Abdulhakeem Rotimi Agboola

Background: Depression is a globally prevalent psychiatric disorder, and while conventional pharmacotherapies have transformed care, they are often limited by delayed onset, suboptimal efficacy, and side effects. Emerging evidence links chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, HPA axis dysregulation, neurotrophic deficits, and gut-brain axis disturbances to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) pathophysiology. In this context, phytochemicals bioactive plant compounds show promise as adjuncts or alternatives. This review explores major phytochemical classes (flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, lignans, glycosides), highlighting their antidepressant mechanisms, including monoaminergic modulation, anti-inflammation, antioxidant effects, neuroplasticity enhancement (via BDNF), HPA axis regulation, and gut microbiota influence. Notable agents like curcumin, resveratrol, berberine, ashwagandha, and Rhodiola rosea have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical and clinical settings. Traditional medical systems also utilize synergistic multi-herb formulations. Despite their potential, challenges such as poor bioavailability, lack of standardization, potential herb-drug interactions, and regulatory inconsistencies impede clinical translation. Future directions involve personalized phytomedicine, bioavailability-enhancing technologies, systems biology, and large-scale randomized controlled trials to establish efficacy and safety. Overall, phytochemicals offer a scientifically grounded and patient-friendly avenue for advancing depression therapeutics.

Background: Non-plant natural products have emerged as powerful contributors to modern pharmacotherapy, offering structurally diverse and mechanistically novel compounds for the treatment of complex diseases. This systematic review examines bioactive agents derived from microorganisms, fungi, marine organisms, animal venoms, and minerals, highlighting their therapeutic applications and mechanisms of action across major disease areas, including infections, cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and immune-mediated conditions. Using PRISMA guidelines, literature published between 2000 and 2025 was screened across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov, yielding 48 eligible studies. Notable compounds include penicillin, lovastatin, cyclosporin A, ziconotide, and eribulin, each exemplifying the clinical relevance of non-plant sources. These agents act through diverse mechanisms—such as calcium channel blockade, DNA crosslinking, microtubule inhibition, and immunosuppression—often with greater specificity and potency than plant-derived or synthetic alternatives. Key advantages include modular biosynthesis via PKS and NRPS enzymes, high biological selectivity, and scalable production via microbial fermentation or synthetic biology. However, challenges remain, including toxicity, complex synthesis, and limited natural abundance. Emerging technologies such as genomic mining, nanocarrier delivery systems, and AI-assisted drug discovery offer promising solutions to these barriers. By mapping the landscape of non-plant-derived natural products, this review underscores their value in addressing unmet clinical needs and expanding the drug discovery pipeline beyond traditional botanical sources.

Background: Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical impregnated into plastic bottles which has been linked to obesity and its associated health problems, was used to induce obesity in this study. The cost and reported limitations and side effects of orthodox medications employed for weight management, have necessitated a shift in attention to medicinal plants, given their comparative advantage and the common belief amongst locals that plants are free from negative side effects. One plant that has found application for weight loss amongst the local population in Nigeria is Alchornea cordifolia which commonly grows in Africa and has been confirmed to possess numerous medicinal properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, hepaprotective, antiviral, and anti-diabetic effects. Objective: To evaluate the obesity attenuation effect of Alchornea cordifolia ethanol extract (ACEE) and other associated macrovascular health risks in BPA-induced obesity rat model. Methods: Thirty (30) young male Wistar rats (80–100 g) divided into five groups of six rats each, were administered BPA (50 mg/kg), once a day, p.o. for four weeks in order to induce obesity. Afterwards, obesity was confirmed using anthropometric indicators, and the animals were treated for another four weeks as follows: Group 1 (Normal control) received drug/extract reconstitution solvent, olive oil, Group 2 (obese control) received 50 mg/kg of BPA, Group 3 received a conventional anti-obesity drug, Orlistat (30 mg/kg), Group 4 received ACEE (500 mg/kg), and Group 5 received ACEE (1000 mg/kg). At the end of study, anthropometric indicators and relevant serum biochemical indicators were determined using standard procedures. Results: The results obtained showed that oral BPA administration caused obesity i.e. increased body weight, Lee’s Index and waist circumference, compared to the normal control (p < 0.05). Moreover, BPA treatment was found to alter measured serum biochemical indicators, (FBG, lipid profile, liver and kidney function indicators) and the lipid regulating enzymes (pancreatic lipase and HMG-CoA reductase activities), relative to the normal control (p < 0.05). However, upon 4-week ACEE oral treatment at 500 and 1000 mg/kg b.w., there was observed significant attenuation of the anthropometric indices, serum biochemical indices and lipid metabolizing enzymes studied (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Together, the results obtained from this study have scientifically validated the traditional use of Alchornea cordifolia leaves in body weight control, hence suggest that the leaves may possess natural products useful in the management of obesity and its related complications.

