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Facing the unprecedented burden and rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe, responses from various regions have been exceptionally quick. Drug discovery has been essentially based on repurposing, particularly at the onset of the scourge. Several experimental models have been designed ranging from in vitro cell culture systems to nonhuman primates; however, each with advantages and limitations. It was revealed beside its detrimental consequences on health, economy and the society, Covid-19 has also provided opportunity to highlight the immense potential of traditional medicine as a valid alternative for addressing major health threat. The African traditional medicine has been instrumental for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic in the continent, in situation of extremely low vaccination coverage. For optimal and sustainable use of traditional medicine, we strongly recommend products be developed following the WHO standards, while taking into consideration sustainability, environmental protection and copyright issues surrounding the natural product-based drug research and development.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-npx-10.1177_1934578X221133582 for In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of the Antimalarial Activities of Kniphofia reflexa Hutchinson ex Codd by Denis Kehdinga Sema, Alain Meli Lannang, Denis Zofou, Mujeeb- ur-Rehman, Tegha Hycienth Fung and Virginie Flaure Tsague Tankeu, Jean Duplex Wansi, Norbert Sewald, M. Iqbal Choudhary in Natural Product Communications

Introduction: Pesticides commonly used in crop protection are serious causes of ecological and sanitary disorders. Aims: This present work investigates the biopesticide properties of Pteridium auquilinum and Ricinus communis in the protection of three vegetable crops Lactuca sativa, Solanum nigrum and Raphanus sativus. Place and Duration of Study: The experimental tests were conducted on the site of BIONATURE (Bafoussam, Cameroon) from 24 June to 30 August 2017. Methodology: Four types of preparations were made and bioefficacy tests consisted of contact treatments. Direct observations on the physical aspect of the plant, agronomic measurements, and pathology monitoring were carried out. Results: The results show that the fermentation of the fern is complete after 5 days versus 8 days for the castor. The aqueous extracts of fern have insect repellent, insecticidal and fungicidal properties. Diluted maceration of fern (88.75%) was more efficient than the pure maceration (68%). Conclusion: Manure and castor oil have insecticidal and repellent properties. The monitoring of pathologies after treatment reveals that castor oil is more effective than fern manure in control of gray rots and Tip burn attacks.

Background: Malaria is an old life-threatening parasitic disease that is still affecting many people, mainly children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Availability of effective antimalarial drugs played a significant role in the treatment and control of malaria. However, recent information on the emergence of P. falciparum parasites resistant to one of the artemisinin-based combination therapies suggests the need for discovery of new drug molecules. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of extracts, fractions and isolated compound from medicinal plants traditionally used in the treatment of malaria in Tanzania. Methods: Dry powdered plant materials were extracted by cold macerations using different solvents. Norcaesalpin D was isolated by column chromatography from dichloromethane root extract of Caesalpinia bonducella and its structure was assigned based on the spectral data. Crude extracts, fractions and isolated compound were evaluated for antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum (3D7), chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum (Dd2, K1) and artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum (IPC 5202 Battambang, IPC 4912 Mondolkiri) strains using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. Results: The results indicated that extracts of Erythrina schliebenii, Holarrhena pubescens, Dissotis melleri and C. bonducella exhibited antiplasmodial activity against Dd2 parasites. Ethanolic root extract of E. schliebenii had an IC50 of 1.87 mu g/mL while methanolic and ethanolic root extracts of H. pubescens exhibited an IC50 = 2.05 mu g/mL and IC50 = 2.43 mu g/mL, respectively. Fractions from H. pubescens and C. bonducella roots were found to be highly active against K1, Dd2 and artemisinin-resistant parasites. Norcaesalpin D from C. bonducella root extract was active with IC50 of 0.98, 1.85 and 2.13 mu g/mL against 3D7, Dd2 and IPC 4912-Mondolkiri parasites, respectively. Conclusions: Antiplasmodial activity of norcaesalpin D and extracts of E. schliebenii, H. pubescens, D. melleri and C. bonducella reported in this study requires further attention for the discovery of antimalarial lead compounds for future drug development., Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe, 707

Table S2. Average rate of Loa mf mortality (%) after exposure to different drug concentrations at different time intervals. (DOCX 20 kb)

Table S1. Summary of the contribution of the main effects of various variables in the model. (DOCX 26 kb)

Table S1. Effects of different drug concentrations on the motility of L. loa mf. (DOCX 33 kb)

Figure S1. Motility standardized residual histogram of the motility. (DOCX 41 kb)

Figure S2. Gaussian regression P-P plot of predicted motility. (DOCX 27 kb)

Figure S3. Scatterplot of standardized residuals against standardized predicted values. (DOCX 29 kb)

Table S2. Ranking of the various experimental systems. (DOCX 26 kb)

Table S3. Moulting rate (%) of L. loa L3 in different in vitro culture systems. (DOCX 17 kb)

The recent, fast and poorly handled rural to urban migrations of people has led to unplanned settlement patterns, overcrowding and insufficient sanitation facilities, shortages of potable water, and general an unhealthy environment. The emerging cities have thus become areas where the most devastating scourges (malaria, tuberculosis and water borne diseases) continue undermine the socio-economic development of the urban areas. Herein, we discuss the current health challenges in major Cameroonian cities and argue that only a multidisciplinary approach including diagnosis and treatment, environmental care, and health education, is likely to address the health challenges in the emerging urban settings. From a recent publication by Titanji (2014) on lessons learned from the recent Ebola crisis in West African countries, some key elements of an integrated strategy for addressing health challenges in major Cameroonian cities are discussed.Key words: Malaria, Tuberculosis, waterborne diseases, Cameroon cities, integrated approach

Urogenital tract infections remain a serious global treat especially in women. The control of these infections is increasingly complicated due to development of resistance against available drugs. Therefore a perpetual search of new antimicrobial molecules is needed to face the challenge of microbial resistance. This study was initiated to screen the antimicrobial activities of methanol extracts of nine Cameroonian medicinal plants, used for the treatment of infectious diseases, against multiresistant pathogens isolated from urogenital infected patients. The plants included: Cussonia arborea, Dissotis longipetala, Lonchocarpus sepium, Nauclea pobeguinii, Picralima nitida, Rumex abyssinicus, Rumex berqueatii, Sapium ellypticum, Psorospermum febrifigum, They were tested on seven strains including six clinical isolates (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia stuartii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus saprophiticus, Candida krusei) and one reference strain (E. coli JM109). Clinical strains were checked for their multiresistance using disc diffusion method. The antimicrobial activities were determined by agar well diffusion method. MICs were determined using microdilution assay. The phytochemical screening of plants was also done. All the bacteria strains were found to be multidrug-resistant (MDR) against at least 7 of the 12 antibiotics tested. Antimicrobial activities demonstrated that 6/9 (SE, DL, RA, RB, PN, LS) plants were active on at least six microorganisms. MICs ranged from 0.125 to 128mg/ml for crude extracts, from 0.5 to 0.16µg/ml for gentamicin and was 0,002mg/ml for fluconazole. One extract (NP) which showed limited results on agar, inhibited the growth of all the strains with MICs ranging from 1to 16mg/ml showing a limited activity of this extract on agar. We found that four extracts (SE, NP, RA, DL) have significant activities since they presented MICs ≤ 8mg/ml on at least 5 tested microorganism individually. Findings from phytochemical screening showed that most active extracts contain tannins, alkaloids and saponins which could be responsible of these activities.