Thesis (MTech (Biomedical Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an endocrine disorder that is characterised not only by severe hyperglycemia but also altered metabolism of glucose and lipids. It is a major health problem worldwide and its impact is greatly noticed in developing countries due to the lack of adequate medical facilities. Oxidative stress remains the principal factor that actively plays major roles in the onset and progression of diabetes mellitus and its complications. The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of DM has undisputedly gained the attention and interest of researchers throughout the globe mainly because plants have established promising outcomes in the treatment of diabetes. It is evident that the plants’ constituents possess therapeutically potent metabolites that have beneficial effects such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. Hypoxis hemerocallidea is a native plant that grows in the Southern African regions. H. hemerocallidea is well known for its beneficial medicinal values. In South Africa it is known as the African potato. The main aim of this study was to investigate both the beneficial and also the possible toxic effects of H. hemerocallidea in the kidney and liver tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic male Wistar rats by assessing the antioxidant status and selected biochemical parameters in the two studied organs. Diabetes was induced in overnight fasted rats by administration of a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ at a dosage of 50mg/kg in citrate buffer (0.1 M at 4.5 pH). Hyperglycemia was confirmed 72 hours after induction of diabetes using STZ in rats with glucose levels > 15 mmol/l. Treatment with the plants extract commenced on the fourth day after STZ administration via gastric gavage that was done once a day over a 6 week period. The effects of H. hemerocallidea on glucose, body weight, liver and kidney weights, liver function, kidney function and the oxidative status were evaluated after the feeding period.

Thesis (MTech (Chemistry))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / The continued use and popularity of plant-based traditional medicine demands scientific validation of the therapeutic potential of the medicinal plants used in disease management and treatment. These medicinal plants are to be evaluated for phytochemical constituents and pharmacologically screened for their bioactivity and include the isolation and identification of their bioactive compounds. The diabetes tea and its eight individual plants constituents were collected from Sing Fefur Herbs in McGregor, Western Cape. The plant material was ground to a fine powder form using a milling machine. The powdered plant material was sequentially extracted with hexane, 1:1 DCM, DCM:MeOH, MeOH and water. The antioxidant activity of the tea and its plants was evaluated with comparison to the antioxidant activity of brewed rooibos tea in literature. The concentration of antioxidants in the plants and the tea were found to be significantly high. The ORAC assay results of the water extracts were significantly higher than that of rooibos tea in all plants. Salvia africana-caerulea water extract ORAC results were 14147.10±1.02 μmol TE/g and this is 10 times better than the brewed rooibos tea results of 1402±44.1 μmol TE/g. The alpha-amylase enzyme inhibition assay showed no significant results while the alpha-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assays showed significant results in some of the extracts. The highest inhibitory activity towards alpha-glucosidase was found in the Urtica urens hexane extract and the Thymus vulgaris hexane extract (69.66% and 68.43%, respectively). This observation suggests that alpha-glucosidase enzyme is inhibited mostly by the less polar or medium polarity chemical components of the plant extracts. The crude plant extracts that showed significant activity in the antidiabetic bioassays were further subjected to cytotoxicity assay to ascertain the safety of extracts. The T. vulgaris DCM extract, Salvia officinalis DCM extract and Salvia officinalis hexane extract showed a cell growth inhibition of 54.91%, 62.14% and 63.87% at 100 μg/ml, respectively. The Salvia africana-caerulea DCM extract showed a cell growth inhibition of 59.10% at 50 μg/ml and 62.14% at 100 μg/ml. In the cytotoxicity analysis Salvia africana-caerulea DCM extract is the only extract that showed cell viability below 50% for both concentrations. Phytochemical screening of selected methanolic and aqueous extracts of the diabetes tea and the Salvia africana-caerulea showed the presence of alkaloids, sugars, flavonoids, glycosides, proteins & amino acids, phenolics & tannins and saponins. Furthermore isolation, purification and analysis of two Salvia africana-caerulea crude extracts (DCM and DCM:MeOH) were done in order to try and obtain pure compounds. The compound characterization was done through the use of chromatographic techniques. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), flash chromatography and column chromatography resulted in the generation of 29 fractions. Spectroscopic techniques utilized for chemical structural elucidation for compounds of interest included Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Of all the fractions generated, DM 23 was the purest and its structural elucidation was attempted.

