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Papers by Daniel Abugri

Parasitology Research, Oct 30, 2017

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular zoonotic parasite estimated to affect about 30-90... more Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular zoonotic parasite estimated to affect about 30-90% of the world's human population. The most affected are immunocompromised individuals such as HIV-AIDS and cancer patients, organ and tissue transplant recipients, and congenitally infected children. No effective and safe drugs and vaccines are available against all forms of the parasite. We report here the antagonistic and indifferent activity of the combination of five different formulations of pure synthetic 3-deoxyanthocyaninidin (3-DA) chloride compounds against T. gondii tachyzoites and the synergistic and additive interaction against a human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cell line in vitro using fluorescence microscopy, trypan blue assay, and fractional inhibitory concentration index. The individual and the combined pure 3-DA compounds were observed to have effective inhibition against T. gondii parasites with less cytotoxic effect in a ratio of 1:1. The IC 50 values for parasite inhibition ranged from 1.88 μg/mL (1. 5 1-2. 3 2 μ g / m L) f o r l u t e o l i n i n d i n p l u s 7methoxyapigeninindin (LU/7-MAP) and 2.23 μg/mL (1.66-2.97 μg/mL) for apigeninindin plus 7-methoxyapigeninindin (AP/7-MAP) combinations at 95% confidence interval (CI) after 48 h of culture. We found LU/7-MAP to be antagonistic and AP/7-MAP to be indifferent in interaction against T. gondii growth. Both individual and combination 3-DA compounds not only depicted very strong inhibitory activity against T. gondii, but also had synergistic and additive cytotoxic effects against HFF cells. These synthetic 3-DAs have potential as antiparasitic agents for the treatment of human toxoplasmosis.

Journal of Natural Product and Plant Resources, 2013

Journal of Parasitic Diseases, Dec 2, 2019

Apigenin-7-O-glucoside, a flavonoid glucoside known to inhibit cancer cell growth, fungi growth, ... more Apigenin-7-O-glucoside, a flavonoid glucoside known to inhibit cancer cell growth, fungi growth, both intra and extracellular reactive oxygen species generation, causing cell arrest and damage to the plasma membrane, was tested alone or in combination with a dihydrofolate inhibitor (pyrimethamine) against Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) growth. The anti-T. gondii activity was carried out using a high throughput antiparasitic drug screening cellbased assay known as 2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-(4nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H tetrazolium, monosodium salt (WST-8) and fluorescence plate reader. The 50% effective concentration inhibition and 95% confidence interval values for individual and combination treatments against T. gondii were 0.80 (0.38-1.29) lg/mL, 1.05 (0.275-2.029) lg/mL, and 0.40 (0-1.06) lg/mL for apigenin-7-O-glucoside, pyrimethamine, and apigenin-7-Oglucoside plus pyrimethamine, respectively. Interestingly, the apigenin-7-O-glucoside plus pyrimethamine combination showed an additive inhibition effect against T. gondii growth in vitro using the fractional inhibitory concentration index method. It was discovered that the apigenin-7-Oglucoside combination with pyrimethamine had a high selectivity index 62.5, which implies 62-fold inhibition activity against the parasite versus human foreskin fibroblast cell cytotoxicity. This new combination hit is novel and will have the potential for future effective, safe, and less costly anti-Toxoplasma drug development, if its in vivo activity shows similar findings.

Medicinal and Aromatic plants, 2017

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoa of economic significance in livestock. Infected livestoc... more Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoa of economic significance in livestock. Infected livestock meat and products act as a source of T. gondii infection in humans. Current drugs against T. gondii are limited by hypersensitivity and toxicity, and are not effective against the encysted bradyzoite stage of T. gondii. Thus, there is urgent need for safe and effective therapeutic agents against T. gondii. Marine algae possess potent antifungal and antibacterial properties, but there are no reports on its anti-protozoal activity. Therefore, in this study we obtained nhexane and methanol extracts of green algae (Chlorophyceae) and analyzed their content by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, as well as tested their in vitro anti-Toxoplasma activities. Compared to the n-hexane extract of Chlorophyceae, the methanol extract contained higher content of flavonoids/ polyphenols, alkaloids (elaeocarpidine and auramine), and artemisic acid. Importantly, the methanol extract had more potent anti-Toxoplasma activity (IC 50 =4.43 ± 1.26 µg/mL) than the n-hexane extract (IC 50 =23.32 ± 3.97 µg/ mL), corroborating the higher content of flavonoids, alkaloids, and artemisic acid in methanol extracts than in nhexane extract. The anti-Toxoplasma IC 50 values of the methanol and n-hexane extracts were 34-fold and 7-fold lower than their respective cytotoxic IC 50 values in human fibroblast cell line. Consistent with our findings, flavonoids, alkaloids and artemisic acid have previously been shown to have potent anti-Toxoplasma activity. Together, our results show that Chlorophyceae contains significant amounts of bioactive compounds with potent anti-Toxoplasma activity.

