Stella Bruce | Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria (original) (raw)
Papers by Stella Bruce
Uterine fibroid or leiomyoma is the most common gynecological disorder affecting women. Treatmen... more Uterine fibroid or leiomyoma is the most common gynecological disorder affecting women.
Treatment of symptomatic fibroids to date has been surgical, consisting of total abdominal
hysterectomy or myomectomy. To decrease surgery’s impact, patients are progressively looking
for uterus-protecting, negligibly obtrusive therapies/prevention for asymptomatic/symptomatic
uterine fibroids. Medicinal plants/herbs and their active phytoconstituents have been used for the
therapy of fibroids and associated uterine complications. Therefore this review highlights
mechanisms by which phytochemicals modulate fibroid growth pathways. To achieve this aim,
we performed a systematic search within the two largest medical-related scientific databases,
PubMed and SCOPUS. We considered all papers representing original research and reporting
specific phytochemicals used in the studies. Of the 227 papers identified, only twenty-six of
these met the required considerations: 80.77% in vitro, 15.39% in vivo, and 3.84% in silico. The
most studied plants and phytoconstituents used in treatment/prevention to inhibit fibroid
growth/proliferation pathways were: Scutellaria barbata D. Don, Curcuma longa L. (Turmeric),
and resveratrol, curcumin, and anthocyanins, respectively. Also, the main pathways of target for
fibroid inhibition were cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis through an increase in ROS above cell
viability thresh-hold, and inhibition of ECM proteins via reduction of growth factors. This
review highlights natural anti-fibroid phytoextracts and the pharmacological mechanism by
which they modulate fibroid pathways, thus providing key insights to developing new and
innovative therapeutic options for the management of symptoms in women with uterine fibroids.
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World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2021
Picralima nitida leaf is a rich source of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. The leaf ... more Picralima nitida leaf is a rich source of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. The leaf of Picralima nitida has been used ethanomedicinally used in the treatment of ulcers, diabetes, sexual impotence and hypertension. To evaluate the pharmacognostic properties and anti-ulcer activity of the ethanol crude extract and fractions of Picralima nitida leaves. The Pharmacognistic properties of the dry leaves were determined using standard method. The leaves were extracted using ethanol, the acute toxicity was determined. The crude ethanol extract was then fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity (n-Hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water) fraction. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical constituents and the antiulcer evaluation were performed on ethanol induced in wister rats using standard method. Picralima nitida leaf shows the presence of saponins, terpenoids, Alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids. The crude ethanol extract has high safety margin. A significant reduction in antiulcer activity was found in 500mg ethanol crude extract and butanol fraction when compared to the standard drug (Famotidine). The
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World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2021
The current study was carried out to evaluate the antiulcer activity using pylorus-ligation induc... more The current study was carried out to evaluate the antiulcer activity using pylorus-ligation induced model and a GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic leave extract of Peuraria phaseoloides plant. Gastric protection was evaluated by assessing different parameters like gastric volume, pH, ulcer index and percentage inhibition of ulceration. Omeprazole was used as the standard at a dose of 20mg/kg while those of the extracts were 50mg/kg, 150mg/kg and 300mg/kg. The extract showed better activity when compared to the negative control. Significant reduction in ulcer index (measures of ulcerated area) was noted for 50mg/kg (P <0.01), 150mg/kg (P <0.05) and 300mg/kg (P <0.01) as compared to the negative control. A total of 15 bioactive compound were characterized through the GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic leave extract. The present study indicates that ethanolic leave extract of Peuraria phaseoloides are of great medicinal value and in turn can serve as a data source for the development of many therapeutic agents.
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Journal of Scientific and Innovative Research, 2021
Background: Fadogia cienkowskii is claimed to ethnomedicinally cure general body debility, inflam... more Background: Fadogia cienkowskii is claimed to ethnomedicinally cure general body debility, inflammation, liver diseases, oxidative stress-related diseases, diarrhoea, fever, and other ailments. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the bioactive compounds using UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopic techniques and also to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of the VLC sub-fractions of Fadogia cienkowskii leaves. Methodology: The ethyl acetate fraction was fractionated using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) (n-Hexane/ ethyl acetate and ethyl acetate/ methanol) and bulked using thin-layer chromatography to obtain the VLC sub-fractions. The hepatoprotection was determined using a paracetamol-induced liver damage model in rats,
and antioxidant screening was evaluated using both in vivo and in vitro
models. The UV-VIS and FTIR analysis were carried out using standard methods.
