Investigation into Hypoglycemic, Antihyperlipidemic, and Renoprotective Potentials of Dennettia tripetala (Pepper Fruit) Seed in a Rat Model of Diabetes

Chemical composition and healing potential of essential oil of Dennettia tripetala on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: infected wound model

Background

Dennettia tripetala (Pepperfruit) is an important medicinal plant in some West African communities. This study was designed to examine the antibacterial properties and wound-healing abilities of D. tripetala essential oil on mice with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to analyse the essential oil (EO) extracted by hydro-distillation from the dried fruits of D. tripetala. MRSA was identified using 30 µg cefoxitin disk, CHROMagar, and Polymerase Chain Reaction. Congo red agar and tube technique were used to assess the production of biofilms. The antimicrobial susceptibility for both antibiotics and essential oil was determined by Kirby Bauer and broth dilution methods. Eleven male mice were used in the invivo study, and each animal had wound infection on the dorsal inter-scapular skin region created with a 6 mm biopsy punch and 50 μl (adjusted to 0.5 McFarland standard) of MRSA. The size of the wound and its histological characteristics were used to estimate healing rate.

Results

The GC–MS investigation of the essential oil revealed six compounds, with benzene (2-nitroethyl) being the most prominent. Out of the eighteen (18) isolates examined, 12 MRSA strains were identified using the three methods for methicillin resistance determination, with about 80% of them being classified as biofilm producers. More than 60% of the MRSA isolates were resistant to erythromycin, fusidic acid, gentamicin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The essential oil had greater antibacterial activity than the reference antibiotic, vancomycin. The essential oil had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 80 l/ml and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 160 l/ml (v/v). Haematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that the skin tissue that had been exposed to D. tripetala essential oil had a thicker epithelial layer, numerous fibroblasts, a build-up of collagen, and many blood cells.

Conclusions

The results showed that D. tripetala essential oil has powerful anti-staphylococcal properties as well as the capacity to expedite wound healing. This suggests that D. tripetala essential oil could be a successful candidate for developing a topical agent for wound management.

The Ameliorative Role of Hibiscetin against High-Fat Diets and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rodents via Inhibiting Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, Interleukin-1β, and Malondialdehyde Level

Hibiscetin, as one of the main bioactive constituents of Hibiscus sabdariffa, has many pharmacological activities, but its antihyperglycemic activity has not been fully interpreted yet. The current research was developed from this perspective. The study intended to appraise the antidiabetic capability of hibiscetin in a high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ; 50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally)-induced diabetes in an experimental animal. The efficiency of hibiscetin at 10 mg/kg in an “HFD/STZ model” remedy in rats with experimentally caused diabetes was explored for 42 days. The efficacy of hibiscetin was observed on several diabetes parameters. The average body weight and an array of biochemical markers were determined, including blood glucose, insulin, total protein (TP), lipid profile, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), IL-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), adiponectin, leptin, resistin, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The antidiabetic benefits of hibiscetin were proven by a substantial reduction in blood glucose, lipid profile (TC and TG), total protein, IL-6, IL-1β, MDA, TNF-α, leptin, adiponectin, ALT, and AST in the therapy group compared to the diabetic disease standard. Furthermore, hibiscetin therapy also reversed the lowered levels of insulin, resistin, GSH, SOD, and CAT in diabetic rats. It was determined that hibiscetin may be beneficial in terms of reducing diabetes problems due to its effects on both oxidative stress and inflammation and that more research for this design should be conducted.

In vivo and in silico studies of Dennettia tripetala essential oil reveal the potential harmful effects of habitual consumption of the plant seed

Dennettia tripetala G. Baker (Annonaceae), is a plant with nutritional, social economy, and medicinal values. Its rising medicinal profile makes this plant a prospect in drug discovery. However, the reported strong addictive potential among habitual consumers makes the need to establish its safety imperative. In this report, we evaluated the safety profile of the essential oil of the seed of D. tripetala (EODS) in nulliparous female Wistar rats using in vivo single and repeated dose toxicity profiling, as well as in silico toxicity profiling of its known seed oil derived phytoconstituents. Our results showed consistent significant dose-dependent alterations in relative body weights, organ-body and organ-brain weight ratios, haematological and biochemical indices, as well as liver and kidney histoarchitectures, following single and repeated oral administrations. Significant alterations in liver and kidney histoarchitectures were consistent with the observed significant increase in AST/ALT ratio, suggesting deleterious effects of EODS on the kidney and liver. However, the lack of alterations in the histoarchitectures of the hippocampus and hypothalamus suggests that the brain may not have been adversely affected. Also, the in silico analysis suggests that hepatotoxic effects of EODS may be linked to Benzylnitrile, Humulene, Linalool, (Z)-ß-Ocimene. In addition, the failure of ß-Phenylnitroethane, the most abundant phytoconstituent of EODS, to pass phases I and II in silico toxicity screening, and the presence of Caryophyllene oxide, a known toxic compound, coupled with the predicted binding of both to DNA and protein, low LD50 and high percent mortality at 250 mg/kg of repeated doses, further confirmed the potentially toxic nature of EODS. We concluded that based on our in vivo and in silico observations, there is an urgent need for public education to regulate the excessive consumption of the seeds of D. tripetala.

Dennettia tripetala Combats Oxidative Stress, Protein and Lipid Dyshomeostasis, Inflammation, Hepatic Injury, and Glomerular Blockage in Rats

Dennettia tripetala, better known as 'pepperfruit', is a medicinal plant consumed in West Africa. D. tripetala possesses strong antioxidant properties and contains uvariopsine, an alkaloid which improves bile secretion and liver function. In the present study, the ethanolic extract of D. tripetala fruits was tested for its ability to alleviate pathophysiological conditions bordering on oxidative stress, including protein and lipid dyshomeostasis, inflammation, and hepatic and glomerular injury. Male albino Wistar rats were administered carbon tetrachloride twice a week for two weeks, and the ethanolic extract of D. tripetala fruits was administered from days 8∼14. The serum, liver, and kidneys of the rats were then subjected to biochemical assays and imaging. The extract restored the activities of liver marker enzymes in serum and the concentrations of lipids and proteins in both circulation and the liver to normal. The extract also restored the activities of antioxidant enzymes in liver and kidneys, and the concentrations of urea and creatinine in the blood. The extract also repaired the altered structures of the liver and kidney. Overall, D. tripetala elicited strong medicinal effects in rats. This study showed that the fruits of D. tripetala contain substances that could be extracted or synthesized for use in drugs for the treatment of liver and kidney disease.