March 2022

Brown macroalgae: Promising sources of bioactive products against human herpesviruses

Marine brown macroalgae have stood out as important sources of new bioactive products, such as antimicrobial, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral drugs. This study aimed to review the literature on the applications of products derived from brown macroalgae as antiviral agents against human herpesviruses. To date, species of seven distinct orders of brown algae have been studied for this purpose, such as...

Author(s): Maria Leonisa Sanchez Nuñez, Vitor Won-Held Rabelo, Izabel Christina Nunes de Palmer Paixão and Valéria Laneuville Teixeira,  

March 2022

Antibiotic potential of a crude ethanol extract from Asplenium serratum L. fern leaves

Asplenium serratum L. (Aspleniaceae) is a terrestrial, epiphytic or humicole fern used as traditional medicine in different countries to treat infection. As such, this study aimed to assess the antibacterial potential of a crude ethanol extract from A. serratum leaves against multidrug-resistant bacteria from a hospital setting. Fern leaves were dried and ground using 96° Gay Lussac ethanol, with the extract...

Author(s): Marcelo Guerra Santos, Sâmella Schuindt Leal, Fábio Aguiar-Alves and Leandro Rocha  

March 2022

Acute toxicity, analgesic, and smooth muscle relaxant effects of the aqueous root extract of Asparagus racemosus from Kenya

The plant Asparagus racemosus is used traditionally in Kenya for a variety of medicinal purposes including in the management of pain, asthma, and premature labour. However, a dearth of empirical studies means that there is limited information on the acute toxicity and pharmacological effects to support these uses by the local variety of the plant. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the acute toxicity,...

Author(s): Godfrey Mayoka, Peggoty Mutai, Faith Okalebo and Daniel Juma