Orientador: Clélia Akiko Hiruma-Lima / Coorientador: Catarina dos Santos / Banca: Carlos Alan Candido Dias Junior / Banca: Dario Abel Palmieri / Resumo: A dor é uma experiência que envolve múltiplos fatores. A via supraespinal do controle da dor se origina em muitas regiões cerebrais, tais como substância periarquedutal cinzenta (PAG), núcleos medianos da rafe e medula rostral ventromedial (RVM) e possuem papel crítico na determinação da dor aguda e crônica. A dor pode ser desencadeada devido a uma lesão tecidual que inicia uma reação inflamatória. A inflamação é uma resposta imune complexa que pode ser causada por estímulos químicos, físicos, imunológicos ou microbianos. O processo inflamatório envolve uma complexa cascata de eventos bioquímicos e celulares, que inclui sensibilização e ativação de receptores, lise e reparo tecidual. Em geral, as lesões teciduais desencadeiam uma reação inflamatória local através do recrutamento de leucócitos, que liberam mediadores inflamatórios. Os medicamentos Anti-inflamatórios Não-Esteroidais (AINEs) são utilizados no tratamento da dor e inflamação, os quais inibem os mediadores inflamatórios, mas podem também provocar efeitos adversos como as úlceras gástricas e causar danos cardiovasculares. Uma alternativa para o tratamento da dor e inflamação é a utilização de espécies vegetais. O gênero Myrcia pertence à família Myrtaceae, família botânica que apresenta grande expressão nos ecossistemas brasileiros. Como classe fitoquímica de importância terapêutica, os flavonóides tem representado um importante grupo com relevante ação anti-inflamatória e gastroprotetora, e estão presentes de forma expressiva na composição química de espécies do gênero Myrcia. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi avaliar a atividade antinociceptiva e anti-inflamatória do extrato hidroalcoólico de folhas de Myrcia bella (EHMb). Neste trabalho foram avaliados os efeitos do extrato nos testes de toxicidade aguda, de... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Pain is an experience that involves a lot of factors. The supraspinal pathway of pain control originates i several brain regions, such as periarqueductal gray matter (PAG), median raphe nucleus and the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), and it has a critical role in acute and chronic pain's. The pain can be unleashed due to a tissue injury which initiates an inflammatory reaction is an immune complex response which may be caused by chemical, physical, microbiological or immunological stimulus. The inflammatory process involves a complex biochemical cascade and cellular events, including receptor's awareness and receptor's activation, lysis and tissue repair. In general, the tissue injury unleashes a local inflammatory response by leukocytes recruiting, which ones can release throw inflammatory mediators. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (AINEs) are used in the treatment of pain and inflammation, which inhibit the inflammatory mediators, but also may cause adverse effects such as gastric ulcers and cardiovascular damage. An alternative for the treatment of pain and inflammation's treatment is use of plant species. The specie Myrcia is a genus belongs to the Myrtaceae botanical family, very expressive in the Brazilian ecosystems. Flavonoids, as a phytochemical class of great therapeutic importance, it has been represented an essential group with significant anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective effects, and they are present in an important way in species of Myrcia's the chemical composition. The essential purpose of this work was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities in Myrcia bella leaves' extraxt (EHMb). This study evaluated the effects of the extract in the acute toxicity tests, evaluation of antinociceptive activity through models of nociception by chemical and thermal stimulus... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Patrícia de Carvalho Mastroianni / Coorientador: Luis Vitor Silva do sacramento / Banca: Eliana Rodrigues / Banca: Marisa Veiga Capela / Resumo: A utilização de plantas medicinais como forma de tratar doenças é uma prática que ocorre desde os tempos mais antigos. Nos dias atuais, a população idosa traz consigo esta prática e grande parte das pessoas faz uso de plantas medicinais por acreditarem que "por ser natural, não faz mal". Sabe-se que as plantas medicinais podem levar ao aparecimento de eventos adversos, porém estes são pouco relatados ao profissional da saúde pelo fato do paciente não relacionar o uso da planta medicinal ou medicamento fitoterápico ao evento adverso apresentado. A farmacovigilância relacionada a plantas medicinais, no Brasil, não é totalmente eficaz. A subnotificação de eventos adversos, o não treinamento do profissional de saúde e a não valorização de que plantas medicinais e medicamentos fitoterápicos desencadeiam eventos adversos podem levar ao aparecimento dos mesmos sintomas em outros pacientes. Logo, o presente trabalho visou validar um instrumento de notificação de eventos adversos específico a plantas medicinais e medicamentos fitoterápicos em profissionais de saúde (farmacêuticos, médicos, nutricionistas, enfermeiros e dentistas) através da utilização de dois casos clínicos fictícios, entregues e tempos diferentes, juntamente com uma amostra de planta referente a cada caso clínico e um Guia auxiliar ao preenchimento do formulário no segundo momento. Foi realizada a validação parcial do formulário de notificação, tendo em vista que o entendimento de alguns campos do formulário não foram devidamente preenchidos por falta de compreensão de conceitos ou interpretação dos casos clínicos. Observou-se uma possível não utilização do guia disponível, levando a um preenchimento inadequado ou incompleto da notificação, o que pode acarretar no não entendimento do real evento adverso observado. Todos os itens do... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The use of medicinal plants as a way to treat disease is a practice that occurs from the earliest times. Nowadays, the elderly population carries this practice and most people make use of medicinal plants for believing that as it is natural, will not cause prejudice for their health. It is known that medicinal plants can lead to the onset of adverse events, but these are not reported to health care because the patient does not relate to the use of medicinal plant or herbal medicine to adverse events submitted. Pharmacovigilance related to medicinal plants in Brazil is not fully effective. Underreporting of adverse events, health professionals not trained and not appreciated that medicinal plants and herbal medicines trigger adverse events can lead to the appearance of the same symptoms in other patients. Therefore, this study aimed to validate an instrument for reporting of adverse events specific to medicinal plants and herbal medicines using as volunteer health professionals (pharmacists, physicians, dietitians, nurses, and dentists) using two clinical cases fictitious delivered, at different times, along with a sample of plant for each clinical case and a Guide to help to complete the form on the second time. It was observed that even the Guide was available, it could be not used, which may result in no real understanding of the adverse effects observed. All items on the form were evaluated according to the reliability and completeness of responses, leading to a suggestion of better preparing the notification form and inclusion of auxiliary information in the Guide, to ensure proper notification by the health professional. From the results obtained in this research, the proposed notification form undergoes some modifications to ensure your best fill. The study showed that it is essential to these professional training courses to enhance the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Clélia Akiko Hiruma-Lima / Banca: Anderson Luis Ferreira / Banca: Ary Fernandes Junior / Banca: Joel Mesa Hormoza / Banca: Anne Lígia Dokkedal Bosqueiro / Resumo: As principais espécies reativas de oxigênio e nitrogênio são os radicais superóxido e hidroxila, o peróxido de hidrogênio e o peroxinitrito. Todos estes agentes, apesar de participarem de vários eventos biológicos importantes causam efeitos deletérios. Mecanismos naturais de combate destas espécies reativas incluem um eficiente sistema enzimático contando com a superóxido dismutase, a catalase, a glutationa peroxidase e redutase, além de compostos não enzimáticos que reagem diretamente com os agentes oxidantes como glutationa reduzida, a-tocoferol, ascorbato, B-caroteno e diversos compostos fenólicos derivados de plantas. O desequilíbrio entre a ação do sistema de defesa antioxidante e a força pró oxidativa caracteriza o estresse oxidativo cujos alvos são as macromoléculas celulares. Dessa forma a manutenção do equilíbrio entre o sistema antioxidante e pró-oxidativo têm grande importância em processos fisiológicos bem como em muitos processos patológicos como a doença inflamatória intestinal e a úlcera péptica. Embora a fisiopatologia exata destas doenças permaneça incerta sabe-se que se trata de processos multifatoriais onde o excesso de produção de espécies reativas ou a redução nos mecanismos antioxidantes estão envolvidos na iniciação ou na cronicidade da doença. Os desafios da ciência incluem a compreensão destes eventos de modo que se possibilitem intervenções terapêuticas mais eficazes. Neste contexto, são muitos os estudos que envolvem plantas como alternativas na busca de novas terapias, sendo Qualea parviflora o objeto deste estudo. Esta espécie conhecida como pau-terrinha é utilizada na medicina popular contra males do trato gastrointestinal como gastrite, úlcera gástrica, diarréia com sangue e cólicas intestinais, além de anti-séptico externo. O extrato metanólico das cascas (Qp) desta espécie contém diversos compostos derivados do ácido elágico, definido ... / Abstract: Not available / Doutor

