The seeds of Aframomum melegueta K. Schum (grains of paradise, Zingiberaceae) are used as a common spice in African countries and a fine condiment in the European cuisine. In this study, we evaluated the phytochemical...The seeds of Aframomum melegueta K. Schum (grains of paradise, Zingiberaceae) are used as a common spice in African countries and a fine condiment in the European cuisine. In this study, we evaluated the phytochemical profile of various seed extracts of A. melegueta as well as their antimicrobial, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effects. In total, 25 diarylheptanoids, five gingerol derivatives and nine phenolic/organic acids were tentatively annotated in A. melegueta by liquid chromatography hyphenated with high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). A. melegueta showed a moderate inhibitory activity against different human pathogenic microbial strains, with H. pylori the most sensitive microorganism. A strong antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential was shown in various radical scavenging, reducing and chelating assays as well as in cholinesterase, tyrosinase and glucosidase assays. Several specialized metabolites from A. melegueta (diarylheptanoids, gingerols) were shown to be directly linked with the investigated antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities, as evaluated through the correlation analysis. In addition, two diarylheptanoids (one heptan-3-ol and one heptan- 3,5-diol) displayed the strongest binding to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) via multiple H-bonds, a couple of π-π interactions and van der Waals interactions all over the catalytic channel of the enzyme, as evidenced by the molecular docking study. Overall, our work brings new contributions to the phyto-complexity and poly-pharmacology of spices from genus Aframomum than can find future applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical or cosmeceutical industry.展开更多
Objective: Hypothyroidism has been claimed to generate sexual dysfunctions such as ejaculatory disorders. Aframomum melegueta is an aphrodisiac plant with pro-ejaculatory properties. We investigated the protective eff...Objective: Hypothyroidism has been claimed to generate sexual dysfunctions such as ejaculatory disorders. Aframomum melegueta is an aphrodisiac plant with pro-ejaculatory properties. We investigated the protective effects of aqueous extract(AE) and methanolic extract(ME) of A. melegueta on the ejaculatory function of hypothyroid male rats.Methods: Forty sexually experienced male rats were partitioned into 8 groups(5 rats per group) and treated for 28 d as follows: Group 1, Control;Group 2, propylthiouracil(PTU, 10 mg/kg)+ distilled water(DW,10 m L/kg);Group 3, PTU + 5% Tween 80(10 m L/kg);Group 4, PTU + bromocriptine(6 mg/kg);Group 5,PTU + AE(20 mg/kg);Group 6, PTU + AE(100 mg/kg);Group 7, PTU + ME(20 mg/kg), and Group 8,PTU + ME(100 mg/kg). On days 0, 7, 14 and 28 of treatment, each male rat was paired with primed receptive female for measurement of ejaculatory latency time(ELT) and post-ejaculatory interval(PEI) for1.5 h. On day 29, each male rat was urethane-anesthetized and the spinal cord was transected.Thereafter, following urethral/penile stimulations and intravenous injection of dopamine, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were registered. After these recordings,blood was collected through the catheterization of abdominal artery and plasma was used for thyroidstimulating hormone(TSH), prolactin and testosterone assays.Results: PTU-induced hypothyroidism was characterized by a significant elevation(P < 0.001) of plasmatic TSH and prolactin levels, but a decline(P < 0.001) in plasmatic testosterone, compared to untreated group. ELT, PEI, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were also altered by PTU treatment. On the contrary, A. melegueta extracts elevated testosterone(AE, 100 mg/kg,P < 0.01;ME, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05) and decreased prolactin(AE, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05;ME, 20 mg/kg,P < 0.05) levels, compared to corresponding controls. With regard to DW + PTU group, prolactin concentration was lowered(P < 0.05) in rats administered with bromocriptine. Treatment with A. melegueta extracts significantly prevented the lengthening of ELT(P < 0.05) and PEI(P < 0.001). Hypothyroid state also altered the fictive ejaculation by increasing the latency and decreasing the number and frequency of bulbospongiosus muscle contractions. There was also a decrease in the intraseminal pressure. These alterations were significantly(P < 0.05) alleviated in plant extract-treated groups.Conclusion: This study highlighted the ejaculatory disturbance of hypothyroidism in male rats and its prevention with A. melegueta extracts.展开更多
