Vegetable contamination by pesticides presents current problem of public health. Previous studies have shown that 60% vegetables sampled collected in Lomé (Togo) have pesticide residues exceeding the tolerable limits. Because mancozeb, ethylene bis-dithiocarbamate, is mainly used, more than five times, during the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), the aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the potential effect of mancozeb-treated lettuce on the rat liver physiology. Mancozeb-treated lettuce and two doses of mancozeb were administered during 28 days to rats. Along the study, animal behavior was assessed, and at the end of administration, some hepatic enzymes such as transaminases and alkaline phosphatase were studied. The decrease in rat body weight was noted and animals have soft feces. Plasmatic concentrations of transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin are increased in rats administered with mancozeb-treated lettuce. The plasmatic concentration of total protein is not decreased significantly. Those results indicate that lettuce collected directly from gardens, without washing or less washed, are not fit for human consumption.

Because of the resistance of pathogens to actually available drugs, there is a continuous need for new agents to cure several diseases such as malaria and microbial infections. In the establishment of new drugs, plant are often a source of new leads, indeed aqueous, acetone and methanol extracts of Canthium multiflorum were tested for antiplasmodial and antibacterial activities. The antiplasmodial activity was performed on fresh clinical strains of Plasmodium falciparum using light microscopy. The results revealed that the methanol extract was the most active with IC50 of 4.69 microg mL(-1). The NCCLS microdilution method performed on clinical and reference strains of pathogenic bacteria yielded MIC and MBC values ranging from 312 to 1250 and 625 to 2500 microg mL(-1), respectively. The qualitative analysis of the extract revealed the presence of several chemical groups such as alkaloids, terpens and tannins that might be responsible for the activity of the plant. The issue of this study showed that C. multiflorum is a plant that many attention should be paid to because of it pharmacological potentials.

Sida acuta is shrub belonging to Malvaceae family. The plant is widely distributed in the subtropical regions where it is found in bushes, in farms and around habitations. Surveys conducted in indigenous places revealed that the plant had many traditional usages that varied from one region to another. The most cited illnesses are fever, headache and infections diseases. Indeed, many laboratory screening have been conducted to show the scientific rationale behind these usages and many compounds have been isolated from the plant. In the present review we listed the plant usages in folk medicine in some regions where the plant grows and we discussed on the confirmed in vitro activities after laboratory screenings. The review ended with the pharmacological properties of several compounds isolated from S. acuta principally alkaloids.

The present study was conducted to investigate the in vitro antimalarial activity of Flacourtia flavescens Willd. (Flacourtiaceae) and Rytigynia canthioides (Benth.) Robyns (Rubiaceae). These two plants are used in Benin folk medicine to treat malaria and fever. Antimalarial activity was assayed on fresh clinical isolates of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum using the in vitro semi-microtest. The results revealed that the IC 50 varied from 1.55 to 22.36µg/ml. F. flavescens hydro methanol extract was more active than R. canthioides. The study demonstrated scientific rationale behind the traditional usage of these plants, however further bioactivity guided phytochemical analyses are necessary to identify the active principles.