Synthetic Medicine Research Articles

Image Synthesis in Nuclear Medicine Imaging with Deep Learning: A Review

Nuclear medicine imaging (NMI) is essential for the diagnosis and sensing of various diseases; however, challenges persist regarding image quality and accessibility during NMI-based treatment. This paper reviews the use of deep learning methods for generating synthetic nuclear medicine images, aimed at improving the interpretability and utility of nuclear medicine protocols. We discuss advanced image generation algorithms designed to recover details from low-dose scans, uncover information hidden by specific radiopharmaceutical properties, and enhance the sensing of physiological processes. By analyzing 30 of the newest publications in this field, we explain how deep learning models produce synthetic nuclear medicine images that closely resemble their real counterparts, significantly enhancing diagnostic accuracy when images are acquired at lower doses than the clinical policies’ standard. The implementation of deep learning models facilitates the combination of NMI with various imaging modalities, thereby broadening the clinical applications of nuclear medicine. In summary, our review underscores the significant potential of deep learning in NMI, indicating that synthetic image generation may be essential for addressing the existing limitations of NMI and improving patient outcomes.

Characterization of Serratia marcescens (OK482790)’ prodigiosin along with in vitro and in silico validation for its medicinal bioactivities

BackgroundMicrobial prodigiosin pigment has been proposed as a promising biomolecule having an antibacterial, immunosuppressive, antimalarial, antineoplastic, and anticancer activities. The good outcome originates from getting natural pigment, which has many medical applications.ResultsIn this investigation, prodigiosin (PG) was extracted, characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography, mass spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and tested in various medical applications as an antibacterial, antioxidant, antibiofilm, anticancer, and wound healing agent at different concentrations. Antibacterial activity of PG pigment was shown against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Enterococcus faecalis was the most severely impacted, with minimum inhibitory value of 3.9 µg/mL. The formed biofilm by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was suppressed by 58–2.50% at prodigiosin doses ranging from 1000 to 31.25 µg/mL, respectively. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical was 74.18 ± 23.77 µg/mL. At 100 µg/mL concentration, OK482790 prodigiosin had no harmful effect on normal skin cells and exhibited mild wound healing properties. Additionally, molecular docking simulations confirmed the prodigiosin’s interactions with target proteins, including epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK, PDB ID: 1M17), peptide deformylase from E. faecalis (PDB ID: 2OS1), acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1, PDB ID: 3K1X), PA14_16140 protein from P. aeruginosa (PDB ID: 8Q8O), and human peroxiredoxin 5 (PDB ID: 1HD2) for explaining the anticancer, antibacterial, wound healing, antibiofilm, and antioxidant activities, respectively. Prodigiosin had favorable binding affinities and putative modes of action across various therapeutic domains.ConclusionThis study pioneers the use of prodigiosin as a natural alternative to synthetic medicine since it fights germs, heals wounds, is antioxidant, and reduces biofilm formation.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.

A Review on Colorectal Cancer and the Role of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine as Complementary Therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC), encompassing cancers of the colon and rectum area, is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, posing a significant health challenge. In 2020, CRC contributed to 9.4% of all cancer fatalities. With the significant rise in cases among the elderly, it is projected that the figure will double by 2035 globally, particularly in less developed countries. For many years, surgery and chemotherapy have been the mainstay treatments for cancer, but patients with metastatic disease have generally faced poor outcomes. Currently, there is a renewal of interest to explore the potential of natural products to treat cancers. Nature provides many effective treatments for severe diseases, with around 75-80% of the global population relying on conventional medical practices due to limited access to healthcare and concerns about synthetic medicine safety. Natural products are crucial for treating infectious diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders, and references in religious texts have spurred scientific validation of traditional claims. These products are excellent sources for CRC treatments, with nearly 50% of current cancer therapies derived from natural ingredients. This review focuses on the discussion of colorectal cancer and the potential of Chinese traditional herbs used in treating colorectal cancers. Furthermore, various signalling pathways of CRC and the possible mechanism of TCM intervening in these pathways are also discussed.