The methanol extract of grains of paradise (GP), the seed of Aframomum melegueta, which is distributed throughout West Africa, was administered during an animal breeding test. The extract suppressed body weight gain a...The methanol extract of grains of paradise (GP), the seed of Aframomum melegueta, which is distributed throughout West Africa, was administered during an animal breeding test. The extract suppressed body weight gain and decreased the weight of adipose tissues in breeding mice, with a greater effect on mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) than on those fed a normal diet (ND). Other significant effects of GP intake included increased serum triglyceride (TG) concentration and reduced hepatic total cholesterol (TC) and TG concentrations. GP intake markedly prevented fat accumulation and improved hepatic lipid metabolism in HFD-fed mice. In addition, GP extract at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight decreased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), while capsaicin, a major component of chili pepper, activated BAT SNA. This suggested that GP exerts a potential anti-obesity effect by a different mechanism from that of capsaicin.展开更多
OBJECTIVES:Spices are increasingly finding other useful roles in healthcare aside their primary use as organoleptic enhancers in culinary.Several herbs and spices are currently being investigated for their potential h...OBJECTIVES:Spices are increasingly finding other useful roles in healthcare aside their primary use as organoleptic enhancers in culinary.Several herbs and spices are currently being investigated for their potential health benefits,hence the explosion in scientific literature in the fields of nutraceuticals and functional foods.The rise in interest on medicinal properties of herbs and spices is consequent on the failing efficacy and toxicity associated with conventional drugs and their inaccessibility to poor rural dwellers.This work reviews three piquant spices;Piper guineense,Afromomum melegueta,and Tetrapleura tetrapetra common in the culinary of the Southern part of Nigeria,and it aims at concisely highlighting the researches that have been done on the nutritional quality,phytochemistry,and medicinal properties of these spices.MATERIALS AND METHOD:A large body of peer-reviewed articles,most of them indexed in PubMed,were consulted for the purpose of the present review.CONCLUSION:The overarching conclusion from the reviewed publications is the validation of most of the ethnomedical uses of these spices.The authors hope that this concise presentation on these spices will guide subsequent research in this field.展开更多
文摘The seeds of Aframomum melegueta K. Schum (grains of paradise, Zingiberaceae) are used as a common spice in African countries and a fine condiment in the European cuisine. In this study, we evaluated the phytochemical profile of various seed extracts of A. melegueta as well as their antimicrobial, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effects. In total, 25 diarylheptanoids, five gingerol derivatives and nine phenolic/organic acids were tentatively annotated in A. melegueta by liquid chromatography hyphenated with high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). A. melegueta showed a moderate inhibitory activity against different human pathogenic microbial strains, with H. pylori the most sensitive microorganism. A strong antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential was shown in various radical scavenging, reducing and chelating assays as well as in cholinesterase, tyrosinase and glucosidase assays. Several specialized metabolites from A. melegueta (diarylheptanoids, gingerols) were shown to be directly linked with the investigated antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities, as evaluated through the correlation analysis. In addition, two diarylheptanoids (one heptan-3-ol and one heptan- 3,5-diol) displayed the strongest binding to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) via multiple H-bonds, a couple of π-π interactions and van der Waals interactions all over the catalytic channel of the enzyme, as evidenced by the molecular docking study. Overall, our work brings new contributions to the phyto-complexity and poly-pharmacology of spices from genus Aframomum than can find future applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical or cosmeceutical industry.
