Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Voacanga africana-artesunate and Voacanga africana-amodiaquine combinations as effective anti-plasmodial agents in mice","authors":"Daniel Ampomah Frimpong ,&nbsp;Aliu Moomin ,&nbsp;Samuel Asare Nkansah ,&nbsp;Aaron Opoku Antwi ,&nbsp;Abubakar Ibn Sidik ,&nbsp;Paa Kofi Tawiah Adu-Gyamfi ,&nbsp;Kwesi Boadu Mensah","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Malaria is a global health problem due to its high incidence of morbidity and mortality, especially in children and pregnant women. However, the <em>Plasmodium</em> parasite frequently develops resistance to chemotherapy, triggering continuous research for effective treatment options for malaria. Therefore, this study investigated the potential anti-plasmodial effect of <em>Voacanga africana</em> (VA)-artesunate and VA<em>-</em>amodiaquine combinations in mice.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We collected VA seeds from Kumasi, Ghana, and macerated them with petroleum ether to obtain a yield of 4.2%. Acute toxicity testing of VA was carried out with doses of 0 – 3000 mg/kg. The anti-plasmodial effects of VA at doses 0 – 300 mg/kg were assessed in <em>Plasmodium berghei</em> (strain ANKA)-infected mice using 4-day suppressive and Rane's curative tests. A combination of various fractions (1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/16) of VA-artesunate or VA-amodiaquine was used to determine their experimental ED₅₀ s (Z_exp). We used an isobologram to determine the combination index (CI) and the nature of the interaction between VA-artesunate or VA-amodiaquine combinations by comparing the CI with Z_exp. The anti-plasmodial effects of VA alone or in combination with artesunate or amodiaquine were compared by ANOVA, and <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>VA at doses 0 – 300 mg/kg showed no toxicity in the mice, whereas VA at a dose of 3000 mg/kg resulted in the death of mice after 24 h. The LD₅₀ was estimated to be 1763 mg/kg. Treatment of mice with VA alone at doses (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg) significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) reduced parasitaemia levels in mice when compared to the normal saline control group. Similarly, artesunate and VA (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg) showed a significant (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) reduction in body temperature as compared to the control. ED₅₀ s for VA, artesunate, and amodiaquine were 202 ± 0.22 mg/kg, 5.4 ± 0.24 mg/kg, and 16.83 ± 0.28 mg/kg, respectively. CI for VA-artesunate and VA-amodiaquine were 0.002 and 37,094.1 respectively. The CI for VA-artesunate was significantly (<em>p</em> = 0.0001) below the additive isobole (CI&lt;1) showing a synergistic effect of this combination in reducing parasite levels and increasing the mean survival of mice.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>VA showed a moderate antimalarial activity when used in monotherapy, while a combination of VA and AT showed synergism against <em>P. beighei</em> infection by reducing parasitemia levels, preventing hemolysis, decreasing PCV, increasing body temperature and increasing body weights. However, a combination of voacanga seed oil and amodiaquine demonstrated an antagonistic effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02569"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sorption behavior of pomegranate polyphenols on surfactant-modified clays in aqueous solution","authors":"Houda Saad,&nbsp;Thouraya Turki,&nbsp;Mondher Srasra,&nbsp;Ezzeddine Srasra","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Phenols are defined as primary pollutants. They can be present at high concentrations in the bulk effluents generated by the agro-food industries which can be toxic and have an impact on microbial processing in wastewater treatment plants. To address this challenge, a pretreatment process is needed. We investigate here, for the first time, the adsorption of pomegranate peels polyphenols on organophilic clays.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>Organoclays were prepared by the intercalation of a cationic surfactant, hexadecylpyridinium bromide (HDPy), into purified Tunisian smectite clay at different Cation Exchange Capacities (CEC) degrees (0.5CEC, 1CEC and 2CEC). Surfactant-modified clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption study was conducted at different pHs and polyphenols concentrations. Adsorption isotherms were also established using the Langmuir and Freundlich models.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that the modification of clay by the cationic surfactant can increase polyphenols adsorption from 5.77 mg/g to 196.88 mg/g. This increase depends on the clay surfactant contents and the pH values. The retention process of polyphenols has been also studied. Depending on the surfactant content, it was revealed that both Freundlich and Langmuir models can describe the adsorption isotherms of pomegranate polyphenols.