Nano-platform Strategies of Herbal Components for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review on the Battle for Next-Generation Formulations.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that initially affects small joints and then spreads to the bigger joints. It also affects other organs of the body such as lungs, eyes, kidneys, heart, and skin. In RA, there is destruction of cartilage and joints, and ligaments and tendons become brittle. Damage to the joints leads to abnormalities and bone degradation, which may be quite painful for the patient. The nano-carriers such as liposomes, phytosomes, nanoparticles, microcapsules, and niosomes are developed to deliver the encapsulated phytoconstituents to targeted sites for the better management of RA. The phytoconstituents loaded nano-carriers have been used in order to increase bioavailability, stability and reduce the dose of an active compound. In one study, the curcumin-loaded phytosomes increase the bioavailability of curcumin and also provides relief from RA symptoms. The drug-loaded nano-carriers are the better option for the management of RA. In conclusion, there are many anti-arthritic herbal and synthetic medicine available in the market that are currently used in the treatment of RA. However, chronic use of these medications may result in a variety of side effects. Because therapy for RA is frequently necessary for the rest of ones life. The use of natural products may be a better option for RA management. These phytoconstituents, however, have several disadvantages, including limited bioavailability, low stability, and the need for a greater dosage. These problems can be rectified by using nano-technology.

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Interactions of Momordica charantia extract with Glibenclamide in Streptozotocin induced Diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has emerged as a leading global health problem. Diabetes is estimated to affect 425 million adults globally. Majority of diabetic patients take herbal medicines as supplement for the treatment of diabetes. The combined use of herbs and modern synthetic medicine has increased the possibility of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) interactions. Momordica charantia (MC) commonly known as bitter melon/bitter gourd, is globally marketed for treatment of diabetes. Many diabetic patients consume MC extract along with antidiabetic drugs for better therapeutic effect with or without knowledge of health care provider.The current study evaluated PKPD herb-interaction of MC extract with glibenclamide (GLB) following oral administration either alone or in combination with MC extract for 28-consequative days. MC extract co-administratioin showed increased plasma exposure of GLB on Day-28 compared to glibenclamide alone treated groups with similar dosing regimen. Glibenclamide upon co-administration with MC extract showed improved pharmacodynamic parameters compared to glibenclamide alone treated groups suggesting synergistic or additive effect. Physician can reduce the glibenclamide dose in diabetic patients if they are taking MC as supplement.

Reversible Control of Gene Expression by Guest-Modified Adenosines in a Cell-Free System via Host-Guest Interaction.

Gene expression technology has become an indispensable tool for elucidating biological processes and developing biotechnology. Cell-free gene expression (CFE) systems offer a fundamental platform for gene expression-based technology, in which the reversible and programmable control of transcription can expand its use in synthetic biology and medicine. This study shows that CFE can be controlled via the host-guest interaction of cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) with N6-guest-modified adenosines. These adenosine derivatives were conveniently incorporated into the DNA strand using a post-synthetic approach and formed a selective and stable base pair with complementary thymidine in DNA. Meanwhile, alternate addition of CB[7] and the exchanging guest molecule induced the reversible formation of a duplex structure through the formation and dissociation of a bulky complex on DNA. The kinetics of the reversibility was fine-tuned by changing the size of the modified guest moieties. When incorporated into a specific region of the T7 promoter sequence, the guest-modified adenosines enabled tight and reversible control of in vitro transcription and protein expression in the CFE system. This study marks the first utility of the host-guest interaction for gene expression control in the CFE system, opening new avenues for developing DNA-based technology, particularly for precise gene therapy and DNA nanotechnology.

Cardioprotective Potentials of Anacardium occidentale Nuts Methanolic Extract in Diabetes-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction in Rats