Background Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastic bottles and has been linked to obesity and its associated health problems. Due to the cost and possible side effects that are associated with the orthodox medications employed for weight management, there is a shift in attention to local medicinal plants as they are readily available and are believed to be free from negative side effects. One plant that has found application for weight loss amongst the local population in Nigeria is Alchornea cordifolia which commonly grows in Africa and has been confirmed to possess numerous medicinal properties which include; anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, hepaprotective, antiviral, and anti-diabetic effects. Objective: To investigate the effects of Alchornea cordifolia ethanol extract (ACEA) against the harmful impacts caused by BPA-induced obesity in Wistar rats. Methods ACEA was prepared and tested on BPA-induced Wistar rats. Thirty (30) young male Wistar rats were divided into five groups with six rats per group where Group 1 (Normal control) received commercial feed and water only, Group 2 (BPA) received commercial feed and 50 mg/kg of BPA, Group 3 (BPA + Orlistat (30 mg/kg), Group 4 (BPA + A.cordifolia (500 mg/kg)) ethanol extract of A.cordifolia, Group 5 (BPA + A.cordifolia(1000 mg/kg) ethanol extract of A.cordifolia. The parameters studied after obesity was induced and after treatments are; Anthropometric parameters; body weight, waist circumference, lees index and biochemical and kidney function parameters; fasting blood glucose, serum glucose, total protein, relative weight of the kidneys, serum levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid, concentrations of sodium, chloride, and potassium, serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerides (TAG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) lipase, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and HMG-CoA reductase activity. Results Results showed that Bisphenol-A caused obesity and related complications after 4 weeks of administration as evidenced by the elevation of the anthropometric, biochemical and kidney function parameters. However, treatment with low (500 mg/kg) and high dose (1000 mg/kg) of A.cordifolia reduced the elevated levels of the anthropometric, biochemical and kidney function parameters in the Wistar rats. Conclusion The results obtained from this study demonstrates the potential of ACEA in the management of obesity and its related complications

Background: Diabetes is a metabolic disease that affects key biochemical parameters in the body. The study was carried out to evaluate the serum calcium concentration and the relationship between serum calcium and glycosylated haemoglobin in type 2 diabetics. Methods: A total of 126 subjects consisting of 63 Diabetic patients and 63 controls participated in this study. Serum calcium and glycosylated haemoglobin concentrations were measured. Fasting blood sugar was also measured. Total calcium was measured using colorimetric determination of plasma total calcium by the o-cresolphthalein o-complexone (CPC) assay principle. Plasma albumin was determined using Bromocresol green (BCG) method, and thus corrected calcium was deduced. Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) was estimated using an ion-exchange chromatographic method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: The mean serum calcium levels of diabetics compared to non-diabetics did not differ statistically even though that of diabetics was in the lower range of normal. There was no statistically significant difference (p=0.099) between the mean serum calcium levels of diabetic patients who had glycosylated haemoglobin values below 6.5 (2.26 mmol/l±0.07) and diabetic patients who had glycosylated haemoglobin values above 6.5 (2.17mmol/l±0.09). Surprisingly, there was a weak positive correlation between glycosylated haemoglobin levels above 6.5 and serum calcium levels (p=0.087) and HbA1C below 6.5 correlated negatively albeit weakly with serum calcium levels though they were both insignificant. Socio-demographic data show that more females were diabetic. Conclusion: Overall, the study reveals that mean serum calcium concentrations in diabetic and non-diabetic patients are not different and this may be due to good blood glucose control in these diabetic patients

