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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Dichrocephala integrifolia (Asteraceae) is commonly used in the folk medicine in Cameroon to treat various ailments including headaches, jaundice, filariasis, neuritis and children's night agitation. It is also known to have anxiolytic properties. Since there were no scientific data supporting the above claims, we therefore aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic and sedative effects of the aqueous leaf extract of D. integrifolia., Materials and Methods: The extract used was obtained after maceration of leaves of D. integrifolia in water at room temperature. The anxiolytic effect was tested by the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and Open Field tests while the sedative effect was evaluated by the diazepam-induced sleep test., Results: D. integrifolia significantly induced an increase in the percentage of entries into open arms and a decrease in percentage of entries into closed arms at the dose of 22 mg/kg BW. The extract also induced a decrease of rearing and head dipping at the doses of 22 and 40 mg/kg BW during the EPM test. In addition, D. integrifolia extract induced a significant increase of crossing and time spent at the center of the experimental set at the dose of 40 mg/kg BW during the open field test. Lastly, D. integrifolia caused a significant reduction of the latency to sleep and an increase of total sleep time at the doses of 22 and 40 mg/kg BW in the diazepam-induced sleep test., Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that the aqueous leaf extract of D. integrifolia is endowed with anxiolytic and sedative properties, which justify its traditional use., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Newtonia griffoniana (Mimosaceae) is a Central African rain forest tree, whose bark extracts are used in Cameroonian folk medicine for the treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders., Methods: We evaluated the anxiolytic effects of N. griffoniana stem bark methanol extract and its major isolated constituent 2,3,4-trihydroxybutylpentatriacontanoate (newtonoate) on the elevated plus maze., Results: Significant increases in the percentage of entries into open arms were induced by both N. griffoniana extract (100 and 150 mg/kg BW; p<0.01) and newtonoate (doses of 3 and 15 mg/kg BW; p<0.05). Conversely, decreases in the percentage of entries into closed arms were observed at the same doses. In addition, N. griffoniana methanol extract (100 mg/kg) and the isolated newtonoate (30 mg/kg) induced significant (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively) increases in the time spent in the open arms, while inducing a decrease in the time spent in the closed arms. Newtonoate treatment also decreased head dipping number at doses of 3 and 15 mg/kg, while N. griffoniana methanol extract induced the same effect at 200 mg/kg., Conclusions: These results suggest that N. griffoniana bark extract has anxiolytic properties, which justify its use in folk medicine. Such effects are at least partly mediated by newtonoate.

Mood disorders are among the major health problems that exist worldwide. They are highly prevalent in the general population and cause significant disturbance of life quality and social functioning of the affected persons. The two major classes of mood disorders are bipolar disorders and depression. The latter is assumed to be the most frequent psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy. Studies published during the second half of the 20th century recognized that certain patients with epilepsy present a depressed mood. Synthesized pharmaceuticals have been in use for decades to treat both mood disorders and epilepsy, but despite their efficiency, their use is limited by numerous side effects. On the other hand, animal models have been developed to deeply study potential botanicals which have an effect on mood disorders. Studies to investigate the potential effects of medicinal plants acting on the nervous system and used to treat seizures and anxiety are increasingly growing. However, these studies discuss the two conditions separately without association. In this review, we present animal models of depression and investigative models (methods of assessing depression) of depression and anxiety in animals. Other classical test models for prediction of clinical antidepressant activity are presented. Finally, this review also highlights antidepressant activities of herbals focusing specially on depression-like behaviors associated with epilepsy. The pharmacological properties and active principles of cited medicinal plants are emphasized. This review, therefore, provides an overview of the work done on botanicals for mood disorders, potential mechanisms of action of botanicals, and the major compounds. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Botanicals for Epilepsy"., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Approximately 80 % of the population in Africa use traditional medicinal plants to improve their state of health. The reason of such a wide use of medicinal plants has been mainly attributed to their accessibility and affordability. Expectation of little if any side effects, of a "natural" and therefore safe treatment regimen, as well as traditional beliefs additionally contribute to their popularity. Several of these plants are used by women to relieve problems related to their reproductive health, during or after their reproductive life, during pregnancy, or following parturition. The African pharmacopoeia thus provides plants used for preventing and/or treating gynecological infections, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruations, oligomenorrhea or protracted menstruation, and infertility. Such plants may then be used as antimicrobians, emmenagogues, or as suppressors of uterine flow. African medicinal plants are also used during pregnancy for prenatal care, against fetal malposition or malpresentation, retained dead fetus, and against threatened abortion. Some others are used as anti-fertilizing drugs for birth control. Such plants may exert various activities, namely, anti-implantation or early abortifacient, anti-zygotic, blastocytotoxic, and anti-ovulatory effects. Some herbs could also act as sexual drive suppressors or as a post-coital contraceptive by reducing the fertility index. A number of these plants have already been subject to scientific investigations and many of their properties have been assessed as estrogenic, oxytocic, or anti-implantation. Taking into account the diversity of the African pharmacopoeia, we are still at an early stage in the phytochemical and pharmacological characterization of these medicinal plants that affect the female reproductive system, in order to determine, through in vitro and in vivo studies, their pharmacological properties and their active principles., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Context: Millettia griffoniana Baill. (Fabaceae), which contains isoflavonoids like griffonianone C (Griff C), is commonly used in the folk medicine in Cameroon to treat various ailments. Possible health benefits of Griff C which include alleviation of menopausal symptoms, limitation of bone resorption, and lowering of the risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases attracted our interest., Objective: The effects of Griff C on the regulation of the expression of proliferation markers such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin D1 (CD1) and Ki-67 are investigated here. Its role in apoptosis or cell survival, through the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-Akt (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway is further studied., Materials and Methods: Semiquantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze the effects of Griff C on gene expression in MCF-7 cells. Western blot analysis was used to assess the role of Griff C on the expression of phosphorylated Akt in MCF-7 cells., Results: Griff C induced a 4.84-fold increase in the expression of Ki-67 mRNA at the concentration of 10(-8) M and a 3.90-fold increase of CD1 mRNA at 10(-7) M. Griff C slightly increased the phosphorylation of Akt at its serine 473 residue. Akt phosphorylation was inhibited by the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, but not by the specific estrogen receptor antagonist, fulvestrant., Discussion and Conclusion: These findings suggest that Griff C can modulate proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Our results also suggest that Griff C can affect the PI3K-related signaling pathway. Thus, Griff C may exert part of its low proliferative and antiapoptotic effects by a nongenomic mode of action.

In the present study, we investigated whether griffonianone C (Griff C), extracted from root bark of Millettia griffoniana, changes the expression of several estrogen-responsive genes in the vena cava of ovariectomised rats. For this purpose, we subcutaneously administered Griff C (2, 10, or 20mg/kg/d BW), 17β-estradiol (E2: 10μg/kg/d BW) as positive control, and a vehicle control respectively for three days. Relative expression levels of estrogen receptor α (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR), cyclooxygenase2 (Cox-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF-receptor 2, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67 mRNA extracted from the vena cava of these rats were quantified by real-time PCR. Results showed that Griff C up-regulated the expression of PR, ACE, ERα, VEGF, VEGFR2 and Ki67. However, the results of Cox-2, PCNA, and eNOS expression did not reach significance in the E2 and Griff C treated samples. These results show that griffonianone C regulated a few of the analysed genes in a similar fashion than estradiol; however, others showed a different pattern. This suggests that some of the biological effects attributed to M. griffoniana are mediated via ER pathway others may be mediated via other pathways., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)