Combination Activity of Standard Antituberculosis Drugs and Extracts of Medicinal Plants Commonly Used in Traditional Treatment of Tuberculosis in Uganda

Introduction: Resistance to antituberculosis drugs and adverse drug reactions remain the leading causes of tuberculosis therapeutic failure globally. Despite the increasing acceptance of medicinal plant use in combination with conventional antituberculosis drugs in treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in Uganda, there is paucity of knowledge on their combination effect. Aim: This research aimed to determine combination activity of standard antituberculosis drugs with extracts of Zanthoxylum leprieurii Guill. & Perr. and Rubia cordifolia L., the two common antituberculosis medicinal plants in Uganda, against pansensitive (H37Rv) and multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Materials and Methods: Two reference MTB strains (H37Rv and MDR strain) were inoculated on Middlebrook 7H11 medium containing a combination of standard antituberculosis drugs and methanol extracts of Z. leprieurii and R. cordifolia at varying concentrations. The number of colonies on the plates was observed and counted weekly for up to 8 weeks. In vitro combination activity was determined using proportion method. Mean percentage inhibition was calculated for the reduction of number of colonies on drug-extract combination medium in relation to drug-extract-free control medium. Results: Drug-extract combinations showed good combination activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains when compared with individual standard anti-TB drugs. This was more exhibited against MDR strain. There was however a reduction in percentage inhibition when extracts were combined with ethambutol and streptomycin against H37Rv strain. Conclusions: Zanthoxylum leprieurii and Rubia cordifolia in combination with standard anti-TB drugs exhibited increased in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, especially MDR-TB strain. This justifies the local use of these plants in traditional treatment of tuberculosis especially in resistant cases in Uganda.

Nature’s Pharmacy under Siege: Investigating Antibiotic Resistance Pattern in Endophytic Bacteria of Medicinal Plants

Antibiotic resistance poses a significant global health threat, necessitating a thorough understanding of its prevalence in various ecological contexts. Medicinal plants, renowned for their therapeutic properties, host endophytic bacteria that produce bioactive compounds. Understanding antibiotic resistance dynamics in these bacteria is vital for human health and antibiotic efficacy preservation. In this study, we investigated antibiotic resistance profiles in endophytic bacteria from five medicinal plants: Thankuni, Neem, Aparajita, Joba, and Snake plant. We isolated and characterized 113 endophytic bacteria, with varying resistance patterns observed against multiple antibiotics. Notably, 53 strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with 14 exhibiting extensive drug resistance (XDR). Thankuni-associated bacteria displayed 44% MDR and 11% XDR, while Neem-associated bacteria showed higher resistance (60% MDR, 13% XDR). Aparajita-associated bacteria had lower resistance (22% MDR, 6% XDR), whereas Joba-associated bacteria exhibited substantial resistance (54% MDR, 14% XDR). Snake plant-associated bacteria showed 7% MDR and 4% XDR. Genus-specific distribution revealed Bacillus (47%), Staphylococcus (21%), and Klebsiella (11%) as major contributors to MDR. Our findings highlight diverse drug resistance patterns among plant-associated bacteria and underscore the complexity of antibiotic resistance dynamics in diverse plant environments. Identification of XDR strains emphasizes the severity of the antibiotic resistance problem, warranting further investigation into contributing factors.

Medical plant extracts and natural compounds with a hepatoprotective effect against damage caused by antitubercular drugs: A review

Drug-induced liver injury encompasses a spectrum of diseases ranging from mild biochemical abnormalities to acute liver failure; example of this scenery is hepatotoxicity caused by the first-line antituberculous drugs isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide, which are basic for treatment of drug-sensible and drug-resistant tuberculosis. In the search for pharmacological alternatives to prevent liver damage, antitubercular drugs have been the subject of numerous studies and published reviews, a great majority of them carried out by Asian countries. At the same time, hepatoprotectors from plant source are now emerging as a possible alternative to counteract the toxic effects of these therapeutic agents. The present review aims to highlight the most recent studies on the subject, based information published in scientific databases such as Scopus and Pub Med.

