Importance of Medicinal Plants in Traditional and Modern Medicine: Implications for Human Health (Published)
Medicinal plants have long served as a cornerstone of healthcare, providing a rich source of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological activities. Growing interest in plant-derived therapeutics, coupled with rapid technological advancements, has transformed medicinal plant research into a multidisciplinary field that integrates traditional knowledge with cutting-edge scientific approaches. This review examines recent progress in the discovery, characterization, and development of bioactive phytochemicals and explores their expanding role in promoting human health. The review highlights the contribution of emerging technologies, including multi-omics platforms (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and spatial omics), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and nanotechnology, to accelerating natural product research and phytopharmaceutical innovation. These approaches have enhanced the identification of novel bioactive compounds, elucidated biosynthetic pathways and molecular mechanisms of action, optimized cultivation and extraction processes, and improved the precision and efficiency of drug discovery. In addition, nanotechnology-based delivery systems have demonstrated considerable potential to enhance the stability, bioavailability, targeted delivery, and therapeutic efficacy of plant-derived compounds, particularly in the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. Despite these advances, several challenges continue to limit the translation of medicinal plants into evidence-based therapeutics, including biodiversity loss, variability in phytochemical composition, contamination and adulteration of herbal products, and the need for standardized quality control and harmonized regulatory frameworks. Future progress will depend on multidisciplinary collaboration that integrates traditional medicinal knowledge with advanced analytical technologies, computational tools, and sustainable resource management. Such an approach will facilitate the development of safe, effective, and innovative phytopharmaceuticals while supporting precision medicine and improving global health outcomes.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Biodiversity, Nanotechnology, bioactive compounds, drug delivery systems, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, phytopharmaceuticals, precision medicine
Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll.Arg. Leaves Extracts Against Multi-Drug-Resistant Bacterial Isolates from Post-Operative Wound Infections (Published)
The treatment of post-operative wound infections has been exacerbated by frequent evolvement of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. Consequently, this study evaluated the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of methanol, ethanol, and aqueous crude extracts of Alchornea cordifolia leaves for their efficacy against selected MDR bacterial isolates from patients with surgical site infection (SSI). Bacterial isolates obtained within 12 months from patients clinically diagnosed of SSI in five specialist hospitals in Calabar-Nigeria were analyzed and identified using standard techniques. Among the MDR-isolates, eight highly resistant bacterial isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) were selected for further evaluation. The susceptibility profiles of these isolates were assessed against crude extracts of Alchornea cordifolia leaves. Additionally, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), and phytochemical properties of the extracts were determined to evaluate their antimicrobial potential. The ethanol crude extract of A. cordifolia leaves demonstrated superior broad-spectrum activity against the MDR-SSI isolates compared to the aqueous and methanol extracts, even at the lowest tested concentration of 62.5 mg/mL, and also exhibited an MBC/MIC ratio of ≤4 mg/mL, indicating bactericidal properties. Further qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of bioactive compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, phenolics, and anthraquinones in varying concentrations. A. cordifolia leaves possesses potent antimicrobial properties and various phytochemical constituents and is therefore recommended for further studies towards potential drug development in order to enhance therapeutic options against MDR bacterial pathogens associated with SSI.
Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, Antibiotics, Bacteria, infections, multi-drug resistance, phytochemicals, post-operative wounds