M.Tech. / Stem cells possess self-renewal capacity, long-term viability, and multilineage potential. Stem cells play important roles in normal physiological and disease processes, they also have great therapeutic potential. However, there have been controversies surrounding stem cells in political, religious and ethical arenas. Although the use of certain stem cells (i.e. embryonic stem cells) and the means by which they are obtained contravene certain basic ethical laws, researchers have developed methods with which to ethically obtain and create stem cell lines. Stem cells can be classified as either: totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent and unipotent (Moore, 2007). Totipotent cells have the ability to differentiate into all cell types of an embryo, including the extra-embryonic and post embryonic tissues and organs. Pluripotent cells have the potential to differentiate into almost all tissues found in an embryo (including germ cells), but are not capable of giving rise to supporting cells and tissues. Multipotent stem cells have progeny of several differentiated cell types - but all within a particular tissue, organ, or physiological system. A good example of multipotent cells, are the haematopoietic stem cells that produce blood cell-restricted progenitors, as well as all cell types and elements, such as platelets, that are normal components of blood. Oligopotent stem cells produce two or more lineages within a specific tissue, such as neural stem cells that are able to produce subsets of neurons in the brain. Unipotent cells self-renew, as well as give rise to a single mature cell type, a prime example being the spermatogonial stem cells, that give rise to spermatozoa (Moore, 2007). Adult human subcutaneous adipose tissue contains cells with multilineage developmental plasticity like marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Strem et al., 2005, Tong et al., 2000). Adipose derived stem cells can be obtained in abundance and can differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic, myogenic and chondrogenic lineages when treated with appropriate growth factors.

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / Insulin resistance is defined as the impaired ability of plasma insulin to facilitate peripheral glucose disposal, suppress hepatic gluconeogenesis and inhibit very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) output (Caceres et al., 2008). Insulin resistance is not a disease, but rather a feature and attribute of the Metabolic Syndrome, which is associated with a high risk of developing type two diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease (Brewer, 2005). Insulin resistance (IR) is globally regarded as the common and fundamental aetiological factor of the various components of the Metabolic Syndrome namely abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and hypertension (Zimmet, 1991; Haffner et al., 1992 Stern, 1997; Beck Nielson & Groop, 1994; Tsai et al., 2012). Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a rapidly growing worldwide epidemic, but only diagnosed once the underlying metabolic abnormalities have caused damage. The fact that many recently diagnosed diabetic patients already suffer from so called “late complications of diabetes” indicates that the pre-diabetic condition is harmful to health and needs to be addressed promptly to slow down or avoid the progression to diabetes mellitus type 2 (Beck Nielson & Groop, 1994; Brewer, 2005; Tsai et al., 2012). Treatment of insulin resistance proves very difficult as dietary and lifestyle choices play an integral role in the development, treatment and management of insulin resistance; and insulin resistant patients also seem resistant to changing their behaviour (Brewer, 2005). Current conventional treatment options are limited in efficacy and may be associated with significant side-effects (Brewer, 2005; Snyman, 2009; Neal, 2003), while coherent studies on combination complementary forms of treatment are lacking (Chen et al., 2003; Guan et al., 2000; Hull, 2008; Verma et al., 1998; Winston & Kuhn, 2007; Ye et al., 2001). This study aimed to determine the efficacy of the herbal and nutritional formulation Glucostate™ in FoodState® form, on the HOMA index of insulin resistant patients. This was a collaborative randomized double-blind and double-dummy placebo controlled quantitative research study that included 40 participants. Due to the inherent nature of associated race, age and gender bias, participants were matched according to these criteria and randomly allocated to either an experimental or control group (Appendix C). The placebo group was shared between two collaborative studies. Participants volunteered to participate in the study, were between the ages of 20-45 years and consented to the procedures of the study. Participants in the treatment group received Glucostate™ tablets and placebo drops and the participants in the placebo group received placebo tablets and placebo drops. The research study was conducted over a period of 16 weeks per participant at the University of Johannesburg Health Training Centre, Doornfontein Campus. Participants were asked to maintain their original lifestyle and diet and continue as is normal for them, as alterations in weight have an effect on insulin levels. Participants were screened using blood pressure, abdominal girth, height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI); these measurements were repeated at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16. Fasting blood tests consisting of a lipogram, fasting glucose and fasting insulin level were done prior to and at the conclusion of the study. The Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) index was calculated from the fasting insulin and glucose values. Results acquired from the research study were statistically analyzed by Statkon at the University of Johannesburg by means of descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests. The only parameters which showed statistically significant improvement for the Glucostate™ group and not the placebo group were systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=0.004) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p=0.050). There was no statistically significant change in any of the other parameters when compared to placebo. This research study determined that Glucostate™ was not effective in reducing insulin resistance and the parameters directly associated with its measurement especially when compared to the effects of placebo.