Experimental Parasitology, May 1, 2016

We investigated dried red leaf extracts of S. bicolor for activity against Toxoplasma gondii tach... more We investigated dried red leaf extracts of S. bicolor for activity against Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. S. bicolor red leaf extracts were obtained by bioassay-guided fractionation using ethanol and ethyl acetate as solvents. Analysis of the crude and fractionated extracts from S. bicolor using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) showed that they contained significant amounts of apigeninidin, luteolinidin, 7-methoxyapigeninidin, 5methoxyapigeninidin, 5-methoxyluteolinidin, 5-7-dimethoxyapigeninidin or 5-7dimethoxyluteolinidin, based on mass per charge (m/z). When tested in vitro, the IC 50s for inhibitory activity against T. gondii tachyzoites' growth of the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were 2.3-and 4-fold, respectively, lower than their cytotoxic IC 50s in mammalian cells. Ethyl acetate extracts fractionated in chloroform-methanol and chloroform had IC 50s against T. gondii that were 56.1-and 3-fold lower than their respective cytotoxic IC 50s in mammalian cells. These antiparasitic activities were found to be consistent with those of the respective pure 3deoxyanthocyanidin compounds identified to be contained in the fractions in significant amounts. Further, we observed that, the position and number of methoxy groups possessed by the 3-deoyanthocyanidins influenced their antiparasitic activity. Together, our findings indicate that S. bicolor red-leaf 3-deoxyanthocyanidins-rich extracts have potent in vitro inhibitory activity against the proliferative stage of T. gondii parasites.

$Research paper thumbnail of Anti-Toxoplasma activity of Sorghum bicolor-derived lipophilic fractions$

BMC Research Notes, Oct 24, 2019

Objective: Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular zoonotic parasite, infects approximately a third o... more Objective: Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular zoonotic parasite, infects approximately a third of the world population. Current drugs for treatment of T. gondii infection have been challenged with ineffectiveness and adverse side effects. This necessitates development of new anti-Toxoplasma drugs. Sorghum bicolor [Moench] leaf extract has been used in African traditional medicine for the management of anemia and treatment of infectious diseases. We tested the in vitro anti-Toxoplasma inhibitory activity of S. bicolor's oil-like crude extracts and fractions against T. gondii and determined their cytotoxic effects on human host cells. Results: Significant inhibitory activities against the growth of T. gondii tachyzoites were observed for the crude extract (IC 50 = 3.65 µg/mL), the hexane-methanol fraction (IC 50 = 2.74 µg/mL), and the hexane fraction (IC50 = 3.55 µg/mL) after 48 h of culture. The minimum cytotoxicity concentrations against HFF were 34.41, 16.92 and 7.23 µg/mL for crude extract, hexane-methanol and hexane fractions, respectively. The crude extract and fractions showed high antiparasitic effects with low cytotoxic effects. Further studies to determine synergistic activities and modes of action would provide impetus for the development of new toxoplasmosis drugs or nutraceuticals.

Scientific Reports

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection continues to rise globally in humans and animals with hig... more Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection continues to rise globally in humans and animals with high socioeconomic and public health challenges. Current medications used against T. gondii infection are limited in efficacy, safety, and affordability. This research was conducted to assess the higher fungi extract effect on T. gondii tachyzoites growth in vitro and possibly decipher its mechanism of action. Furthermore, we evaluated the extract's effect on human foreskin fibroblast viability. The methanol extracts of Turkey tail (TT) mushroom was tested against T. gondii tachyzoites growth using an RH-RFP type I strain that expresses red fluorescent protein throughout culture in a dose-dependent manner using a fluorescent plate reader. Similarly, we tested the effect of the extract on host cell viability. We observed that TT extract inhibited tachyzoites growth with a 50% minimum inhibitory concentration (IC50s), IC50 = 5.98 ± 1.22 µg/mL, and 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50s), CC50...

The emergence of multidrug resistance poses a huge risk to public health globally. Yet these reca... more The emergence of multidrug resistance poses a huge risk to public health globally. Yet these recalcitrant pathogens continue to rise in incidence rate with resistance rates significantly outpacing the speed of antibiotic development. This therefore presents an aura of related health issues such as untreatable nosocomial infections arising from organ transplants, surgeries, as well as community acquired infections that are related to people with compromised immunity e.g., diabetic and HIV patients etc. There is a global effort to fight multidrug resistant pathogens spearheaded by the World Health Organization, thus calling for research into novel antimicrobials agents to fight multiple drug resistance. Previously, our laboratory demonstrated that Cannabidiol (CBD) was an effective antimicrobial against Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). However, we observed resistance development over time. To understand the mechanisms S. Typhimurium uses to develop resistance to Cannabidiol (C...