Results: The administration of the VLC sub-fractions of the leaves of F. cienkowskii at the different doses, led to a significant reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in the liver and antioxidant enzymes and also the DPPH free radicals. The FTIR analysis identified the presence of the following functional groups, chloro, ether, ethene, amine, ester, carboxylic, nitriles, thiocyanate, methylene and alcohol.
Conclusion: The effect of the eleven (11) VLC sub-fractions led to a significant reduction (P< 0.05) in the liver and antioxidant enzymes
and also the DPPH free radicals. The presence of various functional groups and phytocompounds confirm the claims by the herbalists that F. cienkowskii leaf is used in the management of liver diseases and oxidative stress-related diseases.
Keywords: Hepatoprotective, Antioxidant, Phytochemical, Histopathology, Fadogia cienkowskii, Ultra Violet-Visible Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR).
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Journal of Phytomedicine and Therapeutic, 2016
Picralima nitida seed and pod extracts and fractions were screened for antimicrobial activity, us... more Picralima nitida seed and pod extracts and fractions were screened for antimicrobial activity, using Agar-well diffusion assay and hepatoprotective activity against CCl4induced hepato-toxicity in albino rats. Proximate, phytochemical and HPLC analyses were carried out to ascertain the constituents of Picralima nitida seed and pod. The result of the antimicrobial screening showed that at 400 mg/ml of extract, the test organisms were sensitive (IZD) to the seed and pod extracts with S. aureus (21 and 18 mm) and B. subtilis (16 and 16 mm) respectively. The test organisms were also sensitive (IZD) to ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract, at 50 mg/ml, with B. subtilis (19 mm), E. coli (22 mm), P. aeruginosa (21mm) respectively. The extracts of the seed and pod; and the ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract produced a significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in liver enzymes. The proximate analysis of seed and pod respectively, indicated moisture content (1.2% and3.8%), total ash (4% and 5%), acid insoluble ash (1% and 1%), water soluble extractive value (2.8% and 3.8%) and crude fibre (3.6% and 5.2%). The phyto-evaluation of the seed and pod extracts showed respectively, tannin (0.42% and 0.33%), alkaloid (6% and 7.6%), saponin (9.8% and 9.5%) and flavonoid (10.2% and 1.2%).The HPLC analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract and the pod crude extract revealed phyto-compounds with reported antibacterial and hepatoprotective activities. This study showed that P. nitida seed and pod extracts exhibited antibacterial and hepatoprotective activities; confirming its ethnomedicinal use for treating infections and liver problems.
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Natural products are in the form of primary and secondary metabolites and are isolated chemical c... more Natural products are in the form of primary and secondary metabolites and are isolated chemical compounds or substances from living organisms. Terpenes, Phenolic compounds, and Nitrogen-containing compounds are secondary metabolites. The biosyntheses of secondary metabolites are derived from primary metabolism pathways, which consist of a tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP), mevalonic and shikimic acid pathway. This chapter provides an overview of the diversity of secondary metabolites in plants, their multiple biological functions, and multi-faceted cultural history.
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Books by Stella Bruce
IntechOpen, 2022
Natural products are substances that are confined from living organisms, they are in the form of ... more Natural products are substances that are confined from living organisms, they
are in the form of primary or secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are
compounds with varied chemical structures, produced by some plants and strains
of microbial species. Unlike primary metabolites (nucleotides, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) that are essential for growth, secondary metabolites are not. Secondary metabolites are produced or synthesized during the stationary stage. In this chapter, we will discuss secondary metabolites from natural products synthesized mainly by plants, fungi,
and bacteria. Plants synthesize a large diversity of secondary metabolites; plant secondary metabolites are split into four groups namely alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and glucosinolates. Several classes of fungal and bacterial secondary metabolites, their sources, and pharmacological uses associated with the secondary metabolites are also discussed. Therefore, several classes of secondary metabolites are responsible for the biological and pharmacological activities of plants and herbal medicines.
Keywords: secondary metabolites, natural products, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenes
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Uterine fibroid or leiomyoma is the most common gynecological disorder affecting women. Treatmen... more Uterine fibroid or leiomyoma is the most common gynecological disorder affecting women.
Treatment of symptomatic fibroids to date has been surgical, consisting of total abdominal
hysterectomy or myomectomy. To decrease surgery’s impact, patients are progressively looking
for uterus-protecting, negligibly obtrusive therapies/prevention for asymptomatic/symptomatic
uterine fibroids. Medicinal plants/herbs and their active phytoconstituents have been used for the
therapy of fibroids and associated uterine complications. Therefore this review highlights
mechanisms by which phytochemicals modulate fibroid growth pathways. To achieve this aim,
we performed a systematic search within the two largest medical-related scientific databases,
PubMed and SCOPUS. We considered all papers representing original research and reporting
specific phytochemicals used in the studies. Of the 227 papers identified, only twenty-six of
these met the required considerations: 80.77% in vitro, 15.39% in vivo, and 3.84% in silico. The
most studied plants and phytoconstituents used in treatment/prevention to inhibit fibroid
growth/proliferation pathways were: Scutellaria barbata D. Don, Curcuma longa L. (Turmeric),
and resveratrol, curcumin, and anthocyanins, respectively. Also, the main pathways of target for
fibroid inhibition were cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis through an increase in ROS above cell
viability thresh-hold, and inhibition of ECM proteins via reduction of growth factors. This
review highlights natural anti-fibroid phytoextracts and the pharmacological mechanism by
which they modulate fibroid pathways, thus providing key insights to developing new and
innovative therapeutic options for the management of symptoms in women with uterine fibroids.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2021
Picralima nitida leaf is a rich source of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. The leaf ... more Picralima nitida leaf is a rich source of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. The leaf of Picralima nitida has been used ethanomedicinally used in the treatment of ulcers, diabetes, sexual impotence and hypertension. To evaluate the pharmacognostic properties and anti-ulcer activity of the ethanol crude extract and fractions of Picralima nitida leaves. The Pharmacognistic properties of the dry leaves were determined using standard method. The leaves were extracted using ethanol, the acute toxicity was determined. The crude ethanol extract was then fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity (n-Hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water) fraction. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical constituents and the antiulcer evaluation were performed on ethanol induced in wister rats using standard method. Picralima nitida leaf shows the presence of saponins, terpenoids, Alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids. The crude ethanol extract has high safety margin. A significant reduction in antiulcer activity was found in 500mg ethanol crude extract and butanol fraction when compared to the standard drug (Famotidine). The
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2021
The current study was carried out to evaluate the antiulcer activity using pylorus-ligation induc... more The current study was carried out to evaluate the antiulcer activity using pylorus-ligation induced model and a GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic leave extract of Peuraria phaseoloides plant. Gastric protection was evaluated by assessing different parameters like gastric volume, pH, ulcer index and percentage inhibition of ulceration. Omeprazole was used as the standard at a dose of 20mg/kg while those of the extracts were 50mg/kg, 150mg/kg and 300mg/kg. The extract showed better activity when compared to the negative control. Significant reduction in ulcer index (measures of ulcerated area) was noted for 50mg/kg (P <0.01), 150mg/kg (P <0.05) and 300mg/kg (P <0.01) as compared to the negative control. A total of 15 bioactive compound were characterized through the GC-MS analysis of the ethanolic leave extract. The present study indicates that ethanolic leave extract of Peuraria phaseoloides are of great medicinal value and in turn can serve as a data source for the development of many therapeutic agents.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Scientific and Innovative Research, 2021
Background: Fadogia cienkowskii is claimed to ethnomedicinally cure general body debility, inflam... more Background: Fadogia cienkowskii is claimed to ethnomedicinally cure general body debility, inflammation, liver diseases, oxidative stress-related diseases, diarrhoea, fever, and other ailments. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the bioactive compounds using UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopic techniques and also to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of the VLC sub-fractions of Fadogia cienkowskii leaves. Methodology: The ethyl acetate fraction was fractionated using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) (n-Hexane/ ethyl acetate and ethyl acetate/ methanol) and bulked using thin-layer chromatography to obtain the VLC sub-fractions. The hepatoprotection was determined using a paracetamol-induced liver damage model in rats,
and antioxidant screening was evaluated using both in vivo and in vitro
models. The UV-VIS and FTIR analysis were carried out using standard methods.