M.Sc. / Scientific relevance: Qualitative and quantitative data is presented that give a new perspective on the traditional medicinal plants of the Khoisan (Khoe-San), one of the most ancient of human cultures. The data is not only of considerable historical and cultural value, but allows for fascinating comparative studies relating to new species records, novel use records and the spatial distribution of traditional medicinal plant use knowledge within the Cape Floristic Region. Aim of the study: A detailed documentation and quantitative analysis of medicinal plants of the Kamiesberg area (an important Khoisan and Nama cultural centre) and their medicinal traditional uses, which have hitherto remained unrecorded. Materials and methods: During four study visits to the Kamiesberg, semi-structured and structured interviews were conducted with 23 local inhabitants of the Kamiesberg, mostly of Khoisan decent. In addition to standard methodology, a newly developed Matrix Method was used to quantity medicinal plant knowledge. Results: The Kamiesberg is an important center of extant Nama ethnomedicinal information but the knowledge is rapidly disappearing. Of a total of 101 medicinal plants and 1375 anecdotes, 21 species were recorded for the first time as having traditional medicinal uses and at least 284 medicinal use records were new. The relative importance, popularity and uses of the plants were quantified. The 97 newly documented vernacular names include 23 Nama (Khoekhoegowab) names and an additional 55 new variations of known names. The calculated Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index (EKI) and other indices accurately quantify the level of knowledge and will allow for future comparisons, not only within the Kamiesberg area but also with other southern African communities of Khoisan decent. Conclusion: The results showed that the Kamiesberg is an important focal point of Khoisan (Nama) traditional knowledge but that the medicinal plants have not yet been systematically recorded in the scientific literature. There are numerous new use records and new species records that are in need of scientific study. Comparative data is now available for broader comparisons of the pattern of Khoisan plants use in southern Africa and the study represents another step towards a complete synthesis of Cape Herbal Medicine.

Currently, the approved anti-HIV drugs on the market only target the three HIV enzymes: reverse transcriptase, protease and more recently, integrase. Due to the limited nature of the current therapy, it is possible that a multi-drug resistant virus can emerge. The main concerns in developing countries however, are the expense and availability of the drugs and because of this, it is essential to investigate all alternatives. Traditional medicine offers many advantages as compared to allopathic treatment in so far as being relatively cheaper, accessible and it is broadly accepted in the population groups of the developing countries. Little is known though, of the exact efficacy and toxicity of these remedies so it is vital that these possible leads be investigated thoroughly. For the purpose of this study, two plants, Sutherlandia frutescens and Lobostemon trigonum were studied to ascertain their potential anti-HIV activity. Sutherlandia has received international attention as a possible cheap herbal remedy to improve the health of AIDS sufferers. Anecdotal evidence from health workers claim that HIV- infected patients on Sutherlandia treatment have shown improved CD4 counts, decreased viral loads and a general improvement in well-being. Extracts were prepared from dried leaves and flowers in methanol, ethanol, acetone, methylene dichloride or distilled water. Sulphated polysaccharides have been described extensively in literature with regards to their anti-HIV activity, so as a form of dereplication; an ethanol precipitation was performed on the aqueous extracts to remove sulphated polysaccharides. A toxicity study was performed on all crude extracts using uninfected peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) isolated from whole blood. To measure anti-HIV activity, HIV-infected PBMCs were cultured with each of the crude extracts and cell viability measured using the tetrazolium salt, XTT. HIV-infected CEM-NKR-CCR5 cells were also used and supernatant from the viral studies was tested for the HIV antigen p24. xii Results varied greatly between assays but with the inclusion of a point-scale system to evaluate the extracts it was clear that overall the organic extracts of the Sutherlandia flowers, especially the acetone extract (SFA), showed great anti-HIV potential. SFA in every case decreased p24 levels and in the toxicity study did not decrease cell proliferation. With the HIV-infected PBMCs SFA actually helped improve cell proliferation despite the infection. To determine the specific anti- HIV activity, all crude extracts were tested for inhibition of HIV-I reverse transcriptase, the glycohydrolase enzymes: a-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, ßglucuronidase, HIV-I integrase and HIV-II protease. No significant inhibition was seen with these experiments except for the HIV-I RT assay. The aqueous extract of the Lobostemon leaves produced an inhibitor of HIV-RT with a very low IC50 value of 0.049mg/ml. Some inhibitory effect was lost with the removal of the sulphated polysaccharides and the addition of BSA to the assay, but still 64% inhibition of the HIVRT remained, which confirmed that the inhibitor could be something novel, and not of the polysaccharide or tannin compounds.