Background: The unwanted adverse toxicity displayed by synthetic antidiabetic medicine leads to the search for effective natural medicine to combat diabetes complications. This study investigated the cardioprotective of Anacardium occidentale nuts methanolic in high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Forty male adult Wistar were used and fed with HFD for 6 weeks before diabetes induction. The rats were grouped into 5 groups, 8 rats/group. Group I: normal control; Group II: diabetic control; Group III & IV: diabetic rats + 100 mg/kgb.wt & 200 mg/kgb.wt Anacardium occidentale nuts methanolic extract; Group V: diabetic rats + 200 mg/kgb.wt metformin. The rats were sacrificed on the experiment’s last day, blood samples were collected and the hearts were isolated for biochemical parameters estimation. Results: Food intake, water intake, plasmas insulin, Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), cardiac enzymes, lipid profile, inflammatory cytokines, malondialdehyde, fibrotic marker, caspase-3 in cardiac of diabetic rats were elevated (p < 0.05) significantly. Body weight, cardiac antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic marker levels diminished (p < 0.05) significantly in diabetic rats. 100 mg/kgb.wt & 200 mg/kgb.wt of Anacardium occidentale nuts methanolic extract administration significantly suppressed the plasma insulin, FBG, HbA1c, cardiac lipid profile, cardiac enzymes biomarker, cardiac inflammatory cytokines, cardiac malondialdehyde, cardiac fibrotic marker, cardiac caspase-3, food intake & water intake and increased the body weight, cardiac antioxidant & cardiac anti-apoptotic marker in the diabetic rats. Conclusion: Anacardium occidentale nuts attenuate cardiac injury in diabetes. It could be a natural medicine to manage diabetes-cardiovascular complications.

Therapeutic Values of Pyridine Molecules from Natural Sources: A Comprehensive Review

Reason for the Study: Many commercial pharmacologically interesting medicinal plant species and their formulations are used in more communities and often in more countries around the world, for their multiple uses of Active compounds from the natural sources. It should be need to extensively explored to get their properties and their benefits. The costs of drugs for resistance of common infective diseases are increased especially bacterial infections and sexually transmitted diseases. The therapeutic approach of herbal medicines is an option for concerted search for new chemical entities for new drugs development. So searching of valuable medicinal plants with their longest track record for their use and their location and distribution is must and essential.
 Aim: This study aims to provide an overview and documentation about pyridine alkaloids and their phytopharmacological activity related some medicinal plants.
 Methodology: By using the key words, the literatures were collected from Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar search engines. This review will create a platform to harmonizing the traditional medicine practice in the country, create a synergy between herbal medicines and modern medicine and more harmonized integrated traditional medicine practices in future. It gives an insight into the strategic plan and route map for the development of new formulations and research platform for the practice and development of herbal medicines. The pharmaceutical industry has come to consider traditional medicine as a source for identification of bio-active agents that can be used in the preparation of semi synthetic medicine in different novel formulations.
 Conclusion: This article focused some medicinal plants which contain different types and derivatives of pyridine alkaloids with their therapeutic applications. Further research needs to be done to make Novel pharmaceutical preparations with patent drugs and appropriate therapeutic documentation.

SPECIFIC BIOCHEMICAL INDICATORS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA)

It is acknown that Rheumatoid inflammation is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease developing on the background of infection. Damages mainly the heart, blood vessels, musculoskeletal system and other internal organs. Multiple joints may be affected, primarily the knee, ankle and elbow undergoing destruction leads to pain, mainly symmetrical. Damaged joints swollen and skin in these foci reddens; joint morning stiffness lasts for an hour or more, this sign is accompanied by low fever and fatigue. As a result of the rheumatic process, the heart is damaged, leading to cardiovascular manifestations. Analysis of blood parameters allows the severity of the disease to be determined based on a relatively new method using Das28. The obtained results for ESR and CRP are used to calculate DAS28, which also allows monitoring of RA treatment. Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are seropositive—they have abnormally high levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) or anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CPP) in the blood. The article examines aspects of synthetic, chemical and alternative medicine impact on treating patients with RA as well. The article discusses comparative aspects of pharmacological and herbal medicine in the therapeutics. According to the literature, patients who have not received the expected results after treatment with pharmacological preparations successfully use herbal remedies as a means of body restoring and healing. To date, the success of traditional medicine is ahead of those of conventional using synthetic drugs.

MRNA vaccination, a model of transition from basic biology to medicine

Sixty years elapsed between the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA) and the use of this molecule in an unprecedented global vaccination campaign that brought the Covid-19 pandemic under control. Sixty years of doubts for some and certainties for others about the possibility of using mRNA-an example of synthetic biology-in therapeutic medicine and vaccinology. Years of "translational" research and development have culminated in the success of anti-Covid-19 mRNA vaccines and the promise of more to come against emerging pathogens. A new paradigm in vaccinology, enabling pandemics to be tackled as they emerge. A lesson to be learned: medical progress is less a question of time than of the critical nature of the biological discovery that underpins it. Before leaving us, François Gros, who played a key role in the discovery of mRNA, was able to appreciate the relevance of this obvious fact.