Background: The pod of Theobroma cacao is usually processed into a variety of beverages for human consumption; hence this study investigated its safety to vital organs at different doses. Method: Phytochemical, nutrient and antinutrient composition of unfermented theobroma cacao were determined using standard procedures. A total number of twenty-four (24) adult male Wistar albino rats (140 – 200g) were randomly divided into four groups of six rats each and were administered thus: Group I (normal control) rats were intraperitoneally administered with normal saline (1ml/kg b.w./day) for twenty-one days while group II, III and IV were intraperitoneally administered 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 600mg/kg b.w/day of Theobroma cacao for twenty-one days. During the course of the treatments, blood was extracted on days 0, 14, and 21 to determine the biochemical parameters including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), while the liver and kidneys of the experimental animals were harvested for histopathological examinations at the end of the treatment. Results: The acute toxicity studies showed no toxicity up to 5000mg/kg of the extract. Treatment with the extract showed no significant difference (p>0.05) in the weight of the rats when compared with the control. A Significant decrease (p≤0.05) was observed in total bilirubin concentration and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity of the treated groups when compared with the control group while Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity showed a significant increase (p≤0.05) in some of the treated groups. The microscopic examination of the liver and kidney tissues showed no histopathological changes in the extract-treated groups. Conclusion: The observed results showed that unfermented Theobroma cacao is rich in antioxidants and has little or no toxicological effect on albino rats.

Pesticides are substances or chemicals employed in the control of pests. The rate of food losses in the world especially in third world countries continues to be on an upward scale. These losses are often caused by the damaging and destructive activities of pests during cultivation, harvest and post-harvest activities including drying and storage. To curtail the huge problems these pests, pose to farmers and other players in the agricultural food chain, researchers have over the years developed different types and forms of pesticides and more efforts are still ongoing in the quest to develop more pesticides especially of natural origin. There is a general belief that pesticides of natural origin are safer to non-target species than the synthetic pesticides. While this may be expected given the fact that many synthetic pesticides are made from unhealthy chemicals and heavy metals and are non-biodegradable resulting in accumulation of residues in food and water, it is still a subject of serious debate among researchers. Also, lack of government support, incentives and poor regulatory policies especially for biopesticides, are part of the challenges facing the development of natural pesticides. This review is aimed at unravelling the characteristics of the two major classes of pesticides: synthetic and natural pesticides with a view to advising on which is safer for human health and the environment and the way forward for farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

Mexicanolide is a limonoids type of compound identified from Cedrela odorata, a forest plant with various medicinal properties. Several biological activities have been reported for Mexicanolide. In the present study, we used an in silico approach to evaluate the physicochemical, pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness, drug targets, and cytotoxic activities of mexicanolide from Cedrela odorata. The results revealed that mexicanolide has favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of a good drug-like candidate. Notably, the compound has a high GI absorption rate but could not permeate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and has poor synthetic accessibility. Several proteins targets including Kappa Opioid receptor, Mu opioid receptor, delta-opioid receptor, Cannabinoid receptor 2, Phosphodiesterase 10A (by homology), Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta, Stem cell growth factor receptor, Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, Proteinase-activated receptor 1, and Epoxide hydratase were identified as target candidates for mexicanolide. Furthermore, mexicanolide demonstrated in silico activities against several types of cancer cell lines including the SK-MEL-2, HL-60, 8505C, SF-268, St4, OVCAR-5, K562, SW-60, MKN-7, and Lu1. In conclusion, mexicanolide has favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of a good drug-like candidate and could be considered a multi-target compound with potential anticancer activities