Drug Delivery: Plant Lectins as Bioadhesive Drug Delivery Systems

Selective targeting of drugs to the proposed site of action provides therapeutic advantages such as reduced toxicity and smaller dose levels. Despite a huge progress made in drug design and delivery systems, many challenges still have to be solved. Small therapeutic drugs always have the potential to pass into the kidneys and be excreted from the body. The use of macromolecular constructs (carriers) that allow longer circulation times, contribute to improved chemical functionality and more precise drug delivery is an attractive alternative option. Bioadhesive systems which will utilize intense contact to increase the drug concentration gradient could be an attractive approach. Because of their specific carbohydrate-binding, lectins can interact with glycoconjugates present on the epithelial cells that line all of the organs exposed to the external environment. The unique carbohydrate specificities of plant lectins can facilitate mucoadhesion and cytoadhesion of drugs. As immunostimulatory molecules with an adjuvant effect plant lectins can also be employed in vaccine development.

四种藏兽医药用植物和屎肠球菌联用对大肠杆菌E6生物被膜的影响

采用改良结晶紫半定量法和微量肉汤稀释法分别对152株大肠杆菌进行生物被膜形成能力分析和12种常用抗菌药物敏感性试验。同时,利用棋盘稀释法评价四种藏兽医药用植物(马蹄黄、偏翅唐松草、华丽龙胆和岩生忍冬)不同提取部位(甲醇、二氯甲烷、乙酸乙酯和石油醚)、屎肠球菌乙酸乙酯提取物与高耐药率抗生素(氯霉素、土霉素、氨苄西林和磺胺甲噁唑)联合对10株多重耐药大肠杆菌(E1-E10)杀菌活性,以探讨不同药物组合对E6生物被膜的清除作用。实验结果显示:152株大肠杆菌多表现为中等成膜能力和无成膜能力表型,对氯霉素、磺胺二甲嘧啶、土霉素、氨苄西林、磺胺甲噁唑的耐药率均高于90%,对二氟沙星、环丙沙星、阿米卡星、头孢噻呋、妥布霉素和头孢曲松的耐药率均低于50%,其中阿米卡星的敏感率最高,耐药率仅为19.90%;马蹄黄甲醇提取物、偏翅唐松草乙酸乙酯提取物、华丽龙胆甲醇提取物和岩生忍冬乙酸乙酯提取物、屎肠球菌S16和S17乙酸乙酯提取物对E1~E10的MIC范围分别为3.93~15.63、3.93~31.52,7.81~15.63、7.81~31.52、0.42~13.38和0.45~3.63 mg/mL;四种藏兽医药用植物不同提取部位和屎肠球菌乙酸乙酯提取物与高耐药率抗菌药物分别呈现不同的联合作用;在MIC浓度下,药物联合对E6表现出较强的生物被膜清除能力,其中岩生忍冬和偏翅唐松草乙酸乙酯提取物与土霉素和氨苄西林联用对E6生物被膜的抑制率高于其他组合,岩生忍冬和偏翅唐松草乙酸乙酯提取部位与土霉素联用的抑制率分别为48.92%、42.58%,与氨苄西林联用的抑制率分别为48.58%、47.84%。选用的四种藏兽医药用植物、益生菌和抗菌药物联合应用在一定程度上能够解决本研究藏猪和藏鸡源大肠杆菌耐药性和生物被膜形成等问题。

NLRP3炎症小体抑制剂的研究进展

NLRP3被病原体和体内危险信号刺激,能够招募ASC和pro-caspase1等蛋白形成NLRP3炎症小体,进而诱导细胞焦亡和IL-1β等细胞因子的分泌,促进炎症反应发生,调节内稳态。然而NLRP3炎症小体过度活化与人类很多炎症性和自身免疫性疾病密切相关,靶向抑制NLRP3炎症小体能够显著抑制炎症反应并缓解该类疾病症状。寻找靶向NLRP3炎症小体活化的抑制剂并实现临床转化是重要的研究方向。本文介绍NLRP3炎症小体抑制剂的来源分类并综述最新研究进展。