'Seeing' the electromagnetic spectrum: spotlight on the cryptochrome photocycle.

Cryptochromes are widely dispersed flavoprotein photoreceptors that regulate numerous developmental responses to light in plants, as well as to stress and entrainment of the circadian clock in animals and humans. All cryptochromes are closely related to an ancient family of light-absorbing flavoenzymes known as photolyases, which use light as an energy source for DNA repair but themselves have no light sensing role. Here we review the means by which plant cryptochromes acquired a light sensing function. This transition involved subtle changes within the flavin binding pocket which gave rise to a visual photocycle consisting of light-inducible and dark-reversible flavin redox state transitions. In this photocycle, light first triggers flavin reduction from an initial dark-adapted resting state (FADox). The reduced state is the biologically active or 'lit' state, correlating with biological activity. Subsequently, the photoreduced flavin reoxidises back to the dark adapted or 'resting' state. Because the rate of reoxidation determines the lifetime of the signaling state, it significantly modulates biological activity. As a consequence of this redox photocycle Crys respond to both the wavelength and the intensity of light, but are in addition regulated by factors such as temperature, oxygen concentration, and cellular metabolites that alter rates of flavin reoxidation even independently of light. Mechanistically, flavin reduction is correlated with conformational change in the protein, which is thought to mediate biological activity through interaction with biological signaling partners. In addition, a second, entirely independent signaling mechanism arises from the cryptochrome photocycle in the form of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are synthesized during flavin reoxidation, are known mediators of biotic and abiotic stress responses, and have been linked to Cry biological activity in plants and animals. Additional special properties arising from the cryptochrome photocycle include responsivity to electromagnetic fields and their applications in optogenetics. Finally, innovations in methodology such as the use of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) diamond centers to follow cryptochrome magnetic field sensitivity in vivo are discussed, as well as the potential for a whole new technology of 'magneto-genetics' for future applications in synthetic biology and medicine.

Recent advances in the characterization of essential genes and development of a database of essential genes.

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant interest in the study of essential genes, which are crucial for the survival of an organism under specific environmental conditions and thus have practical applications in the fields of synthetic biology and medicine. An increasing amount of experimental data on essential genes has been obtained with the continuous development of technological methods. Meanwhile, various computational prediction methods, related databases and web servers have emerged accordingly. To facilitate the study of essential genes, we have established a database of essential genes (DEG), which has become popular with continuous updates to facilitate essential gene feature analysis and prediction, drug and vaccine development, as well as artificial genome design and construction. In this article, we summarized the studies of essential genes, overviewed the relevant databases, and discussed their practical applications. Furthermore, we provided an overview of the main applications of DEG and conducted comprehensive analyses based on its latest version. However, it should be noted that the essential gene is a dynamic concept instead of a binary one, which presents both opportunities and challenges for their future development.

Использование фитопрепаратов в фармакокоррекции мочекаменной болезни

Recently, despite the constant expansion of the range of synthetic medicine, herbal preparations are occupied a significant place in the treatment and prevention of urolithiasis in dogs and cats. The proposed work contains the results of the use of the herbal drug Melavit-plus in patients with urolithiasis of dogs and cats. The drug Melavit-plus, which contains buckwheat melanins and coniferous terpenes, enhances diuresis and stabilizes the pH of urine, it can be used for a long period of time to prevent stone formation of carnivores.

Improved Solubility and Activity of Natural Product in Nanohydrogel.

