@article {2040, title = {Antidiabetic and Hypoglycaemic Activities of Commonly Used African Traditional Vegetables}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, month = {June 2023}, pages = {339-356}, type = {Research Article}, chapter = {339}, abstract = {

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a common and complex metabolic disorder associated with high blood glucose levels leading to complications. Adopting a sedentary lifestyle characterized by low physical activity and consumption of high-energy diets contributes to the development of diabetes mellitus. Lifestyle changes and the use of pharmacological agents that target particular biochemical pathways involved in nutrient metabolism are currently used as management guidelines for managing risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus. The use of prescription medications for an extended period is linked to several negative side effects. Alternative management strategies of risk factors linked to diabetes mellitus involve the use of African leafy vegetables. African leafy vegetables contain a variety of biologically active compounds that provide health benefits. These crops have the potential to be a valuable source of new oral hypoglycemic agents for diabetes management. This review analyses the antidiabetic activities of nine African leafy vegetables whilst also defining the gap areas for future research. Methods: Data was acquired via electronic search engines of which only peer-reviewed papers published in journals were considered. Results: African traditional vegetables showed diverse in vitro and in vivo antidiabetic activities. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to document and use the knowledge of African leafy vegetables that have potential in the treatment and management of diabetes mellitus.

}, keywords = {African traditional vegetables, Antidiabetic, Diabetes mellitus, Hypoglycaemic, Phytochemicals.}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2023.15.84}, author = {Nolitha Nkobole and Lavhelesani R. Managa and Gerhard Prinsloo} } @article {75, title = {GC-MS Analysis of Bioactive Phytochemicals Present in Ethanolic Extracts of Leaves of Annona muricata: A Further Evidence for Its Medicinal Diversity}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {7}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {300-304}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {300}, abstract = {

Background: Folk medicine has taken an important place especially in developing countries where limited health services are available. However, the absence of scientific evaluation of medicinal plants may cause serious adverse effects. Objective: To analyze the phytochemical composition of the ethanolic extracts of leaves of Annona muricata using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Materials and methods: GC-MS Analysis was used. Results: The GC-MS Analysis revealed 25 constituents of which 12 of the compounds were identified. The major constituents were two unidentified compounds with percentage peak areas of 23.51\% and 16.8\%. Of the identified compounds, the outstanding in composition were 7-Tetradecenal, (Z) (peak area 9.39\%), n-Hexadecanoic acid (peak area 7.12\%), Oleyl Alcohol (peak area 6.15\%), Phytol (peak area 5.61\%), cis, cis, cis-7,10,13-Hexadecatrienal (peak area 4.26\%), 2-Pentadecanol (peak area 3.93\%), 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid, ethyl ester (peak area 3.21\%), 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, butyl octyl ester (peak area 2.67\%), and 1,E- 11,Z-13-Octadecatriene (peak area 2.15\%), while the rest had less than 2\% composition by peak area. Conclusion: The current study suggests that ethanolic extracts of leaves of Annona muricata are a potent therapeutic agent and paves the way for the development of several treatment regimens based on compounds from this extract.

}, keywords = {Annona muricata, Ethanolic extracts, GC-MS, Medicinal diversity, Phytochemicals.}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2015.5.9}, author = {Yahaya Gavamukulya and Faten Abou-Elella and Fred Wamunyokoli and Hany A El-Shemy} }