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem that has deleterious long-term effects as the development of drug resistance outpaces the development of new drugs. Plants have been used for many generations for healing purposes, and screening of extracts of these plants has often yielded positive outcomes. This study was aimed at isolating and characterizing the major active antimicrobial compounds present in the stem bark of C. molle, in a bid to identify potential sources of cheap starting materials for the synthesis of new drugs. Various solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, acetone, ethanol and methanol) were used for extraction. The agar well diffusion technique was used to screen for antimicrobial activity of C. molle extracts against Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 49399, Plesiomonas shigelloides ATCC 51903, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442, Helicobacter pylori ATCC 43526 and Helicobacter pylori 252C (clinical isolate); minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of the most active extracts was determined by the broth dilution method. Fractionation of acetone extract was done by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and bioautography to determine the compounds present and their antimicrobial activity respectively. The acetone extract was purified by column chromatography and their MIC determined. The most potent fraction (EA4) was subjected to Gas chromatography- Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for identification of the active compounds. Results were analyzed by the Fisher‟s exact test. All the extracts tested demonstrated antimicrobial activity with zone diameters of inhibition ranging from 0–32 mm. Acetone was the most potent extract with its MIC ranging from 0.078–5.0 mg/mL. Seventeen fractions were collected from column chromatography and the most active fraction against all the organisms was EA 4 (eluted with 100 percent ethyl acetate), with its MIC ranging from 0.078 - 2.5mg/mL. There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in the potency of the xii four extracts (acetone, methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate) and antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) on the different bacterial strains tested, likewise the crude extract and the fractions. No compound was detected by GC-MS whereas numerous peaks were identified by HPLC implying that the active compounds in this plant are non volatile. We could not identify the compounds thereby proposing further studies using Nuclear magnetic resonance to identify the compounds. The study revealed that the acetone extract of C. molle was the most active against all the test organisms and therefore justifies the use of this plant in traditional medicine.

Submitted in fulfillment of the Master’s Degree in Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Hoodia gordonii 30CH on healthy provers, and to record the clearly observable signs and symptoms produced and the subsequent comparison to its toxicology as a raw substance and to homoeopathic remedies of reportorial similarity. Methodology The investigation was a randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trial, using the substance in the 30th potency. This was prepared according to the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia. A sample of 20 provers, in good health, was recruited. Sixteen received verum as the experimental group and four in the control group received a placebo. Each of the 20 provers received a journal in which they recorded symptoms on a daily basis for a period of six weeks, including a one week observation prior to taking the powders, and a period of five weeks after administration of the powders. The information from the journals and case histories was edited, collated and translated into materia medica and repertory language and used to compile a proving profile of the remedy by qualitative methods. The remedy was only revealed to the participants after completion of the proving study period. The researcher compared the similarities and new symptoms of the remedy with the existing knowledge of its toxicology to prove the first hypothesis. A detailed and extensive literature review of Hoodia gordonii’s unique characteristics was conducted. A further comparison with other similar remedies according to the highest numerical number of rubrics on repertorisation was conducted. Results The proving remedy produced a wide variety of symptoms on the mental, emotional and physical levels of which many had polarities. In broad terms the following were identified from the proving symptoms of Hoodia gordonii: • Increased confidence and feeling refreshed, renewed energy, cheerfulness, concentration, alertness, calm, forgetfulness, unhappy, sadness and depression with desire to be left alone. • Anxiety for unknown reason and for the future, about finances; restlessness and busyness. • Tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion. • Positive feeling regarding home and family. • Mental exhaustion and aversion to study. • Common sensations were throbbing, pulsating, sharp, aching, heat, pressing, heavy, pulling, splitting, cramps. • Perceived attack or danger in dreams. • Painless diarrhea and constipation, nausea, headaches, vertigo, sore red eyes, nasal congestion and sinuses, toothache, tonsillitis and dryness of throat; bronchitis, heart palpitations. • Menses with breast tenderness and increased sexual stimulation, joint pain. • Unquenchable thirst, polyuria, appetite increase and decrease, sleeplessness and sleepiness with deep sleep, cold, increase perspiration, influenza and depressed immune function. Conclusion The data obtained from this proving study of Hoodia gordonii when comparing the new symptoms of the remedy with similarities to the existing knowledge of its toxicology proved the first hypothesis to be true. Three hundred and twenty four rubrics were produced and 17 were new rubrics; of these a total of 20 rubrics that represented the essence of the remedy were selected and used in the repertorisation process. A comparison of the highest numerical value of rubrics with other similar remedies on repertorisation found Hoodia gordonii 30CH to be most similar to: Atropa belladonna, Phosphorus, Lachesis mutus, Sulphur and Veratrum album. / M

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements of the Master’s Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / M