HPV/HBV or HPV/HCV Co-Infections in Women Treated for Chronic Hepatitis at Hôpital Saint Camille in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a public health concern and is mainly caused by Human papillomaviruses (HPV). In many parts of the world, studies are being carried out to understand the different genotypes to better tackle this issue. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of HPV genotypes in women with chronic hepatitis B or C infection, co-infected or not with HIV, treated at the Hôpital Saint Camille in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Methods: This study was conducted from April to July 2023, including 100 women in gastroenterology at Hôpital Saint Camille. A questionnaire on their socio-demographic and life style was administrated;and endocervical samples were collected using sterile swabs and then sent to Centre of Biomolecular Research Pietro Annigoni (CERBA). HPV molecular detection and genotyping were performed by PCR and hybridization using the HPV Direct Flow Chips kit. Data were analysis using chi square test or Fischer’s exact test with a significance threshold for p Results: The prevalence of HPV infection was 28% (28/100) on the sample of women tested. The most frequent genotypes were HPV 52 (8.33%), followed by HPV 18 and 68 (6.25% each) for high-risk HPVs, and HPV 6, 44/55 and 62/81 (8.33% each) for low-risk HPVs. Conclusion: This study, the first of its kind in Burkina Faso on this group of the population, reveals that the most frequent genotypes found in this study are not included in the vaccine available in Burkina Faso (Gardasil®4).

Evaluation of Biochemical and Molecular Parameters of Patients Suffering from Chronic Viral Hepatitis B Treated by a Medicinal Plant Recipe of a Health Care Practitioner in Burkina Faso

Chronic viral hepatitis B (HBV) remains a major public health problem in Burkina Faso. Since access to diagnostic tests and treatments is limited because of their high cost, the majority of the population turn to traditional herbal treatments. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a plant recipe called Hepatib tiben. It consisted of comparing certain biochemical and molecular parameters of patients infected with HBV that were supported by the recipe. The patients were recruited in Ouagadougou by the traditional health practitioner according to the requirements of the study. Thus 44 patients aged 20 to 61 years and carrier of HBsAg for at least 06 months were treated with Hepatib tiben. The tests were performed in the laboratory before and three months after the treatment. ELISA tests were used to confirm the presence of HBsAg and search for anti-HCV antibodies;transaminases, creatinine were quantified by the “Chem 400” automaton and the viral load of HBV by Real-time PCR. The analysis of the results reveals an improvement of the biochemical and molecular parameters of the patients with the following means (ASAT: 21.02 ± 9.97;ALAT: 21.11 ± 13.27;DNA: 1571.82 ± 3990.97 with p = 0.01 for each). As for HBsAg, its disappearance was observed in 4.55% of patients after treatment. The evaluation of the creatinine parameter explained that the recipe of plants has a tolerated effect on the kidneys of treated patients. These results, while encouraging, need to be complemented by further research for the development of effective phytomedicine to treat and eliminate this viral hepatitis B virus.

Cytotoxic Properties on Cervical and Liver Cancer Cells of Two Plant Recipes from Burkina Faso

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in developing countries. In recent years, natural plant-based compounds have been used in the search for drugs to combat numerous diseases, including cancer. In this study, we evaluate the cytotoxic properties of paanfo tiben 1 and paanfo tiben 2, two traditional herbal formulations from Burkina Faso used in the treatment of cancer in Burkina Faso. To this end, the recipes were infused and freeze-dried. The dry extracts obtained were used to determine total phenolics and flavonoids content, assess antioxidant activity using the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods, evaluate anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting 15-LOX, COX 1 and 2, and assess cytotoxic activity on HeLa cervical cancer and HePG2 liver cancer cell lines using the MTT test. The paanfo tiben 1 recipe showed the highest levels of total phenolics and flavonoids, as well as the best antioxidant activities, with IC50 values of 21.020 ± 0.6 µg/ml and 22.94 ± 0.57 µg/ml for DPPH and ABTS, and 165.15 mM EAA/mg dry extract for FRAP. It also exhibited the best cytotoxic activity with IC50 values of 112.02 ± 0.025 µg/ml on HeLa cells and 80.67 ± 6.08 µg/ml on HepG2 cells. On the other hand, paanfo tiben 2 exhibited the best anti-inflammatory activities through inhibition of 15-LOX and COX 1, with inhibition percentages at 100 µg/ml of 32.523% and 24.717 % respectively. These results could justify the traditional use of these two recipes by traditional health practitioners in the treatment of cancer sufferers in Burkina Faso.

Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of an ACAZY Herbal Formula Used in Traditional Medicine to Treat Respiratory Infections

ACAZY is a plant formula used in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso to treat respiratory infections. After phytochemical analysis, this study evaluated extracts’ anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties from the ACAZY recipe. Three extractions, an aqueous macerate (AM), an aqueous decoction (AD) and an hydroethanolic macerate (HEM) of the ACAZY recipe powder were carried out. Phytochemical screening of the extracts was carried out using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and the determination of phenolic compounds. The anti-inflammatory potential was assessed in vitro using pro-inflammatory enzyme inhibition tests. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) antioxidant properties were also determined. The antibacterial activity was evaluated on Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, anthracenosids, sterols and triterpenes in the extracts. The extracts inhibited pro-inflammatory enzymes by more than 40% at only 100 µg/mL. The extracts also showed potent antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration 1 mg/mL on Staphylococcus aureus and 2 mg/mL on Streptococcus pneumoniae. The extracts in the ACAZY formula have shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in vitro. The AD also showed an antibacterial activity. This justifies its use in traditional medicine to treat acute respiratory infections.

DC-SIGN (CD209) Promoter -336 A/G Polymorphism Is Not Associated with Dengue Fever at Burkina Faso, West Africa

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the polymorphisms of the DC-SIGN (-336 A/G, rs4804803) gene and their association with the immunopathogenicity of dengue fever in Burkina Faso. Methods: A total of three hundred forty-one subjects, patients of all ages have been included in the study: 208 persons presenting clinical signs of dengue fever which were confirmed by diagnostic and 133 Healthy Controls. Genotyping for the CD209 variant (-336 A/G, rs4804803) was carried out using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. Haplotype frequencies were inferred and compared between the study groups. Results: The percentage of men was 61.88% (211/341) and 38.12% (130/341) for women. The highest frequency of dengue fever (77.42%) was noted in patients with age between 20 to 40 years. Around 1.52% of the study population was positive for HIV, 40.55% were carriers of HBV and 3.83% of HCV. Genotype distribution of the CD209 variant (-336 A/G, rs4804803) was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both patients and controls. The frequency of allele A was higher than allele G;however, statistical analyses showed that there is no significant difference in genotypes GG, AG and AA in patients and controls. Conclusion: This related no significant association with dengue for the variant of ?336 A/G in the DC-SIGN gene in an Ouagadougou population. However, our results offered the SNP frequencies in a West African population, which might be useful for the study of ethnic groups.

Anti-Biofilm, Anti-Quorum Sensing, and Anti-Proliferative Activities of Methanolic and Aqueous Roots Extracts of Carica papaya L. and Cocos nucifera L.

Objective: This study focused on the antibacterial and anti-proliferative activity of extracts from Carica papaya and Cocos nucifera roots. Methodology: The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus mutans, and Staphylococcus aureus were deduced by the microdilution method. The anti-biofilm activity was determined on all four strains and anti-quorum sensing activity by inhibition of violacein production in Chromobacterium violaceum. Anti-proliferative activity on prostate cultured cancer cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Sterols and triterpenes were also assayed in this study. Results: The methanolic extract of Carica papaya showed the best anti-biofilm effect with a percentage inhibition of 66.10 ± 1.79. The methanolic extract of Cocos nucifera had the strongest inhibition on the production of quorum sensing (61.42 ± 0.28). In addition, the methanolic extract of Cocos nucifera roots showed the best cytotoxic effect on prostate cancer LNCaP cell lines (IC50 = 26.98 ± 2.6 μg/mL) and Carica papaya on the PC-3 lines (IC50 = 127.20 ± 5.99 μg/mL). The extracts were also rich in triterpenes and sterols. Conclusion: This study provides support for the ethnomedical use of Carica papaya and Cocos nucifera roots as an antimicrobial and anticancer.