Results: The administration of the VLC sub-fractions of the leaves of F. cienkowskii at the different doses, led to a significant reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in the liver and antioxidant enzymes and also the DPPH free radicals. The FTIR analysis identified the presence of the following functional groups, chloro, ether, ethene, amine, ester, carboxylic, nitriles, thiocyanate, methylene and alcohol.
Conclusion: The effect of the eleven (11) VLC sub-fractions led to a significant reduction (P< 0.05) in the liver and antioxidant enzymes
and also the DPPH free radicals. The presence of various functional groups and phytocompounds confirm the claims by the herbalists that F. cienkowskii leaf is used in the management of liver diseases and oxidative stress-related diseases.
Keywords: Hepatoprotective, Antioxidant, Phytochemical, Histopathology, Fadogia cienkowskii, Ultra Violet-Visible Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR).
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Journal of Phytomedicine and Therapeutic, 2016
Picralima nitida seed and pod extracts and fractions were screened for antimicrobial activity, us... more Picralima nitida seed and pod extracts and fractions were screened for antimicrobial activity, using Agar-well diffusion assay and hepatoprotective activity against CCl4induced hepato-toxicity in albino rats. Proximate, phytochemical and HPLC analyses were carried out to ascertain the constituents of Picralima nitida seed and pod. The result of the antimicrobial screening showed that at 400 mg/ml of extract, the test organisms were sensitive (IZD) to the seed and pod extracts with S. aureus (21 and 18 mm) and B. subtilis (16 and 16 mm) respectively. The test organisms were also sensitive (IZD) to ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract, at 50 mg/ml, with B. subtilis (19 mm), E. coli (22 mm), P. aeruginosa (21mm) respectively. The extracts of the seed and pod; and the ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract produced a significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in liver enzymes. The proximate analysis of seed and pod respectively, indicated moisture content (1.2% and3.8%), total ash (4% and 5%), acid insoluble ash (1% and 1%), water soluble extractive value (2.8% and 3.8%) and crude fibre (3.6% and 5.2%). The phyto-evaluation of the seed and pod extracts showed respectively, tannin (0.42% and 0.33%), alkaloid (6% and 7.6%), saponin (9.8% and 9.5%) and flavonoid (10.2% and 1.2%).The HPLC analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction of the seed extract and the pod crude extract revealed phyto-compounds with reported antibacterial and hepatoprotective activities. This study showed that P. nitida seed and pod extracts exhibited antibacterial and hepatoprotective activities; confirming its ethnomedicinal use for treating infections and liver problems.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Natural products are in the form of primary and secondary metabolites and are isolated chemical c... more Natural products are in the form of primary and secondary metabolites and are isolated chemical compounds or substances from living organisms. Terpenes, Phenolic compounds, and Nitrogen-containing compounds are secondary metabolites. The biosyntheses of secondary metabolites are derived from primary metabolism pathways, which consist of a tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP), mevalonic and shikimic acid pathway. This chapter provides an overview of the diversity of secondary metabolites in plants, their multiple biological functions, and multi-faceted cultural history.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
IntechOpen, 2022
Natural products are substances that are confined from living organisms, they are in the form of ... more Natural products are substances that are confined from living organisms, they
are in the form of primary or secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are
compounds with varied chemical structures, produced by some plants and strains
of microbial species. Unlike primary metabolites (nucleotides, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) that are essential for growth, secondary metabolites are not. Secondary metabolites are produced or synthesized during the stationary stage. In this chapter, we will discuss secondary metabolites from natural products synthesized mainly by plants, fungi,
and bacteria. Plants synthesize a large diversity of secondary metabolites; plant secondary metabolites are split into four groups namely alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and glucosinolates. Several classes of fungal and bacterial secondary metabolites, their sources, and pharmacological uses associated with the secondary metabolites are also discussed. Therefore, several classes of secondary metabolites are responsible for the biological and pharmacological activities of plants and herbal medicines.
Keywords: secondary metabolites, natural products, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenes
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