With the development of technology, natural material components are widely used in various fields of science. Natural product components in phytochemical compounds are secondary metabolites produced by plants; they have been shown to have many pharmacological activities. Phytochemical compounds obtained from plants have an important role in herbal medicine. Herbal medicine is safer and cheaper than synthetic medicine. However, herbal medicines have weaknesses, such as low solubility, less stability, low bioavailability, and experiencing physical and chemical degradation, reducing their pharmacological activity. Recent herbal nano-delivery developments are mostly plant-based. A nanotechnology-based system was developed to deliver herbal therapies with better bioavailability, namely the nanohydrogel system. Nanohydrogel is a delivery system that can overcome the disadvantages of using herbal compounds because it can increase solubility, increase pharmacological activity and bioavailability, reduce toxicity, slow delivery, increase stability, improve biodistribution, and prevent physical or chemical degradation. This review article aimed to provide an overview of recent advances in developing nanohydrogel formulations derived from natural ingredients to increase solubility and pharmacological activity, as well as a summary of the challenges faced by delivery systems based on nanohydrogel derived from natural materials. A total of 25 phytochemicals derived from natural products that have been developed into nanohydrogel were proven to increase the activity and solubility of these chemical compounds.

Short Communication: Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants for wound healing in Dir Upper District, Pakistan

Abstract. Jawadullah, Akhtar N. 2023. Short Communication: Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants for wound-healing in Dir Upper District, Pakistan. Asian J Ethnobiol 6: 145-152. Medicinal plants have been used since ancient time by the communities as an alternative to the synthetic medicine, which have adverse side effects and is not available to every individual. This study reports medicinal plants used for wound-healing by the local peoples in Dir Upper District, northern area of Pakistan. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect ethnomedicinal data by interviewing 50 informants of different ages (25 to 90 years old). Plant samples were collected as herbarium to be identified in the laboratory. The result shows a total of 20 plant species, each belonging to different families, were used for wound-healing. The majority of growth forms of such plants were herbs (35%) and trees (35%), followed by shrubs (25%) and climbers (5%). The plant parts used for healing were leaves of the plant (45%), followed by plant bark (10%), whole plant (10%), plant roots (10%), fruit peel (5%), gum (5%), bulb (5%), rhizome (5%) and latex (5%). Furthermore, external applications were more common than oral consumption to promote wound-healing. Berberis lycium Royle, Curcuma longa L. and Punica protopunica Balf.fil. were the most cited species used to heal wounds. This study revealed that there is an array of plant biodiversity among Pakistanis for the purpose of wound-healing. This is a result of the socioeconomic status and limited access to modern health services and their preference for folk medicine. Further studies should be planned to create an online database for a collection of therapeutic medicinal plants and their traditional healing potentials.

ANALYSIS OF PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG PRESERVATIVES IN CATTLE DUNG BY GC-MS: AN ASSESSMENT TOOLTO ESTIMATE VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAD ON CATTLE

In villages farmers often use synthetic hormones and antibiotics without suggestion of medical practitioner. Government restricted the usage of synthetic hormones without prescription of medical practitioner but farmers use these hormones for enhanced production of milk in cows and buffaloes. As of now there is no scientific approach for the detection of usage of synthetic hormones in animals. HPLC, GC, LCMS, GCMS and ELISA are the widely using methods to detect or quantify hormones. Unfortunately these methods cannot give us a clue regarding the origin of hormone. As synthetic hormones have preservatives, the administrated hormones will be utilised by animals and the preservatives will be excreted by animal through dung and urine.Preservatives are the chemicals that are used in drug products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes and detection of these preservatives may give us a clue on usage of synthetic hormones. Our GCMS analysis of HPLC fractions proved that these preservatives are excreting in dung and our analysis found Benzoic acid, Benzothiazole, Benzoyl-2-ethoxymethyl benzene, Benzyl Benzoate, Glycerol, Levulonic acid, Phenazinol, Phenol, Propanoic acid and Succinic acid in Dung extracts. Our study provided a clue to investigate synthetic hormones by assessing preservatives using dung and it can be further investigated to evaluate the level of synthetic hormone and medicine load on cattle and their impact on human health.

Ethnosurvey of Medicinal Plants Used in Treatment of Diabetes by the People of Nsukka, South Eastern-Nigeria

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus is a widely prevailing Disease condition. Prior to the advancement of synthetic medicine, local remedies have been used in different parts of the world for the management of this disease. This study aims to identify the plants used by the people of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria in the management of diabetes, and document all relevant information on them.
 Methodology: A survey was conducted using semi-structured and personal oral interview methods. Consent was obtained from a total of 130 respondents, (women and men) who were interviewed on the plants used in the management of diabetes in the local government area. Available literature was searched for information on the identified plants.
 Results: The study revealed 41 plant species belonging to 29 families are commonly used for treatment of diabetes in Nsukka LGA. Annonaceae, Liliaceae and Rubiaceae were the families most represented, with 3 species each. The leaves of the plant were mostly used (37.7%), and Decoction was the main mode of preparation (58.5%).
 Conclusion: The forests and bushes of Nsukka Local Government Area, South Eastern-Nigeria is habitat to more than 40 plants belonging to 29 families that are used in ethnomedicinal practice as anti-diabetic agents. The plants have medicinal (including antidiabetic) uses in other places. Some of these plants have been scientifically evaluated for phytochemical composition and pharmacologically screened for anti-diabetic, and other activities.