Toxoplasmosis and anti-Toxoplasma effects of medicinal plant extracts-A mini-review

Toxoplasmosis is a globally diwstributed parasitic protozoan disease,caused by Toxoplasma gondii.The infection can result in more severe symptoms with potentially life-threatening in case of immunocompromised individuals.Sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine are the two drugs used as a part of standard therapy for toxoplasmosis.Researchers have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of medicinal plants for toxoplasmosis,which can be used as an alternative to standard drug therapy with reduced side effects.Traditional herbal plants are used by people to cure a large number of parasitic disorders.This review provides new insights into various medicinal plants that are used traditionally for the treatment of toxoplasmosis and other parasitic infections,which can be useful as an alternative treatment option for Toxoplasma gondii infections.

Diversity and Biological Activities of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Micropropagated Medicinal Plant <i>Echinacea purpurea</i>(L.) Moench

Echinacea is one of the top ten selling medicinal herbs in Europe and United States. Commercially available formulations may contain different plant parts of three species (Echinacea purpurea, E. pallida, and E. angustifolia). Our study evaluates the diversity of microbial community associated with healthy E. purpurea clones and their ability to produce defense compounds. We recovered and identified thirty-nine fungal endophytes through the molecular methods in 15 distinct phylotypes, which were closely related to species of the following genera Ceratobasidium, Cladosporium Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Glomerella, and Mycoleptodiscus. These taxa were previously reported as decomposer and phytopathogenic fungi. The fungal community associated with two E. purpurea clones showed high richness and dominance indices with different distribution among plant organs. Crude extracts of fungal isolates were tested for antifungal and insecticidal biological activities. A total of 16 extracts (41%) showed antifungal properties;while just the extract of M. indicus exhibited larvicidal activity against A. aegypti. These results suggest that the symbiosis between the endophytic fungal community and micropropagated clones of E. purpurea was re-established after acclimatization to soil and the endophytic fungi produced compounds against phytopathogenic fungi.

Natural Remedies against Multi-Drug Resistant <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an infectious deadly disease and the treatment of which is one of the most severe challenges at the global level. Currently more than 20 chemical medications are described for the treatment of TB. Regardless of availability of several drugs to treat TB, the causative agent, M. tuberculosis is nowadays getting resistant toward the conventional drugs and leading to conditions known as Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). This situation has terrified the global health community and raised a demand for new anti-tuberculosis drugs. Medicinal plants have been used to cure different common as well as lethal diseases by ancient civilizations due to its virtue of variety of chemical compounds which may have some important remedial properties. The aim of the present review is to focus the anti-tubercular medicinal plants native to India as well as the plants effective against MDR or XDR-TB across the globe. In the present review, we have addressed 25 medicinal plants for TB and 16 plants effective against MDR-TB testified from India and 23 herbal plants described for MDR-TB across the world during 2011-2015. These herbal plants can serve as promising candidates for developing novel medications to combat multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis.

Traditional therapeutics in the Nepal Himalaya： a trove of ethnomedicinal plant knowledge