Calcium signaling and lipid metabolism are crucial in the infection processes of Apicomplexans pa... more Calcium signaling and lipid metabolism are crucial in the infection processes of Apicomplexans parasites. Thus, enzymes involved in these processes can be drug targets against Apicomplexans. For example, in malaria infection, in-depth research into lipid metabolic pathways is crucial in understanding the parasite's infection cycle, particularly during its erythrocytic infection cycle, which has been demonstrated to be a critical stage during the disease progression. Most enzymes that play critical roles in lipid synthesis and calcium signaling have been extensively studied; nonetheless, a vast knowledge gap still exists, especially on specific enzymes and their roles in the transmission and progression of the Apicomplexan parasites. Many types of infections caused by Apicomplexans are life-threatening and hard to treat. These intracellular parasites proliferate within parasitophorous vacuoles in their host cells. As the parasites multiply, they need to meet their high demand for...

Food Analytical Methods, 2012

Page 1. Comparison of Transesterification Methods for Fatty Acid Analysis in Higher Fungi: Applic... more Page 1. Comparison of Transesterification Methods for Fatty Acid Analysis in Higher Fungi: Application to Mushrooms DA Abugri & WH McElhenney & KR Willian Received: 22 September 2011 /Accepted: 20 December 2011 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 ...

There is an overarching need to find alternative treatment options for malaria and this quest is ... more There is an overarching need to find alternative treatment options for malaria and this quest is more pressing in current times due to the morbidity and mortality data arising from most endemic countries and partially owing to the fact that the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic has diverted much public health attention. Additionally, the therapeutic options available for malaria has been severely threatened with the emergence of resistance to almost all existing drugs by the human malaria parasite. The Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) which hitherto have been the mainstay for malaria have encountered resistance in South East Asia, a notorious ground zero for the emergence of antimalarial drug resistance. This review analyses few key druggable targets of the parasite and the potential to leverage strategic inhibitors to mitigate the scourge of malaria by providing a concise assessment of the essential proteins of the malaria parasite that could serve as targets. Furthermore, this work prov...

Food Chemistry, 2013

Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (Naga Red) red leaves is an ingredient used in rice and beans that is k... more Sorghum bicolor L. Moench (Naga Red) red leaves is an ingredient used in rice and beans that is known as "waakye" in the Hausa language in some African countries. Little is known about its benefits aside from its colourant properties. We studied its bioactive, nutritive compounds and the effectiveness of four organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone and diethyl ether) in isolation of these compounds to gain information regarding its health benefits to consumers. Of the compounds evaluated, the leaves consisted primarily of carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids with small amounts of chlorophyll (a and b), lycopene and β-carotene. The fatty acid profiles of the leaves revealed palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid as predominant with each having greater than 5% of the total fatty acid identified. The nutritional implication of these findings is that the consumption of diets prepared with the leaves provides natural antioxidant and essential fatty acids that could fight cardiovascular related diseases.

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that infects the brain of humans and causes cerebral tox... more Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that infects the brain of humans and causes cerebral toxoplasmosis. The recommended drugs for the treatment or prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis are pyrimethamine (PY) and sulfadiazine (SZ), which have serious side effects. Other drugs available for toxoplasmosis are poorly tolerated. Dihydroquinine (DHQ) is a compound closely related to quinine-based drugs that have been shown to inhibit Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei in addition to its anti-arrhythmia properties. However, little is known about the effect of DHQ in T. gondii growth and its mechanism of action in vitro. In this study, we report the anti-Toxoplasma and anti-invasion properties of DHQ. DHQ significantly inhibited T. gondii tachyzoite growth with IC50s values of 0.63, 0.67, and 0.00137 µM at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Under similar conditions, SZ and PY, considered as the gold standard drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, had IC50s values of 1.29, 1.55, and 0....

Dihydroquinine (DHQ), is a quinine-based compound with anti-malarial properties. However, little ... more Dihydroquinine (DHQ), is a quinine-based compound with anti-malarial properties. However, little is known about its mechanism of action against T. gondii inhibition, which shares similar biology with Plasmodium spp. In order to explore DHQ activity as an inhibitor of T. gondii using in vitro assays, we first used an in silico approach to decipher its mechanisms of action based on previous knowledge about its disruption of nucleic acid and protein synthesis. An in silico study was performed on T. gondii parasite replication, transcriptional and translational machinery to decipher the binding potentials of DHQ to some top selected enzymes. We report for the first time, using an in silico analysis that showed that DHQ binds strongly to DNA gyrase, Calcium Dependent Protein Kinase 1 (CDPK 1), and prolyl tRNA synthetase and thus could affect DNA replication, transcriptional and translational activities in T. gondii. Also, we found DHQ to effectively bind to mitochondria detoxifying enzym...

