Abstract/Overview 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (1), a compound isolated from Mondia whytei (Hook) Skeels (Asclepiaceae) roots exhibited larvicidal activity (LD5022 mg/mL). A total of 18 other derivatives and closely related congeners revealed varying levels of larvicidal activity. Several closely related congeners, like 2-benzyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (2), 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (12), 2-benzyloxybenzaldehyde (3) and benzylphenyl ether (4), showed marked improvement in activity (LD5010...
Abstract Cell migration plays a vital role in both health and disease. It is driven by reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, which is regulated by actin-binding proteins cofilin and profilin. Stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) is a well-described co-chaperone of the Hsp90 chaperone system, and our findings identify a potential regulatory role of STIP1 in actin dynamics. We show that STIP1 can be isolated in complex with actin and Hsp90 from HEK293T cells and directly interacts wit...
Abstract Medicinal plants are widely used by the traditional healers to prevent or treat various human diseases since time immemorial due to the chemical substances found in them. The phytochemical constituents of most of these plants has not been determined hence the present study conducted at Kaptumo Division in Nandi County seeks to profile the phytochemicals found in medicinal plants namely: Kigelia africana (Lam.) and Benth, Ekebergia capensis Sparrm and Fagaropsis angolensis (Engl.) Da...
Abstract : Kenya is the seventh most prominent producer of common beans globally and the second leading producer in East Africa. However, the annual national productivity is low due to insufficient quantities of vital nutrients and nitrogen in the soils. Rhizobia are symbiotic bacteria that fix nitrogen through their interaction with leguminous plants. Nevertheless, inoculating beans with commercial rhizobia inoculants results in sparse nodulation and low nitrogen supply to the host plants b...
Abstract Phytochemicals in Rosmarinus officinalis leaves, their total phenolic content, antioxidant potential and antiproliferative activity against human prostate (DU145), colon (CT26) and cervical (HeLa 229) cancer cells were investigated. Extraction was done separately using hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol. A total of 32 compounds were identified, eight of which were reported for the first time. The highest phenolic content was 476.80 ± 0.69 µg/ml for the methanolic ...
Abstract The search for novel therapies for tuberculosis continues due to the emergence of resistant strains, adverse drug reactions, and potential drug-drug interactions of antitubercular drugs. This study was undertaken to identify compounds from Entada abyssinica, a plant used by herbalists in East Africa for the management of symptoms of tuberculosis. An extract of shade-dried E. abyssinica stem bark was prepared by maceration in a mixture of acetone and methanol in the ratio of 3:2. Col...
Abstract Semi synthesis involves the use of chemical compounds isolated from natural sources as the starting materials to produce other distinct compounds with added value and improved chemical properties. Most modified dyes have been synthesized through chemical modification to increase solubility and fastness properties of the dyes. A semi-synthetic dye (vilangin) has been obtained through chemical modification of embelin (a benzoquinone) isolated from Embelia schimperi berries crude extra...
Abstract Bacteria are a very diverse group of organisms in soil, and major taxonomic groups are represented in most soils. The extent of the diversity of microorganisms in soil is seen to be critical to the maintenance of soil health and quality, since a wide range of bacteria are involved in the important soil functions. The objectives of this study were to isolate, characterise morphologically bacteria that are associated with soil quality in tea growing areas of Ngere. Thirty eight isolat...
Abstract In this study five aqueous extracts; Bidens pilosa, Strychnos henningsii, Aspilia pluriseta, Catha edulis and Erythrina abyssinica were screened for anti-diabetic activity and their in vivo safety evaluated. The anti-diabetic activity was assessed by intraperitoneally injecting varying doses of aqueous extracts of the five plants into alloxanised mice. Toxicity was determined by injecting normal mice with 450mg of the plant extract / kg body weight and observing the effects of the e...
Abstract Sixty organic and aqueous extracts of eleven plants used for the control of malaria by local communities in Kisii District, Kenya were screened for in vitro anti-plasmodial activity. The plants selection was based on existing ethnobotanical information and interviews with local communities. The extracts were tested against chloroquine sensitive and resistant laboratory adapted strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The study revealed that 63.6% of the plants were active (IC50 ≤ 100 μg...
Abstract Background: Trypanosomosis is a major impediment to livestock farming in sub-Saharan Africa and limits the full potential of agricultural development in the 36 countries where it is endemic. In man, sleeping sickness is fatal if untreated and causes severe morbidity. This study was undertaken in western Kenya, an area that is endemic for both human and livestock trypanosomosis. While trypanosomosis in livestock is present at high levels of endemicity, sleeping sickness occurs at low...
Abstract A survey of microalgae biodiversity in three Kenyan Rift valley lakes identified high oil yielding species abundantly distributed naturally. The species were cultured in BBM and BG-11 media to obtain pure clones and lipids (oil) extracted by the Bligh and Dyer method. The peak lipid content ranged from 1.5 – 10.5% of algal biomass with Chlorella species showing the highest yields (10.5%), followed by Euglena acus (5.88), Nitzschia (3.68%), Ankistrodesmus falcatus (1.58%) and Scene...
Abstract Eucalyptus grandis is an economically important tree species that is native to the Australian continent and its northern neighbours, where it is grown primarily for its hard wood timber and pulp for paper industries. It is widely grown in tropical countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Angola, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Five ISSR primers generated 41 scorable polymorphic bands which were used to analyse genetic diversity between and within the seed sources and for construction of neighbou...
Abstract/Overview The concentrations of catechins in a Kenyan tea germplasm collection of 102 accessions were determined by HPLC. Total green leaf catechin concentrations and the ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechins were used to establish genetic differentiation in the germplasm. Upon multivariate analysis, accumulation of the various catechins separated the tea clones into 3 major and 5 minor groups according to their phylogenetic origins. The Cambod teas had the highest ...
Abstract/Overview The variation in three NADP-linked dehydrogenase enzymes; glucose-6-phosphate dehydro- genase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and shikimate dehydrogenase as well as alpha and beta esterases was determined in 24 cultivars of Camellia sinensis and 2 other species of Camellia; C. japonica and C. irrawadiensis, using specific activity staining. The isozyme pro- files partitioned the cultivars according to their phylogenetic origins; (China, Assam, Cambodia and Japan). At...