Nepal is an excellent repository of cultural heritage and has a rich tradition of folk practices for wild plants utilization.Local plant-based therapy is a common practice in the rural communities of Nepal.About 80% of the total population in Nepal use traditional herbal medicines for primary health.care and approximately 1700 species of plants is currently being utilized as medicines,both in the crude form as well as processed drugs.Given their extensive range of knowledge on medicinal plants utilization,indigenous people remain the ultimate source for retrieving this information for the purpose of application,particularly in modern medicines.Many studies in Nepal have reported previously undoc.umented use of several medicinal plants with high consensus among the informants regarding their uses.Swertia chirayita,Paris polyphylla,Aconitum spicatum,Dactylorhiza hatagirea,Nardostachys grandiflora and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora are some of the valuable and widely used medicinal plants in Nepal.A high degree of consensus on the use of these Himalayan plants likely suggests their strong therapeutic potential.Since ethnobotanical investigations in the past have led to the development of important anticancer drugs:podophyllotoxin and reserpine as well as drugs,such as vinblastine to treat hyperten.sion,careful and systematic screening of compounds isolated from the Himalayan plants could provide good opportunity for the discovery of new medicines to treat life-threatening human diseases.Particu.larly species with new use reports have lesser known pharmacological potential due to lack of system.atic and reliable studies.Future researches should therefore,be directed towards isolating bio-active compounds from these potentially valuable plants and systematically assessing their pharmacological properties.Because Nepal possesses enormous potential in pharmaceutical research,the "One Belt One Road" initiative of China could provide a great platform in promoting the research-based drug discovery in Nepal.

植物单宁构筑的水凝胶材料及其生物医药应用

植物单宁在自然界中的储量非常丰富,其分子结构中含有的大量酚羟基易于化学修饰;同时,单宁具有较强的抗氧化、抗病毒和抗肿瘤等生物活性,对细菌和酶具有显著的抑制作用。为研究植物单宁在生物医药材料领域的利用范围,本文综述了单宁基水凝胶的研究进展及其在组织工程、药物输送和伤口敷料领域的潜在应用,并对材料的工业化制备方法进行了总结与概括。首先详细介绍了不同类型单宁基水凝胶的设计策略和形成机理,特别对单宁的分子结构、生化特性在水凝胶构筑过程中所起的作用进行了深入分析;然后对水凝胶的具体应用以及最新的研究热点进行了阐述;最后探讨了这类材料目前的局限性并对未来规模化的工业生产前景进行了展望。

《伤寒论》所用药物药性理论及资源特点分析

目的:探讨中医经典著作《伤寒论》所载临床应用中药药性理论和中药资源特点。方法:收集《伤寒论》方剂中所记载的中药,录入MicrosoftExcel2010软件,建立相应数据库,从四气、五味、归经、毒性、炮制等分析所载药性理论,用现代中药资源学方法分析资源特点。结果:113首复方共84味中药,高频中药(频次≥10次)有甘草、大枣、桂枝和生姜等14味药物。寒性药物最多,占44.05%;甘味药物占33.83%;归肺经药物最多,占18.07%;毒性药物使用较少;炮制品也较少;很多药物基原不甚明确。结论:《伤寒论》所载药物90%以上目前临床还在应用,其清热药和补虚药的运用对临床指导意义极大;药物基原不同,功效差异在临床上的应用应深入研究。

混药浓度检测技术研究现状

混药是施药的基本操作环节,混合药液品质直接决定施药效果,发展浓度检测技术可以监控混合药液的品质。目前混药浓度的检测方法主要分为两大类:第一类,先采集喷雾样品溶液再利用仪器测量浓度,简称取样检测浓度法;第二类,在混合后喷雾前即在线混药时直接测量浓度,简称在线检测浓度法。重点阐述了这两大类国内外主流的混药浓度检测技术,并对其进行总结分析。

国医大师李佃贵应用五虫五草治疗慢性萎缩性胃炎经验总结

总结第三届国医大师李佃贵教授治疗慢性萎缩性胃炎(chronic atrophic gastritis,CAG)的常用药物——五虫五草,五虫指全蝎、蜈蚣、水蛭、土鳖虫、炮山甲,五草指飞扬草、凤尾草、鸡骨草、冬凌草、白花蛇舌草;虫草并用,标本兼治,可有效延缓或逆转CAG病变进展。