Synthetic herbicides are widely used for weed control in conventional agricultural systems. Altho... more Synthetic herbicides are widely used for weed control in conventional agricultural systems. Although considered as most effective and time saving approach, the wide spread use of synthetic herbicides has long lasting effects on our food production systems and the general environment due to their residual effects. Public pressure to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides including herbicides has considerably increased in recent years parallel to an increasing number of health sensitive food consumers. Organic farming provides an alternative choice for health sensitive consumers. The use of cover crops in a form of hay/dry grass mulch provides an alternative to application of herbicides for weed control in organic farming. Cover crops harvested and belled as hay before seed setting are used to cover open spaces purposely to suppress weed growth by depriving them from light supply. In addition to shading effect on weed seeds and seedlings, bioactive compounds in the form of secondary m...

This study investigated a natural indicator for acid-base titration which is extracted from guine... more This study investigated a natural indicator for acid-base titration which is extracted from guinea corn leaves popularly called “waakye leaves ” in Ghana. Four types of acid-base titration were studied: strong acid versus (v/s) strong base, strong acid versus weak base, weak acid versus strong base, and weak acid versus weak base. The indicator color change, pH range and the average titre values were determined for each type of acid-base titration. These values were comparable to those obtained from three standard indicators: methyl orange, methyl red and phenolphthalein. Total fla-vonoids (TF) and condensed tannin (CT) from the crude leaves extract were determined which might be the major rea-sons for the activity of the extract as an indicator for simple acid-base titration. The authors suggest that the natural in-dicator is cheap, available, simple to extract, user and environmentally friendly and could be an excellent replacement for standard indicators.

As at 2021, the center for disease control (CDC) reported that Salmonella causes 1.2 million illn... more As at 2021, the center for disease control (CDC) reported that Salmonella causes 1.2 million illness in the United States each year, with a mortality rate approaching 500 deaths per annum. Infants, the elderly, and persons with compromised immunity are the population with higher risk of mortality from this infection. At present there is no commercially available, safe and efficacious vaccine for the control and management of Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium). More so, S. typhimurium has been shown to develop resistance against most antibiotics used for treatment of the infection. Capsaicin, a bioactive compound from Capsicum chinense (C. chinenses) is undoubtedly one of the most widely used spice in the world. This heat producing compound is not only been used as food additive but have been demonstrated to possess unique properties that have pharmacological, physiological, and antimicrobial applications. In this work, the antimicrobial property of pure capsaicin or capsaicin e...

Background Skin diseases, particularly Tinea pedis are very rare in Ghana leading to low investme... more Background Skin diseases, particularly Tinea pedis are very rare in Ghana leading to low investment in dermatological services in the country and the African continent. Globally, Tinea pedis affects about 15% of the global population. Importantly, it is a major public health problem and socioeconomic issue. Currently, the most recommended treatment for Tinea pedis infection are polyenes, azoles, allylamines, and fluorocytosines. Although these drugs are effective, they do have adverse side effects and are limited in the clinical settings in developing countries especially Ghana. Method: Research papers were collected from Pubmed, Google scholar, chemical abstracts, and journal websites, reporting both in vitro and in vivo information on Tinea pedis. General information on Tinea pedis, the methods of infection, transfer, treatment options, and resistance were obtained after screening the articles. Many agents are involved in cases of Tinea pedis but are predominantly caused by Tricho...

Medicinal Mushrooms, 2019

An estimate of 60 million to 3.4 billion people are infected with one or more of the globally neg... more An estimate of 60 million to 3.4 billion people are infected with one or more of the globally neglected diseases, with the most vulnerable persons being HIV-AIDS and cancer patients; organ, tissue, and blood recipients; pregnant women and their fetus; children; and immunosuppressive individuals. Some of these diseases are either zoonotic or non-zoonotic in nature. These diseases continue to adversely impact public health, veterinary, and socioeconomic issues worldwide. Several medications are available in the market for the treatment of these parasitic infections. However, these drugs have serious clinical, geographical, and socioeconomic limitations such as high toxicity, parasite-drug resistance, partial absorption by infected sites due to poor solubility, and inability to transverse across the blood-brain barrier and are highly expensive. This chapter captures reports on antiprotozoal properties of medicinal mushroom extracts and secondary metabolites starting from 1990 to 2018 a...