A new antimicrobial compound from the leaves of Dodonaea viscosa for infectious diseases

In silico Evaluation of Dodonic Acid from Dodonaea viscosa Jacq on Target Proteins from Staphylococcus aureus

Dodonaea viscosa Jacq is known as “chamana” in the popular flora of Peru. The traditional medicine uses its leaves as ingredient in fermented beverages from Zea mays and also in external uses for anti-inflammatory diseases. The aim was to study the role of dodonic acid against several protein targets of S. aureus. This study was focused on to analyse the role of dodonic acid against S. aureus target proteins such as on Sortase-A, DNA gyrase, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), clumping factor, dehydrosqualene synthase, and undecaprenyl di-phosphate synthase as a promising candidate molecule. The docking analysis of dodonic acid showed the best docking score energy on S. aureus undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase with -11.2 kcal/mol and demonstrated to be a very stable molecule at physiological conditions during the molecular dynamic for 50 ns. As conclusion, the extract demonstrated to be active against S. aureus and dodonic acid might be a promising molecule acting on the S. aureus undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase.

ZnO Nanocomposites of Juniperus procera and Dodonaea viscosa Extracts as Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Agents

Cancer and microbial infections constitute a major burden and leading cause of death globally. The development of therapeutic compounds from natural products is considered a cornerstone in drug discovery. Therefore, in the present study, the ethanolic extract and the fractions of Dodonaea viscosa and Juniperus procera were evaluated for anticancer and antimicrobial activities. It was found that two fractions, JM and DC, exhibited promising anticancer and antimicrobial activities. The JM and DC fractions were further modified into ZnO nanocomposites, which were characterized by SEM, XRD, TGA, and EDX. It was noted that the synthesized nanocomposites displayed remarkable enhancement in cytotoxicity as well as antibacterial activity. Nanocomposite DC–ZnO NRs exhibited cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values of 16.4 ± 4 (HepG2) and 29.07 ± 2.7 μg/mL (HCT-116) and JM–ZnO NRs with IC₅₀ values of 12.2 ± 10.27 (HepG2) and 24.1 ± 3.0 μg/mL (HCT-116). In addition, nanocomposites of DC (i.e., DC–ZnO NRs) and JM (i.e., JM–ZnO NRs) displayed excellent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MICs of 2.5 and 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, these fractions and nanocomposites were tested for cytotoxicity against normal fibroblasts and were found to be non-toxic. GC-MS analysis of the active fractions were also carried out to discover the possible phytochemicals that are responsible for these activities.

Effects of situation-background-assessment-recommendation handover combined with detail nursing intervention on patients with infections

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the nursing effects of situation-background-assessment-recommendation (SBAR) handover combined with detailed nursing intervention on patients with contagious diseases.

METHODS

A total of 106 patients with infectious diseases who were hospitalized from April 2018 to April 2020 were selected and randomly divided into a control group (n=53, SBAR handover model) and an experimental group (n=53, SBAR handover model, combined with detailed nursing intervention) based on a random number table method. The nursing quality, professional recognition of nursing staff, patients' psychological status, and the quality of life of patients between the two groups were compared. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, hospital stay, gastrointestinal recovery time, and complication rate of the two groups were recorded and compared at 24 h and 72 h after intervention.

RESULTS

Scores for comprehensive nursing quality of doctors, nursing managers, nursing staff, and patients in the experimental group witnessed a greater rise than before (P<0.05). Patients' social status, development prospects, mental health, and professional recognition in the experimental group garnered more of a superior outcome than the control group (P<0.05). Both the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores dramatically decreased after intervention (P>0.05), with lower scores in the experimental group in contrast to the control group (P<0.05). Patients in the experimental group enjoyed a better quality of life than those in the control group (P<0.05). More patients were satisfied with the nursing in the experimental group (94.34%) in comparison with the control group (81.13%) (P<0.05). The experimental group experienced better outcomes in terms of 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h VAS scores, hospital stay, and gastrointestinal recovery time, and the incidence of complications than the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

SBAR handover model combined with detailed nursing intervention can ease negative emotions of patients with infections, optimize their life qualities and nursing satisfaction, and enhance comprehensive nursing performance and professional recognition.

Dodonaea viscosa Jacq: A Medicinal Plant with Cytotoxic Effect on Colon Cancer Cell Line (HT-29)

Dodonaea viscosa (Family: Sapindaceae) is a medicinal plant that has been used as anti-rheumatic and bone pain in Peru as a folk remedy. Ethanol extract obtained from D. viscosa leaves was partitioned as n-hexane fraction; chloroform fraction; ethyl acetate fraction; n-butanol fraction and aqueous fraction. Phytoconstituents from D. viscosa leaves were evaluated by using chemical reagents to identify the presence of each phytochemical. In addition, a cytotoxic effect was determined by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) test. The results showed that the ethanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction of leaves had the highest variety of phytoconstituents. The ethanol extrac of leaves exhibited a major inhibitory effect compared to different fractions in human colon cancer cells (HT-29). From these assays, it is concluded that D. viscosa does not possess any detectable cytotoxic effect on epidermal cells from mouse (3T3), and a slight cytotoxic effect against HT-29 tumor cells compared to 5-FU. This species could appear like a good source of herbal medicine in colorectal cancer disease.