Rumbidzai Mangoyi

• BSc Biochemistry, D. phil Science
• Senior Lecturer at University of Zimbabwe

Tenebrio molitor larvae are the first insect species to be given a favorable assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a novel food source, enabling consumption of whole insect larvae or larvae that have been powdered and processed into a variety of food products. Pressure from economic hardships and increase in population growth h...

The challenge in polystyrene disposal has caused researchers to look for urgent innovative and ecofriendly solutions for plastic degradation. Some insects have been reported to use polystyrene as their sole carbon source, and this has been linked to the presence of microbes in their guts that aid in plastic digestion. Thus, this study focuses on th...

Water and contaminated hospital surfaces have been reported as major causes of Hospital acquirеd (nosocomial) infections (HAIs), a significant global safety problem for both patients and medical staff. However, the frequency of Intensive Care Units (ICU)-HAIs has been reported to be at least 2-3 times greater in low- to middle-income countries, par...

Acanthamoeba species are the major cause of Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) of eyes, Acanthamoeba meningoencephalitis of the central nervous system, and fatal Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis (GAE) of the brain in humans. These diseases are difficult to treat due to their resistance to extreme temperatures, pH, alcohol, and pressure. This research ai...

Due to the continuous growth of the world population, European countries have recently declared Tenebrio molitor (mealworm) powder safe as an alternative protein source for humans. Despite the positive aspects raised about mealworm powder, its marketability faces challenges due to some safety concerns. There is a lack of profound insight into the m...

Annona senegalensis is a plant well known as the wild custard apple and has been widely reported for its various medicinal uses. This study investigates the potential of Annona senegalensis extracts as antibacterial agents against common pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The leaves of Annona senegalensis were col...

This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. ABSTRACT Insects h...

Many plants derived medicines used in traditional medicinal system have been reported to treat infections against dental caries and periodontal diseases. The main aim of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of herbal mouthwash formulation containing the extract of Erythrina abyssinica against Staphylococcus aureus. The bark of E...

Background: The excessive use of polystyrene as a packaging material has resulted in a rise in environmental pollution. Polystyrene waste has continually increased water pollution, soil pollution and the closing of landfill sites since it is durable and resistant to biodegradation. Therefore, the challenge in polystyrene disposal has caused researc...

Background: The excessive use of polystyrene as a packaging material has resulted in a rise in environmental pollution. Polystyrene waste has continually increased water pollution, soil pollution and the closing of landfill sites since it is durable and resistant to biodegradation. Therefore, the challenge in polystyrene disposal has caused researc...

Aspergillus niger, is a filamentous fungus and producer of industrial enzymes such as glucose oxidases and cellulases. These enzymes are naturally produced by the fungus in order to digest and absorb nutrients from its environment. However, the enzyme quantities that are naturally produced are low. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the e...

Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of the methanolic leaf extract of Melia azedarach as an antibacterial agent against bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous bacterium which infects immuno compromised patients especially those with cystic fibrosis, severe bu...

The use of enzymes on industrial scale saves a lot of energy and avoids pollution, thus holding a promise for green and economically sustainable alternative strategies in industrial transformations. Generally, the fungi Aspergillus niger secretes enzymes which can be used in different industries. Thus, coming up with these enzymes in large amounts...

Antimicrobial drug resistance is increasingly becoming an important global problem. Among the major causes for concern is drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi, which have become resistant to at least one antibiotic. This challenge has lead scientists to investigate plants as potential sources of antimicrobial agents since th...

Natural plant products have been important for the development of new active molecules for drug development since the ancient times. This is particularly due to the presence of secondary metabolites in plants, which are known for their antimicrobial activity. Thus, this study focused on investigating the antimicrobial activity of Erythrina abyssini...

Enzymes are being used in most processes in industries such as textile, leather, beer brewing, and fruit juice extraction. The advantages of using enzymes in place of chemicals include safety, reduction in energy costs, and reduction in pollution. However the use of enzymes in Zimbabwe is limited due to the high cost of importing them. Interestingl...

Background: Combretum zeyheri, belongs to the family Combretaceae and is one of the most popular herbal plants in tropical and subtropical countries. The leaves of Combretum zeyheri have been used as herbal medicine and have been reported to have pharmacological activity which includes anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anticancer and antioxidant proper...

The in vitro effects of Combretum zeyheri leaf ethanol extract (CZLE) on ergosterol biosynthesis of Candida albicans were investigated by quantifying the ergosterol in C. albicans in the presence and absence of the extract using UV-visible spectrophotometric analyses. Miconazole was used as the positive control. CZLE showed ergosterol biosynthesis...

Zimbabwe is burdened with HIV/AIDS and TB infections. Plants are often used to treat infective diseases, and a study was carried out to evaluate the basis of their use and probe them for new anti-infective constituents. Of the 5000 plant species growing in Zimbabwe, about 10% are used in traditional medicine. The potential of medicinal plants on in...

Medicinal plants are therapeutic resources used by traditional population for health care, thus, it is important to evaluate the mechanism of action of herbal plants so as to validate their efficacy and avoid possible toxic effects. The water and methanol leaf extracts of Combretum zeyheri, medicinal plant from Zimbabwe were screened for antibacter...

The in vitro effects of Combretum zeyheri leaf ethanol extract (CZLE) on ergosterol biosynthesis of Candida albicans were investigated by quantifying the ergosterol in C. albicans in the presence and absence of the extract using UV-visible spectrophotometric analyses. Miconazole was used as the positive control. CZLE showed ergosterol biosynthesis...

Plants used by indigenous people to produce medicines to treat different kinds of ailments maybe a source of new pharmaceuticals. The in vitro antifungal activities of six Combretum species (C. zeyheri, C. apiculatum, C. molle, C. kraussii, C. elaegnoides and C. imberbe) were investigated against Candida albicans and Candida krusei using agar disc...

Thirty-eight Zimbabwean medicinal plant extracts were investigated for in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Candida krusei. These plants are used for the traditional treatment of various ailments, including fungal infections. The ethanol extracts were tested for antifungal activity using the agar disc diffusion method. The mini...

A glutathione transferase (PfGST) isolated from Plasmodium falciparum has been associated with chloroquine resistance. A range of natural products including malagashanine (MG) were screened for inhibition of PfGST by a GST assay with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate. Only the sesquiterpene (JBC 42C), the bicoumarin (Tral-1), ellagic acid...