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The 1CEC and 2CEC organo-clays are the interesting adsorbents for the removal of pomegranate polyphenols from aqueous media and wastewater. The best removal efficiency is of 98%. Fluorescence results suggested that the recovery of pomegranate polyphenols generated from beverage industries wastewater using HDPy-modified clays could be valorized as potential fluorescent pigments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02568"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advanced genetic algorithm (GA)-independent component analysis (ICA) ensemble model for predicting trapped humans through hybrid dimensionality reduction","authors":"Enoch Adama Jiya ,&nbsp;Ilesanmi B. Oluwafemi","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The collapse of man-made structures, which frequently bury people beneath rubble, is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Natural disasters and human inefficiency, degradation, and decay are the main causes of this. So, in these urgent situations, a quick and effective deployment is crucial. No-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal analysis, which is the fundamental of seeing through the wall of critical information that is not visible, is disclosed through analysis, and developmental systems can be seen for identifying imprisoned human victims and detecting differences in disaster scenarios. This technology is essential for locating stranded people and evaluating different crises. Ultra-wideband (UWB) signal data, augmented by machine learning techniques, provides a large and quantified output that is useful for applications including engineering, scientific research, and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. However, this method's primary drawbacks are its large dimensionality, infrequency, and noise, which makes catastrophic scenario prediction difficult. The curse of dimensionality has been addressed in a variety of ways, but issues with accuracy, dependability, and scalability still exist. To choose relevant subset features from the data and for better generalization in various contexts, this work uses an adaptive human presence detector algorithm that hybridizes dimensionality reduction techniques genetic algorithm (GA), which maximizes feature selection, and independent component analysis (ICA), which lowers the dimensionality of the chosen features. The features are sent into the classifiers for technique analysis based on their class variants. A bagged ensemble machine learning classifier was used to assess the reduced dataset, and among other performance measures, The findings with accuracy are 85.69 %, sensitivity of 79.30, and specificity of 91.67 %. These outcomes show how the suggested hybrid strategy can be used to efficiently pick and classify features in NLOS signal data processing. According to the results, this approach may improve catastrophe scenario prediction and support faster and more precise search and rescue efforts by supplementing and enhancing current machine-learning techniques. The findings suggest that this method could complement and enhance existing machine learning techniques, improving disaster scenario prediction and aiding in more accurate and timely search and rescue operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02564"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing PID control for automatic voltage regulators using ADIWACO PSO","authors":"Yaw Opoku Mensah Sekyere ,&nbsp;Priscilla Oyeladun Ajiboye ,&nbsp;Francis Boafo Effah ,&nbsp;Bernard Tawiah Opoku","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the application of an enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) variant, known as ADIWACO, for tuning Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers in Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) systems. The ADIWACO PSO incorporates adaptive hyperbolic tangent functions for inertia weight and acceleration coefficients, effectively balancing exploration and exploitation during the optimization process. Using the Integral Time Absolute Error (ITAE) as the objective function, the proposed method achieves superior controller performance compared to existing optimization techniques, including BAT, Improved KIA, ARO, and BBO. The ADIWACO-tuned PID controller significantly reduces overshoot and settling time while enhancing system stability. Additionally, integrating a derivative filter with an optimally tuned coefficient further improves the AVR system's dynamic response. Stability analysis in the frequency domain confirms the robustness of the proposed approach. To validate its practicality, the method was applied to the IEEE 39-bus test system as a case study, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. The results underscore the potential of ADIWACO PSO to enhance the dynamic response and stability of AVR systems, offering a reliable and robust solution for engineering applications. This research contributes to advancing control system optimization and highlights the broader applicability of ADIWACO to complex systems requiring high-performance control solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02562"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing building energy consumption prediction using LSTM, Kalman filter, and continuous wavelet transform","authors":"Nasima El Assri ,&nbsp;Mohammed Ali Jallal ,&nbsp;Samira Chabaa ,&nbsp;Abdelouhab Zeroual","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In order to enhance grid stability, facilitate efficient power supply planning, and minimize energy wastage, precise prediction of building energy usage stands as a significant worldwide issue. This paper proposes a prediction model based on multi-layer Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) coupled with data denoising techniques, including the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and Kalman filter (KF) to attain superior prediction performance. The primary goal of KF and CWT for time series data is denoising the data to enhance the signal and remove noise, making it easier to identify and isolate relevant patterns. The results from a comparative study focusing on urban household electricity consumption in Morocco with different step sizes, along with five extended