Browsing by Author "Okello, Denis"

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    Medicinal plants used for cutaneous wound healing in Uganda; ethnomedicinal reports and pharmacological evidences
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05) Gang, Roggers; Okello, Denis; Kang, Youngmin
    Wounds have become a major health challenge worldwide, presenting marked humanistic and economic burdens such as disabilities and death. Annually, approximately 14 million people suffer from wounds worldwide and 80 % of these occur in developing countries like Uganda. In Uganda, besides many cases of daily wound occurrences, approximately 10 % of surgical procedures become septic wounds and consequently lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, several ethnomedicinal studies have identified plants used for wound treatment in different parts of Uganda and the wound healing activities of some plants have been reported. However, at present, these information remain largely separated without an all-inclusive repository containing ethnomedicinal and pharmacological information of the plants used for wound healing in Uganda, thus retarding appropriate evaluation. Therefore, this review focused on extensively exploring the plants used for treating cutaneous wounds in Uganda, along with associated ethnomedicinal information and their globally reported pharmacological potential. Electronic data bases including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct were searched using key terms for required information contained in English peer reviewed articles, books, and dissertations. Additionally, correlations between selected parameters were determined with coefficient of determination ( ). The literature survey revealed that 165 species belonging to 62 families are traditionally used to treat wounds in Uganda. Most of the species belonged to families of Asteraceae (14 %), Fabaceae (10 %), and Euphorbiaceae (7 %). The commonest plant parts used for wound treatment include leaf (48 %), root (22 %), stembark (11 %), and stem (7 %), which are prepared majorly by poultice (34 %), decoction (13 %), as well as powdering (25 %). Fifty-four (33 %) of the plant species have been investigated for their wound healing activities whereas, one hundred eleven (67 %) have not been scientifically investigated for their wound healing effects. Pearson correlation coefficient between the number of wound healing plant families per part used and percent of each plant part used was 0.97, and between the number of wound healing plant families per method of preparation and percent of each method of preparation was 0.95, showing in both strong positively marked relationships. The preliminarily investigated plants with positive wound healing properties require further evaluation to possible final phases, with comprehensive identification of constituent bioactive agents. Additionally, the wound healing potential of the scientifically uninvestigated plants with claimed healing effects needs examination. Subsequently, information regarding efficacy, safety, bioactive principles, and mechanism of action could prove valuable in future development of wound healing therapies.
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    A Micropropagation Protocol for the Endangered Medicinal Tree Prunus africana (Hook f.) Kalkman: Genetic Fidelity and Physiological Parameter Assessment
    (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2020) Komakech, Richard; Kim, Yong-Goo; Kim, Wook Jin; Omujal, Francis; Yang, Sungyu; Okello, Denis; Kyeyune, Grace Nambatya; Matsabisa, Motlalepula Gilbert; Kang, Youngmin
    Prunus africana is an endangered medicinal plant and hence new propagation methods are urgently required to increase its populations. Unfortunately, propagation through seeds is challenging due to its long flowering cycle and recalcitrant seeds. We developed a protocol for micropropagation using nodal segment explants. A woody plant medium supplemented with vitamins, 15 g L−1 sucrose, and 1.0 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) supported the optimum rate (100%) of axillary shoot initiation. Supplementation with 15 g L−1 sucrose and 1.5 mg L−1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) provided the optimum rate (75%) of root initiation. Rooted plantlets were successfully planted in sterilized horticultural soil containing perlite (2:1 v/v) and the survival rate was 98% following acclimatization. The photosynthetic rate assessed using FlourPen FP110 series showed that the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence mean value for in vitro regenerated P. africana (0.830 ± 0.0008) was similar to that of the maternal P. africana plant (0.825 ± 0.005), indicating similarity in their photosynthetic performance; a pivotal process for growth and development. The Fourier transform near-IR (FT-NIR) spectrometer analysis of the in vitro regenerated and the maternal P. africana plant samples exhibited homogeneity in the absorbance peaks at 8,273, 6,344, and 4,938–4,500 cm−1 associated with lipids, starch, and proteins. The genetic fidelity of regenerated plants was confirmed using the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Our protocol is suitable for use in large-scale P. africana to meet the increasing demands for it in the global market.
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    Spatial and Temporal Solar Potential Variation Analysis in Uganda Using Measured Data
    (African Journals Online (AJOL), 2023-03-31) Katongole, Daniel N.; Karidewa, Nyeinga; Okello, Denis; Mukiibi, Daniel; Mubiru, James; Kisira, Yeeko
    The paper presents an analysis of spatial and temporal solar potential variations in Uganda. The solar radiation potential distribution was investigated based on measured data from 56 ground meteorological stations across Uganda from January 2015 to February 2022. The data were recorded after every 5-minute interval. The monthly average daily Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) was analysed using the spatial inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation technique in ArcGIS 10.7.1. The GHI distribution was found to have maxima at equinox and minimum between June and July. The average global horizontal irradiation is found to be 1680 KWh per year, with a daily variability below 10%. This is above the threshold for solar energy applications and with such low variability, large scale solar PV plants can be installed with minimum backup requirements. Northern Uganda receives the highest average daily global horizontal irradiation of 5.38 Whm–2 day–1, while Western Uganda receives 4.16 Whm–2 day–1, the lowest. The average AM/PM ratio depicted a value above 2 for all regions in Uganda and therefore, optimal solar energy exploitation for fixed systems favours eastern orientation. The central, eastern and northern Uganda which is 69.3% of the country has relief favourable for large scale solar PV power plants and CSP facilities.