Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by various species of the Plasmodium parasite. In 2016, there were about 216 million cases resulting in 445,000 deaths, with sub-saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden of the disease. The currently recommended treatment for malaria  are combination therapies containing Artemisinin (ACT’s). However, the effectiveness of the Artemisinins is being compromised by the emergence of resistance to the drug and this amplifies the need for new antimalarial drugs. The Benzimidazole scaffold is one of the privileged structures in medicinal chemistry and is associated with a number of biological activities including antimalarial activity which may be through inhibition of the Plasmodial plasmepsin II enzyme. The present study utilizes the concept of molecular hybridization to synthesize hybrid compounds that contain two pharmacophores, acting through two distinct mechanisms. The aim is to improve efficacy and possibly prevent or slow down the emergence of parasite resistance. To confirm their structures, the conjugates were purified by chromatography and characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Mass spectrometry and Infra-red spectroscopy. Antimalarial activities of the hybrids were evaluated in-vitro against the 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum using the parasite Lactate dehydrogenase assay. The hybrids were successfully synthesized with yields ranging from 63.48 percent to 67.60 percent and were all active against the parasite. The Mebendazole conjugate of dihydroartemisinin showed the highest activity with IC50 of 6.861 nM and 6.967 nM for the 5-Benzimidazolecarboxylic acid conjugate of dihydroartemisinin. All the compounds showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in activity as compared to Dihydroartemisinin and Chloroquine alone. These hybrid compounds with improved physicochemical and pharmacological properties may serve as templates for the development of a new class of anitmalarial drugs, which possess advantages over existing drugs in terms of effectiveness and also the ability to overcome the problem of resistance during malaria chemotherapy.

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The coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) has presented unprecedented challenges to the healthcare systems in the world. There are no definite effective therapeutic agents or vaccines against the virus currently. However clinical management of the infection includes prevention, control measures, supportive care and repurposed drug therapy based on pathophysiology of the virus and manifestation of the disease condition thereby using antiviral agents such as remdesivir, lopinavir and favipiravir. Herbal preparations are being promoted for the management of Covid-19. Some selected Nigerian medicinal plants are hereby investigated by In-silico studies of the plant constituents. When compared with the listed therapeutic agents, the phytochemical constituents of the selected plants have better binding affinity to several Covid-19 viral target proteins. Also they were found to be safe for human use with LD50 of >2000 mg/Kg for the plant extracts. Some of the plants also contained phytochemicals that can be employed for the symptoms of covid-19.

Background: Late December 2019, an unknown incidence of Pneumonia was observed among some residents of Wuhan city, China. The disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared as a pandemic by the WHO on the March 11th, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) has resulted to the death of million people across the globe. Prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), two other outbreaks of coronaviruses namely severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been experienced within the last few decades. This review looks at the unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 to the other coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) and its significance(s) in the control strategies including diagnostics. Materials and Methods: Using the keywords “coronavirus mutation”, “nucleotide substitution”, “coronavirus evolution”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “COVID-19” published literatures on coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 were retrieved from MEDLINE and reviewed for gaps and current knowledge as it relates to evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Results: In comparison with seasonal flu, investigations revealed that SARS-CoV-2 mutates less rapidly which provides an edge in the possible development of a long-lasting vaccine to combat the spread of the virus. Though, several mutations in the genome of the virus with dire consequences on the diagnostics have been identified. Conclusions: The unique importance of mutation as a mechanism of survival for viruses cannot be overemphasized. Several mutations have been observed in SARS-CoV-2 genome whose implications as regards diagnostics and control measures have been highlighted herein.

Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has today become a major public health threat. Despite several ongoing clinical trials, there is as yet no specific treatment for this disease. This study evaluated the effects of 3 polyherbal mixtures (CoV-1, CoV Pla-2 and CoV Pla-3) on some electrolyte and haematological parameters in laboratory animals. The parameters evaluated were PCV, HGB, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RBC, WBC, neutrophils and lymphocytes counts, including Na+, Cl-, HCO3-, K+.  Treatment was per oral with doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg for the 3 polyherbal mixtures. Control group had 0.1 mL of distilled water per oral. The extract was safe up to 5000 mg/kg. An insignificant (P>0.05) decrease in RBC was observed at all doses except for 200 mg/kg for CoV Pla-3 which was significant (P<0.05) compared to control. When compared to control, an insignificant increase in the mean lymphocyte values in all extracts was observed. WBC in CoV Pla-1 and CoV Pla-3 increased, compared to control, as well as MCV, MCH for all polyherbal mixtures. Neutrophils increased in the rats administered the highest doses of Cov Pla-1 (200 and 400 mg/kg) and CoV Pla-3 (100 and 200 mg/kg) extracts. An insignificant difference (P>0.05) in serum levels of Na+, K+, Cl- and HCO3- were observed in all test animals, compared to control. The results obtained in this study indicate that the extracts did not cause significant changes in haematological parameters evaluated, which implies it is non-toxic.

Transmission of COVID-19 is facilitated by uptake of droplets containing coronavirus from the breath, sneeze or cough of infected persons. This represents the commonest mode of coronavirus infection and spread to mucous membranes of the respiratory system. The virus rapidly replicates in alveolar cells, triggering a strong immune response, resulting in cytokine storm syndromes and pulmonary tissue damage. These pathologic processes contribute to a compromised pulmonary function. Thus, evaluation of pulmonary function would give insights into modulatory effect of agents that may be beneficial in ameliorating this pathology. The study evaluated effects of Cov-Pla1 and Cov-Pla3 (polyherbal products of the research team, positioned for treatment of Covid-19) on pulmonary function in bleomycin-induced lung injury in rabbits. Rabbits of both sexes were divided into six groups and treated with the extracts alone or the extract following pre-treatment with bleomycin. Targeted respiratory function parameters were monitored at baseline and on day three. Vital capacity, tidal volume, inspiratory reserve volume and inspiratory capacity in the groups treated with Cov-Pla1 and Cov-Pla3 at 125 and 500 mg/kg respectively were compared with the bleomycin only group. In bleomycin pre-treated groups, the two preparations at 125 mg/kg showed increased vital capacity compared to the bleomyicn only group. This pattern was repeated with the other parameters that were evaluated. These results imply that Cov-Pla1 and Cov-Pla3 at the 125 mg/kg dose have ameliorative effects on bleomycin induced lung injury and could be beneficial in situations such as COVID-19 where there are active insults to the respiratory system.

Background: The pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has escalated rapidly and impacted human health worldwide, in addition to causing severe disruptions to socioeconomic life. There is presently no effective treatment for the disease and this underscores the urgent need for new therapeutic options against this life threatening disease. The traditional strategy for the development of new drugs is a slow and expensive process. Drug repurposing is a valuable alternative strategy that can be used to bypass some of the limitations of traditional drug discovery in order to rapidly develop new therapeutic agents for the management of Covid-19.The present review x-rays recent efforts to re-purpose some antiviral drugs for the treatment Objectives: of SARS-Cov-2 with an emphasis on the structure activity relationships (SAR) of the compounds.A systematic internet Methods: search of three academic databases of published literature was undertaken using relevant keywords and search terms which focused on drug re-purposing against SARS-CoV-2.A total of 853 results were generated and evaluated. The results of the search Results: were screened and relevant articles identified, yielding a total of 83 articles. Some of the drugs identified with potential for repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 include: Arbidol, Favipiravir, Ribavirin, Nitazoxanide etc.It is hoped that the Conclusion: information generated in this review will help deepen understanding of the potential mechanism of anti-SARS-CoV-2 action of the compounds and also draw attention to opportunities that exist for structural modification of these molecules with the aim of improving and enhancing their selectivity and efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.