applications, demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms basic LSTM and other existing models. The Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) for the comparative study with different step sizes stands at 4.02 % and 2.95 % respectively. Additionally, the MAPE for the five extended applications across different buildings are 0.88 %, 3.89 %, 0.69 %, 0.89 %, 0.87 %, respectively. These results highlight the superior accuracy of the proposed model across all metrics, making it a promising technique for predicting building energy consumption. This accuracy is paramount for optimizing energy management strategies, enabling informed decision-making and resource allocation in pursuit of sustainable and efficient building operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02560"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Terahertz dual-band antenna design with improved performances using FSS-based metasurface concept for wireless applications","authors":"Youssef Amraoui ,&nbsp;Imane Halkhams ,&nbsp;Rachid El Alami ,&nbsp;Mohammed Ouazzani Jamil ,&nbsp;Hassan Qjidaa","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The suggested design makes use of the concept of a metasurface by including a Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) underneath the radiating element. This research paper aims to present the design and performance analysis of FSS embedded antennas with a special focus on the terahertz frequency band. The work reviews the electromagnetic theory of FSS structures and identifies some of the most important design parameters including the unit cell size and the choice of materials that define the performance of the antenna. Employing simulation software including CST, HFSS and ADS, the research output demonstrates the effects of FSS on the gain and efficiency of antenna systems. it is composed of a square loop metallic element with modified cross-shaped structures with a relative permittivity of 11.9 are positioned on a silicon dioxide substrate. To further boost the antenna's peak gain, the FSS is added 82 µm below the current THz antenna. The FSS construction has a total volume of 550 × 850 µm². By appropriately integrating the FSS with the antenna construction and making use of its frequency-selective properties, gain enhancement can be achieved. Furthermore, circuit theory techniques have been used to study FSS structure and electrical equivalent circuits have been created to confirm their functionality. The intended frequency of operation for the FSS is 0.7 THz. The FSS antenna exhibits radiation efficiency of 85.59 % and 87.75 % at resonance frequencies of 600 GHz and 700 GHz, respectively. When we utilize FSS, the gain improves from 7.14 dBi to 8.36 dBi at 600 GHz and from 5.69 dBi to 6.79 dBi at 700 GHz. The smaller size of the dual-band structure adds to the compactness of the design, which can benefit applications requiring high-performance, dual-band operation. This demonstrates the advantages of FSS based solutions for advanced antenna systems in modern communication systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02566"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An enhanced buck-boost converter for photovoltaic diagnosis application: Accurate MPP tracker and I-V tracer","authors":"Yassine Chouay,&nbsp;Mohammed Ouassaid","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces a novel dual-functioning buck-boost converter designed for fault detection and diagnosis in photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The adopted control and diagnosis approach enables the converter to operate in two distinct modes depending on the state of the array. In normal operation, the converter is controlled by neural network (NN) controller to efficiently extract maximum power point (MPP). However, in the event of a system failure, the converter automatically transitions to variable load mode to capture different points on the current-voltage (I-V) curve. The transition between the two operational modes is ensured by a diagnosis system based on power loss analysis. For experimental purposes, a resistive load is employed as a simplified tool to characterize the system behavior and evaluate the performance of the converter in both operations. Experimental results confirm the functionality and accuracy of the proposed system, achieving high maximum power point tracking (MPPT) values of 0.59 % for MAPE and 0.993 regression compared to reference power. This precision contributes to improving the diagnosis program judgement to initiate the characteristic tracing. Furthermore, the system exhibits accurate tracing capabilities, with an average error of 1.44 % in case of normal operation. Similar errors are maintained even under diverse fault conditions, ranging from 0.77 % to 1.83 % for different faults including short-circuit, shunted panels, and connection faults. However, the error slightly increases in cases of partial shading fault, the effect and signature of fault remain clearly noticeable on the traced characteristics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02561"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of movement and vaccination on Peste des Petits Ruminants disease spread between two different agroecological zones","authors":"Yibekal Walle ,&nbsp;Joseph Y.T. Mugisha ,&nbsp;Dawit Melese ,&nbsp;Haileyesus Tessema","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly infectious and contagious viral disease that affects small ruminants. The spread of PPR varies across Ethiopia’s agroecological production systems. This study proposes a novel two-patch deterministic mathematical model to investigate the impact of small ruminant movement on the spatial spread of the