毒品原植物药用研究的“负责任创新”基本策略

毒品原植物具有药品和毒品双重属性,这种特殊性使其在科研创新活动中面临诸多伦理困境。立足解决国内毒品原植物医药研究面临的困境,参照负责任创新四维理论模型提出五个负责任行为框架,即政府主导为主、大众监督为辅,提倡多主体共同责任、资质认证与审查制度、全过程嵌入式伦理反思、建立负责任创新价值观和预后问责制,在提升创新动力方面提出部分性开放科学推进成果共享、创新监管机制以降低科研机构的风险。以中医药科研实践为基础,引入科学技术哲学思辨,为中医药毒品原植物科研创新规避风险,为提升创新动力提供有益思路。

煤泥水沉降检测控制系统的研究与应用

基于目前浓缩加药过程中依赖人工、工人劳动强度大和药剂消耗量高的问题,提出浓缩加药系统升级改造方案;通过新增界面仪、浊度仪等监测装置,实时监测煤泥水沉降效果,反馈相关参数,通过采用反馈的控制策略,最终实现浓缩机加药系统无人值守,可减少药剂消耗量15 g/t,有效降低工人劳动强度,稳定产品质量,最终达到降本增效的目标。

毒品原植物巡查无人机系统设计

毒品原植物巡查是公安机关打击毒品犯罪的关键环节.采用文献分析法、实验研究法、调查研究法,从需求分析入手,对毒品原植物巡查无人机系统进行了设计与研究.将无人机系统规划为飞行框架、手持地面站、无人机数据处理系统、通讯端和毒品巡查移动端五大部分;建立了以无人机为信息初始发送端,以手持地面站和无人机数据处理系统为信息处理与转送端,以缉毒巡查移动端为信息最终接收端的缉毒无人机系统;实现了无人机采集信息,数据并行传输至手持地面站和无人机数据处理系统,整合处理后传输至执法民警移动端的全链条情报信息保障功能.所设计的无人机系统能够较好地适应毒品原植物巡查的需求,保障了毒品原植物巡查的智能化、多端互通和高时效性.

Fenton法对剩余污泥中抗性基因及耐药菌的去除研究

研究Fenton法对污水处理厂剩余污泥中抗生素抗性基因(ARGs)和耐药菌(ARB)的去除效果,以明确Fenton对于降低污泥ARGs和ARB传播风险的有效性。采用宏基因组测定Fenton处理前后污泥,分析ARGs、移动遗传元件(MGEs)和微生物群落结构的变化。此外,以5种常见抗生素为基础,从Fenton处理后的污泥中筛选出ARB并推测其致病性。结果表明,经Fenton处理后污泥中ARGs明显下降,总去除率达到了67.36%。其中,特曲霉素类、春日霉素类、喹诺酮类和磷霉素类ARGs的去除量最高,分别为1.12log、1.04log、0.78log和0.69log。另外,Fenton处理后污泥样品仍筛选出9株ARB,其中4株ARB与寡养单胞菌亲缘关系接近,具有致病性;2株ARB与蜡状芽孢杆菌、炭疽杆菌相似,可能为未知致病菌;剩余3株ARB虽具有抗性,但目前无证据显示其对人体致病。由此可知,Fenton处理可以有效去除污泥ARGs和ARB,但仍有部分ARGs和ARB难以去除,它们可能会随着污泥的资源化利用再次进入环境,对人类健康造成危害。

植保无人驾驶航空器购置补贴分类分档与补贴额研究

植保无人驾驶航空器作为一种先进、高效率的现代农业装备近几年在我国得到快速发展,2017年首次被试点省市纳入农业机械购置补贴范围。由于补贴政策实施时间较短,存在着许多不合理的因素。整理总结2017年以来各试点省市及农业农村部实施的植保无人驾驶航空器发展、补贴现状,综合相关分类分档政策。在此基础上指出基本配置参数、补贴额设定等方面的问题,分析存在质量与补贴额不对等、基本参数限制过少、分档未突出高端产品、补贴未考虑到偏远地区等现象。最后结合实际情况,指出植保无人驾驶航空器的补贴政策将朝着统一质量鉴定、细化分档参数、突出智能化技术、精准补贴标准及根据区域设置补贴等方面发展。