M.Tech. / Obesity is a serious health problem throughout the world, with the number of cases having increased three-fold over the last two decades, reaching epidemic levels in the United States (Kumar and Clark, 2009). According to the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) of 2002, 29.2% of South African men were overweight, whereas 56.6% of women were overweight. Obesity leads to a decreased quality of life and can have a detrimental effect on general well being (SADHS, 2002). Overweight and obesity have major psychological effects on the individual. Obese individuals often suffer from body image issues, unhappiness, a decreased morale, low self esteem and eating disorders (Rogge et al., 2004). The stigma associated with adolescent obesity causes bullying in school as well as childhood psychiatric morbidity (Gortmaker et al., 1993). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an herbal formulation consisting of Coleus Forskohlii, Camellia sinensis, Coffea canephora, Caffeine, Evodiamine, Ilex paraguariensis and Phaseolus vulgaris on general well being in overweight and obese individuals. This study was a quantitative double-blind, placebo-controlled study, using matched pairs according to gender and body mass index (BMI). The study was conducted over twelve weeks during the period of October 2011 to January 2012 at the University of Johannesburg’s Homeopathy Clinic. The conducted study formed part of a larger study where the research sample was shared by two additional researchers (Durrheim et al., 2012) (Withers et al., 2012). This allowed for a larger sample group to be tested with numerous variables being researched. The study included sixty overweight and obese males and females between the ages of eighteen and forty five, with a BMI above 25 kg/m² and under 35kg/m². Participants were required to sign a Participant Information and Consent form (Appendix B) giving the necessary information regarding this study. The groups were randomly matched assigned by the dispenser (according to the participant’s BMI) to the experimental group or placebo group, each consisting of thirty participants. The medication was randomised by the homeopathic dispenser at the University of Johannesburg’s Homeopathy Clinic. The experimental group received a bottle of capsules containing the herbal formulation, and the placebo received identical looking placebo capsules containing a pharmaceutical maize starch.

Until now, emerging viral diseases have been posing ongoing threats to the global public health. Among the notorious viruses, the HIV that causes the AIDS has been spreading continuously since it was first identified in 1981 and is the most quickly spreading disease of the century. Although considerable advance has been made by drug discovery groups, the therapeutic management is still challenged by the rapid mutations of the virus to yield resistant strains, so as the emergence of side effects. Therefore, the development of novel potent anti-HIV agents is urgently sought. Owing to the chemical diversity, we believe that natural products may serve as potential "lead" compounds for discovery of anti-HIV drugs.;In order to search for novel naturally occurring compounds with potent inhibitory effects against HIV, we began with isolation of natural products from two medicinal plants of Justicia by means of silica gel column chromatography, and preparative HPLC, namely, J. gendarussa that displayed potent anti-HIV activity in our initial screening, and J. procumbens, and their chemical structures and determinated by spectroscopic and chemical methods such as IR, UV, HRESIMS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectrometry (including DEPT, 1H-1H COSY, and HMBC techniques). Upon the complete identification of compounds, we focused on the synthesis of one potential lead compound isolated from J. gendarussa, patentiflorin A (3). Nevertheless, we evaluated all the isolated natural compounds and synthetic 3 via bioactivity screening for anti-HIV activity.;In the phytochemical investigation of J. gendarussa, a rare, shade-loving, quick-growing, evergreen scented shrub collected in Vietnam, the bioassay-directed fractionation of the methanol extract of the roots and stems of the plant led to the isolation two new arylnaphthalide lignan glycosides, named justiprocumins A and B (1--2), together with a known one, patentiflorin A (3). On the other hand, the phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of J. procumbens resulted in the isolation of four novel arylnaphthalide lignans, procumbenosides G (4), H (5), I (6) and J (7), along with 23 known compounds, namely, tuberculatin (8), procumbenoside B (9), procumbenoside E (10), ciliatoside B (11), ciliatoside A (12), 5-methoxy-4, 42-di-O-methylsecolariciresinol (13), secoisolariciresinol dimethyl ether (14), 2, 3-bis(3, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-4-hydroxybutyl acetate (15), secoisolariciresinol (16), hemiariensin (17), ariensin (18), secoisolariciresinol dimethyl ether diacetate (19), hinokinin (20), justicidin E (21), justicidin D (22), justicidin C (23), cilinaphthalide A (24), 5'-methoxy-4'-O-methyllariciresinol (25), 3, 5, 7, 32, 42, 52-hexamethoxyflavone (26), 3, 5, 7, 8, 32, 42-heptamethoxyflavone (27), 3, 5, 7, 8, 32, 42, 52-heptamethoxyflavone (28), methyl ferulate (29) and loliolide (30). In addition, the compound 3 was totally synthesized with a yield of 68.3%;In the anti-HIV evaluation for all the isolated compounds using the defective HIV-based pseudotyped assay, patentiflorin A (3) was found to have anti-HIV activity with an IC50 value of 26.9 nM, while justicin E (21) showed 65.4 % inhibitory effect against HIV replication at 2.5 μg/mL. In the evaluation for the broadness of the spectrum of anti-HIV activity using a standardized human PBMC assay, 2 gave IC50 values of 14-21, and 3 gave IC50 values 24-37 nM in inhibiting the particle production of all the four HIV-1 isolates [BAL and SF162 (both are M-tropic), LAV0.04 (T-tropic), and 89.6 (dual tropic)], while the synthetic 3 showed quite similar activity as that of natural 3. In the test of cytotoxicity, natural 3 exhibited no apparent cytotoxicity at 19.0 mM in A549 and Hela cells, and the synthetic 3 displayed much lower cytotoxicity (CC50: 75.5 mM) than that of the natural 3 (CC50: 18.4 mM) in PBMC cells. That means 2 and 3 have great potentials as anti-HIV lead compounds for further drug development.;In conclusion, natural compounds isolated from medicinal plants serves as one of the most important sources of potentially anti-HIV compounds, which can be employed as "lead" compounds to develop novel therapeutic drugs against HIV.

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