文摘Objective: Hypothyroidism has been claimed to generate sexual dysfunctions such as ejaculatory disorders. Aframomum melegueta is an aphrodisiac plant with pro-ejaculatory properties. We investigated the protective effects of aqueous extract(AE) and methanolic extract(ME) of A. melegueta on the ejaculatory function of hypothyroid male rats.Methods: Forty sexually experienced male rats were partitioned into 8 groups(5 rats per group) and treated for 28 d as follows: Group 1, Control;Group 2, propylthiouracil(PTU, 10 mg/kg)+ distilled water(DW,10 m L/kg);Group 3, PTU + 5% Tween 80(10 m L/kg);Group 4, PTU + bromocriptine(6 mg/kg);Group 5,PTU + AE(20 mg/kg);Group 6, PTU + AE(100 mg/kg);Group 7, PTU + ME(20 mg/kg), and Group 8,PTU + ME(100 mg/kg). On days 0, 7, 14 and 28 of treatment, each male rat was paired with primed receptive female for measurement of ejaculatory latency time(ELT) and post-ejaculatory interval(PEI) for1.5 h. On day 29, each male rat was urethane-anesthetized and the spinal cord was transected.Thereafter, following urethral/penile stimulations and intravenous injection of dopamine, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were registered. After these recordings,blood was collected through the catheterization of abdominal artery and plasma was used for thyroidstimulating hormone(TSH), prolactin and testosterone assays.Results: PTU-induced hypothyroidism was characterized by a significant elevation(P < 0.001) of plasmatic TSH and prolactin levels, but a decline(P < 0.001) in plasmatic testosterone, compared to untreated group. ELT, PEI, contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscles and the intraseminal pressure were also altered by PTU treatment. On the contrary, A. melegueta extracts elevated testosterone(AE, 100 mg/kg,P < 0.01;ME, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05) and decreased prolactin(AE, 100 mg/kg, P < 0.05;ME, 20 mg/kg,P < 0.05) levels, compared to corresponding controls. With regard to DW + PTU group, prolactin concentration was lowered(P < 0.05) in rats administered with bromocriptine. Treatment with A. melegueta extracts significantly prevented the lengthening of ELT(P < 0.05) and PEI(P < 0.001). Hypothyroid state also altered the fictive ejaculation by increasing the latency and decreasing the number and frequency of bulbospongiosus muscle contractions. There was also a decrease in the intraseminal pressure. These alterations were significantly(P < 0.05) alleviated in plant extract-treated groups.Conclusion: This study highlighted the ejaculatory disturbance of hypothyroidism in male rats and its prevention with A. melegueta extracts.
文摘The methanol extract of grains of paradise (GP), the seed of Aframomum melegueta, which is distributed throughout West Africa, was administered during an animal breeding test. The extract suppressed body weight gain and decreased the weight of adipose tissues in breeding mice, with a greater effect on mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) than on those fed a normal diet (ND). Other significant effects of GP intake included increased serum triglyceride (TG) concentration and reduced hepatic total cholesterol (TC) and TG concentrations. GP intake markedly prevented fat accumulation and improved hepatic lipid metabolism in HFD-fed mice. In addition, GP extract at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight decreased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), while capsaicin, a major component of chili pepper, activated BAT SNA. This suggested that GP exerts a potential anti-obesity effect by a different mechanism from that of capsaicin.
文摘OBJECTIVES:Spices are increasingly finding other useful roles in healthcare aside their primary use as organoleptic enhancers in culinary.Several herbs and spices are currently being investigated for their potential health benefits,hence the explosion in scientific literature in the fields of nutraceuticals and functional foods.The rise in interest on medicinal properties of herbs and spices is consequent on the failing efficacy and toxicity associated with conventional drugs and their inaccessibility to poor rural dwellers.This work reviews three piquant spices;Piper guineense,Afromomum melegueta,and Tetrapleura tetrapetra common in the culinary of the Southern part of Nigeria,and it aims at concisely highlighting the researches that have been done on the nutritional quality,phytochemistry,and medicinal properties of these spices.MATERIALS AND METHOD:A large body of peer-reviewed articles,most of them indexed in PubMed,were consulted for the purpose of the present review.CONCLUSION:The overarching conclusion from the reviewed publications is the validation of most of the ethnomedical uses of these spices.The authors hope that this concise presentation on these spices will guide subsequent research in this field.
