Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale
The use of herbal medicines to treat ailments is a common practice in several regions in Africa, relying on knowledge systems that have evolved over several generations. These herbal remedies are often based on anecdotal claims, many of which lack scientific validation. This study investigates the m...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Phytomedicine Plus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000661 |
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| author | Pearl Ihuoma Akazue Neils Ben Quashie Dorcas Osei-Safo Sue Vaughan Harry P. de Koning Theresa Manful Gwira |
| author_facet | Pearl Ihuoma Akazue Neils Ben Quashie Dorcas Osei-Safo Sue Vaughan Harry P. de Koning Theresa Manful Gwira |
| author_sort | Pearl Ihuoma Akazue |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of herbal medicines to treat ailments is a common practice in several regions in Africa, relying on knowledge systems that have evolved over several generations. These herbal remedies are often based on anecdotal claims, many of which lack scientific validation. This study investigates the mode of action of two bioactive fractions, F1 (IC50: 8.5 µg/mL) and F5 (IC50: 7.4 µg/mL), derived from a dichloromethane extract of a herbal mixture, consisting of Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale, that is commonly used in Ghana to treat parasitic fevers. Both fractions exhibited trypanocidal effects with minimal cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. F5 induced necrotic cell death through mitochondrial oxidative stress, evidenced by a 3.5-fold increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species at 2 × IC50 (p< 0.0001) and significant mitochondrial membrane depolarization (p< 0.01). In contrast, F1 primarily disrupted kinetoplast segregation, increasing 2K1 N cells by 3.2-fold at 1 × IC50 (p< 0.0001) and instigating an accumulation of dyskinetoplastic cells (0KXN). Both fractions induced morphological distortions, nuclear fragmentation, and loss of flagellar integrity. This study provides the first mechanistic insights into the antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive fractions obtained from a mixture of A. barbadensis and T. officinale. The distinct targeting of mitochondrial ROS production (F5) and kinetoplast replication (F1) highlights their potential as leads for the development of new antitrypanosomal drugs with novel mechanisms of action. These findings reinforce the value of ethnomedicinal plants as sources of novel bioactive compounds. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5bbf9b1d76904f798d4ec701f233bb47 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2667-0313 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Phytomedicine Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-5bbf9b1d76904f798d4ec701f233bb472025-08-20T03:53:13ZengElsevierPhytomedicine Plus2667-03132025-05-015210079310.1016/j.phyplu.2025.100793Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinalePearl Ihuoma Akazue0Neils Ben Quashie1Dorcas Osei-Safo2Sue Vaughan3Harry P. de Koning4Theresa Manful Gwira5West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, NigeriaWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Ghana; Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ghana Medical School, GhanaDepartment of Chemistry, University of Ghana, GhanaDepartment of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, UKSchool of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, UKWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana; Corresponding author at: West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG54 Legon, Ghana.The use of herbal medicines to treat ailments is a common practice in several regions in Africa, relying on knowledge systems that have evolved over several generations. These herbal remedies are often based on anecdotal claims, many of which lack scientific validation. This study investigates the mode of action of two bioactive fractions, F1 (IC50: 8.5 µg/mL) and F5 (IC50: 7.4 µg/mL), derived from a dichloromethane extract of a herbal mixture, consisting of Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale, that is commonly used in Ghana to treat parasitic fevers. Both fractions exhibited trypanocidal effects with minimal cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. F5 induced necrotic cell death through mitochondrial oxidative stress, evidenced by a 3.5-fold increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species at 2 × IC50 (p< 0.0001) and significant mitochondrial membrane depolarization (p< 0.01). In contrast, F1 primarily disrupted kinetoplast segregation, increasing 2K1 N cells by 3.2-fold at 1 × IC50 (p< 0.0001) and instigating an accumulation of dyskinetoplastic cells (0KXN). Both fractions induced morphological distortions, nuclear fragmentation, and loss of flagellar integrity. This study provides the first mechanistic insights into the antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive fractions obtained from a mixture of A. barbadensis and T. officinale. The distinct targeting of mitochondrial ROS production (F5) and kinetoplast replication (F1) highlights their potential as leads for the development of new antitrypanosomal drugs with novel mechanisms of action. These findings reinforce the value of ethnomedicinal plants as sources of novel bioactive compounds.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000661African trypanosomiasisAntitrypanosomal activityAloe barbadensisTaraxacum officinaleMitochondrial oxidative stressKinetoplast segregation |
| spellingShingle | Pearl Ihuoma Akazue Neils Ben Quashie Dorcas Osei-Safo Sue Vaughan Harry P. de Koning Theresa Manful Gwira Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale Phytomedicine Plus African trypanosomiasis Antitrypanosomal activity Aloe barbadensis Taraxacum officinale Mitochondrial oxidative stress Kinetoplast segregation |
| title | Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale |
| title_full | Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale |
| title_fullStr | Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale |
| title_short | Cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from Aloe barbadensis and Taraxacum officinale |
| title_sort | cytological profiling of trypanocidal principles from aloe barbadensis and taraxacum officinale |
| topic | African trypanosomiasis Antitrypanosomal activity Aloe barbadensis Taraxacum officinale Mitochondrial oxidative stress Kinetoplast segregation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000661 |
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