Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants is vital to local communities and cultural heritage, particularly in Ethiopia. This study aims to document native medicinal plants in the Jawi district, including associated traditional knowledge. The study involved conducting semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and guided field walks with a purposefully selected 54 traditional healers. The study identified 87 medicinal plant species from 50 families used treat over 50 ailments, with a preference for wild herbs. Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Solanaceae were the most prominent families, each with five species; Zehneria scabra, was the most often mentioned species, followed by Lepidium sativum, Myrica salicifolia, Carissa spinarum, and Momordica foetida. 43% of identified species were herbs, with 44% of remedies made from roots. Pounding was the most common preparation method, and oral application was the most frequent use, followed by dermal application. 60% plants treated human ailments, 16% treated livestock, and 24% were used for both. Preference rankings indicated specific plants favored for certain ailments. The study highlights key plant families and species crucial for local healthcare but notes threats like habitat destruction and knowledge loss. Urgent conservation actions are needed to preserve medicinal plants and inform future research and strategies.

• Klíčová slova
• Ailments, Indigenous, Medicinal plant, Mode of application, Traditional healers,
• MeSH
• etnobotanika metody   MeSH
• fytoterapie metody   MeSH
• léčivé rostliny * klasifikace   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• tradiční africká medicína * metody   MeSH
• zachování přírodních zdrojů * metody   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Etiopie MeSH

The use of natural compounds is becoming increasingly popular among patients, and there is a renewed interest among scientists in nature-based bioactive agents. Traditionally, herbal drugs can be taken directly in the form of teas/decoctions/infusions or as standardized extracts. However, the disadvantages of natural compounds, especially essential oils, are their instability, limited bioavailability, volatility, and often irritant/allergenic potential. However, these active substances can be stabilized by encapsulation and administered in the form of nanoparticles. This brief overview summarizes the latest results of the application of nanoemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers used as drug delivery systems of herbal essential oils or used directly for their individual secondary metabolites applicable in cancer therapy. Although the discussed bioactive agents are not typical compounds used as anticancer agents, after inclusion into the aforesaid formulations improving their stability and bioavailability and/or therapeutic profile, they indicated anti-tumor activity and became interesting agents with cancer treatment potential. In addition, co-encapsulation of essential oils with synthetic anticancer drugs into nanoformulations with the aim to achieve synergistic effect in chemotherapy is discussed.

• Klíčová slova
• anticancer activity, essential oils, herbal drugs, liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

A series of thirty-two anilides of 3-(trifluoromethyl)cinnamic acid (series 1) and 4-(trifluoromethyl)cinnamic acid (series 2) was prepared by microwave-assisted synthesis. All the compounds were tested against reference strains Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 and resistant clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis (VRE). All the compounds were evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 700084 and M. marinum CAMP 5644. (2E)-3-[3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-N-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]prop-2-enamide (1j), (2E)-N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-3-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]prop-2-enamide (1o) and (2E)-N-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]prop-2-enamide (2i), (2E)-N-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-prop-2-enamide (2p) showed antistaphylococcal (MICs/MBCs 0.15-5.57 µM) as well as anti-enterococcal (MICs/MBCs 2.34-44.5 µM) activity. The growth of M. marinum was strongly inhibited by compounds 1j and 2p in a MIC range from 0.29 to 2.34 µM, while all the agents of series 1 showed activity against M. smegnatis (MICs ranged from 9.36 to 51.7 µM). The performed docking study demonstrated the ability of the compounds to bind to the active site of the mycobacterial enzyme InhA. The compounds had a significant effect on the inhibition of bacterial respiration, as demonstrated by the MTT assay. The compounds showed not only bacteriostatic activity but also bactericidal activity. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity screening was assessed using the human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 and, except for compound 2p, all effective agents did show insignificant cytotoxic effect. Compound 2p is an interesting anti-invasive agent with dual (cytotoxic and antibacterial) activity, while compounds 1j and 1o are the most interesting purely antibacterial compounds within the prepared molecules.

• Klíčová slova
• Michael acceptors, antimicrobial activity, cinnamamides, cytotoxicity, docking study, lipophilicity, structure–activity relationships,
• MeSH
• antibakteriální látky farmakologie   chemie   MeSH
• cinnamáty farmakologie   chemie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• methicilin rezistentní Staphylococcus aureus * MeSH
• mikrobiální testy citlivosti MeSH
• stafylokokové infekce * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antibakteriální látky MeSH
• cinnamáty MeSH
• cinnamic acid MeSH Prohlížeč

Due to the urgent need of innovation in the antimalarial therapeutic arsenal, a series of thirty-seven ring-substituted N-arylcinnamanilides prepared by microwave-assisted synthesis were subjected to primary screening against the chloroquine-sensitive strain of P. falciparum 3D7/MRA-102. The lipophilicity of all compounds was experimentally determined as the logarithm of the capacity factor k, and these data were subsequently used in the discussion of structure-activity relationships. Among the screened compounds, fourteen derivatives exhibited IC50 from 0.58 to 31 µM, whereas (2E)-N-(4-bromo-2-chlorophenyl)-3-phenylprop-2-enamide (24) was the most effective agent (IC50 = 0.58 µM). In addition, (2E)-N-[2,6-dibromo-4-(trifluoromethyl)- phenyl]-3-phenylprop-2-enamide (36), (2E)-N-[4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-phenylprop- 2-enamide (18), (2E)-N-(2-bromo-5-fluorophenyl)-3-phenylprop-2-enamide (23), and (2E)-3-phenyl-N-(3,4,5-trichlorophenyl)prop-2-enamide (33) demonstrated efficacy in the IC50 range from 2.0 to 4.3 µM, comparable to the clinically used standard chloroquine. The results of a cell viability screening performed using THP1-Blue™ NF-κB cells showed that none of these highly active compounds displayed any significant cytotoxic effect up to 20 μM, which makes them promising Plasmodium selective substances for further investigations.

• Klíčová slova
• Plasmodium, antiplasmodial activity, cinnamanilides, structure-activity relationships,
• MeSH
• antagonisté kyseliny listové * MeSH
• antimalarika * farmakologie   MeSH
• chlorochin farmakologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• tropická malárie * MeSH
• vztahy mezi strukturou a aktivitou MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antagonisté kyseliny listové * MeSH
• antimalarika * MeSH
• chlorochin MeSH