Prevalence and Perception of Herbal Medicine Use among Patients with Chronic Diseases in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Man's quest to manage illness over many years has led to the development of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). There are many types of CAM, and the most utilized is herbal medicine. The relevance of herbal medicine has increased over the years due to the surge in health demands and other factors that influence the management of diseases. Hence, this study was conducted to ascertain the frequency and pattern of herbal medicine use among patients diagnosed with chronic diseases in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, its predictors, magnitude, and perception.
 Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among adult patients (n = 319) diagnosed with various chronic diseases, such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Glaucoma, cancer, etc., from October 2022 to November 2022, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews with patients.
 Results: A total of 319 patients were included in this study. The gender distribution is 139 males and 180 females. The rate of herbal medicine use was 65.2%. Herbal medicine use among the female gender was higher, but there was no relationship between gender and herbal medicine use (P = 0.842). Of participants using herbal medicine, 46.1% used it for treating their health condition, 30.4% used herbal medicine to improve well-being, and 10.3% for preventing diseases. Their perception of herbal medicine uses as compared to conventional synthetic medicine based on modifications of some issues found from literature reviews that militate against the use of herbal medicine such as dose (15% strongly agreed, 20.1% agreed, 23.2% neutral, 18.8% disagreed and 22.9% strongly disagreed) etc.
 Short Conclusion: The study discovered that patients in Nigeria with chronic conditions frequently use herbal medicines. Age, gender, marital status, occupation, education, monthly income, religion, health insurance, the timing of sickness diagnosis, the number of medications prescribed, and multiple chronic conditions were all linked to the usage of herbal medicines.

Review on Medicinal and Herbal Plants Used in Anti-cancer Activity

Cancer is one of the life-threatening diseases which creates major problem in both the developing and developed countries. Demand for new methods to prevent this disease is growing increasingly. Plants have always been a basis for the traditional medicine systems and they have provided continuous remedies to the mankind for thousands of years. Medicinal plants are considered as a repository of various bioactive compounds and used for long time due to its therapeutic properties. Plant derived product has benefits over synthetic medicine which increased the utilization of medicinal plants in the healthcare sector as several plants’ derived compounds show potential role against cancer treatment. Plant based anticancer agents includes vincristine, taxol, vinblastin, stigmasterol, camptothecin, resveratrol, etc., are in clinical use all over the world. In the present review, an effort has been made to provide the information about the role of various medicinal plants against cancer.

Antidiabetic Potential of Selected Ethnomedicines Utilized for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus in Trinidad and Tobago: A Review.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder with a high global prevalence and one of the highest morbidity and mortality rates. Despite developments in synthetic medicine, the associated serious side effects with current antidiabetic drugs indicate an urgent need for novel effective treatments. Traditional medicinal plants offer great potential in the treatment of many diseases due to their bioactive phytochemicals and are a useful resource for developing safe and effective hypoglycemic agents. The present review collates the most frequently used ethnomedicines for the management of diabetes mellitus in Trinidad and Tobago. Further, it provides scientific validation of the claimed antidiabetic effects of four selected ethnomedicines: Antigonon leptopus, Gomphrena globosa, Laportea aestuans and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using various electronic scientific databases and search engines. Information was collected on the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of these selected species to illustrate the antidiabetic activity and potential applications of these plants. The findings of the numerous in vitro and in vivo experiments from previously published literature indicate the four candidate plants as promising sources of antidiabetic lead compounds and provide useful information to stimulate extensive studies. Further investigations on the isolation, identification and clinical evaluation of the pharmacologically active constituents from these plants can lead to the discovery of new and effective antidiabetic agents.