Browsing by Author "Egor, Moses"

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    Ethnobotanical survey and phytochemistry of medicinal plants used in the management of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Uganda
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-06) Owor, Richard Oriko; Kawuma, Carol; Nantale, Gauden; Kiyimba, Kenedy; Obakiro, Samuel Baker; Ouma, Simple; Lulenzi, Jalia; Gavamukulya, Yahaya; Chebijira, Mercy; Lukwago, Tonny Wotoyitide; Egor, Moses; Musagala, Peter; Andima, Moses; Kibuule, Dan; Waako, Paul; Hokello, Joseph
    Currently, highly active antiretroviral therapy is unable to cure HIV/AIDS because of HIV latency. This study aimed at documenting medicinal plants used in the management of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Uganda so as to identify phytochemicals with HIV latency reversing potential. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted across eight districts in Eastern Uganda. Traditional medicine practitioners were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical tests were respectively, performed to determine the presence and quantity of phytochemicals in frequently mentioned plant species. Data were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). Twenty-one plant species from fourteen plant families were reported to be used in the management of HIV/AIDS. Six plant species with the highest frequency of mention were: Zanthoxylum chalybeum, Gymnosporia senegalensis, Warbugia ugandensis, Leonatis nepetifolia, Croton macrostachyus and Rhoicissus tridentata. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of all the six most frequently mentioned plant species revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids and phenolics. Quantitative analysis revealed the highest content of flavonoids in L. nepetifolia (20.4 mg/g of dry extract) while the lowest content was determined in C. macrostachyus (7.1 mg/g of dry extract). On the other hand, the highest content of tannins was observed in L. nepetifolia. (199.9 mg/g of dry extract) while the lowest content was found in R. tridentata. (42.6 mg/g of dry extract). Medicinal plants used by traditional medicine practitioners in Eastern Uganda to manage HIV/AIDS are rich in phytochemicals including flavonoids and tannins. Further studies to evaluate the HIV-1 latency reversing ability of these phytochemicals are recommended to discover novel molecules against HIV/AIDS.
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    Fluoride contamination and its optimum upper limit in groundwater from Sukulu Hills, Tororo District, Uganda
    (Scientific African, 2020) Egor, Moses; Birungi, Grace
    This study was carried out to assess fluoride (F −) concentration and to determine its up- per permissible limit in groundwater from Sukulu Hills, a phosphate mining area in Tororo District, Uganda, where groundwater is the main source of drinking water. Water sam- ples were collected from boreholes and protected springs within a three-kilometer radius from the foot of the Hills. The physico-chemical parameters and F −concentration were analysed using potentiometric methods. The water samples collected had a pH range of 6.0–7.2, electrical conductivity of 148–750 μS/cm, and TDS values of 75–378 mg/L; and these parameters were within the WHO normal range for drinking water. F −concentration in groundwater from boreholes ranged from 0.4 to 3 mg/L, whereas in springs it was from 0.2–2.4 mg/L. High F −levels corresponded with higher TDS values at near-neutral pH. The WHO and Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) guideline value of 1.5 mg/L F −was exceeded by groundwater from spring S3 and boreholes B3 and B7 (14% of samples) in the study. Given the five-year average weather conditions of Tororo, a modified Galagan equation was applied to calculate the recommended F −level in drinking water for the area, and was found to be 0.4 mg/L. All water sources studied contained average F −levels higher than 0.4 mg/L. These findings imply a possible risk to the local population which depends on this water being exposed to dangers of high F −intake.