. Medicinal plants are sources of exogenous antioxidants which could offer protection against carcinogen-induced toxicity. The prote...

African Trypanosomiasis is one of the diseases threatening more than sixty million lives on daily basis. In the search for potential new drugs, the trypanocidal activity of the aqueous extracts of Psidium guajava leaf and Moringa oleifera stem barks were investigated in Trypanosoma brucei- infected rats. The albino rats (18) were randomly assign...

The toxicological and anti-trypanosomal potentials of aqueous stem bark extracts of Pterocarpus erinaceus and Zanthoxyllum zanthoxyloides in Trypanosoma brucei infected wistar rats were determined. The albino rats (30) were randomly assigned into six (A-F) groups, each of which contains five rats. Groups A (Control) and B (Negative control) receive...

This study evaluated the toxicity potential of platinum (Pt) nanoparticles in Wistar rats. Wistar rats weighing between 180 and 193 g were randomly assigned into four groups. Animals in group 1 served as the control and received distilled water. Those in groups 2, 3, and 4 were administered with 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg body weight of Pt nanoparticles...