PPR virus between two distinct zones, with a focus on small ruminant movement between lowland (pastoral) and highland (sedentary) agroecological zones. We establish the essential characteristics of the model, construct control reproduction numbers (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>v</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>) for both isolated and coupled systems, and show that the disease-free equilibrium is locally and globally stable when <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>v</mi></mrow></msub><mo>&lt;</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></math></span> and unstable when <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>v</mi></mrow></msub><mo>&gt;</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></math></span>. A key contribution of this research is the application of a SEIR model to empirical data from a nationwide prevalence survey of PPR in Ethiopia, enabling the estimation of critical parameters such as disease transmission levels and current vaccination coverage. Our numerical simulations reveal the interplay between small ruminates movement and vaccination strategies, offering valuable insights into their effects on PPR persistence and extinction across various scenarios. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the importance of coordinating vaccination programs for both zones with effective movement control measures to optimize disease control strategies and enhance PPR eradication efforts at national level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02532"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unit-Chen distribution and its quantile regression model with applications","authors":"Ammar M. Sarhan","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The need for new statistical distributions that can effectively fit real datasets on the unit interval is crucial in data analysis. This article introduces a new family of statistical distributions on the unit interval, called the unit-Chen distribution, derived from the two-parameter Chen distribution. The statistical properties of the proposed distribution are discussed, along with a quantile regression model based on the unit-Chen distribution. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian procedures are used to estimate the model’s parameters. For the Bayesian approach, two methods of approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) are employed: the accept-reject (AR) method and sampling importance resampling (SIR) method. A simulation study is provided to investigate the properties of the maximum likelihood method applied. Based on well-known diagnostic tests, the simulation data presented in this paper is appropriate. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed models, real-life datasets (four using unit-Chen and one using unit-Chen regression) are analyzed. The performance of the proposed models is compared with other well-known distributions. The comparison results indicate that the unit-Chen and unit-Chen regression models fit the data better than the competitive models applied in this study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02555"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphological and molecular characterization of endophytic fungi isolated Alstonia boonei De Wild","authors":"Paola Cynthia Emoh Demeni ,&nbsp;Patrick Hervé Diboue Betote ,&nbsp;Gisèle Aurelie Dadji Foko ,&nbsp;Jean-paul Assam Assam ,&nbsp;Marie-Florence Biabi A Bite ,&nbsp;Eric Ngalani Tchamgoue ,&nbsp;Noella Molisa Efange ,&nbsp;Bruno Ndjakou Lenta ,&nbsp;Lawrence Ayong ,&nbsp;Maximilienne Ascension Nyegue","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Endophytic fungi comprise a diverse group of fungal species that vary in symbiotic and ecological functions, and thought to contribute to the medicinal properties of certain host plants. The aim of this work was to investigate the biodiversity of endophytic fungi colonizing <em>Alstonia boonei</em> De Wild, a widely used medicinal plant in sub-Saharan Africa. Endophytic fungi were isolated from leaves, stem bark and root bark of <em>A. boonei</em> using potato dextrose agar (PDA), Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and Czapek Dox agar (CZA) as recovery media, and malt extract agar (MEA) or yeast extract agar (YEA) for macroscopic characterization of isolates. Isolates were further characterized microscopically, and molecularly using conventional primers targeting the 5.8S ribosomal subunit. A total of 41 morphologically distinct isolate groups were obtained from 73 fungal isolates selected (28 in PDA, 26 in SDA and 19 in CZA), and microscopically classified into 9 genera (11 <em>Fusarium</em> spp<em>,</em> 03 <em>Acremonium</em> spp, 03 <em>Trichoderma</em> spp<em>, 04 Neoscytalidium</em> spp<em>, 02 Xylaria</em> spp, 03 <em>Fomitiporia</em> spp, 03 <em>Phomopsis</em> spp, 04 <em>Lasiodiplodia</em> spp, 02 <em>Chaetomium</em> spp and 06 non-sporulating isolates). Fifty-six (76.7 %) of the selected isolates were successfully amplified using fungal-specific primers, with PCR band sizes ranging from 500 to 665 base pairs. Of these, a total of 45 molecular variants were obtained, with <em>Fusarium</em> spp and <em>Lasiodiplodia</em> spp exhibiting the highest variability (14 and 12 molecular variants, respectively). Collectively, our data reveal strong colonization of <em>A. boonei</em> by phenotypically and genotypically diverse fungal endophytes, underscoring the critical importance of fungal symbiosis in <em>A. boonei</em> biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"27 ","pages":"Article e02550"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}