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UFS researcher investigates the potential of medicinal plants to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases

21 June 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Suplied

Dr Claudia Ntsapi — Dr Matlakala C Ntsapi is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the UFS.

A researcher from the University of the Free State (UFS) is investigating the potential benefits of medicinal plants as supplementary treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.

The work of Dr Matlakala Claudia Ntsapi, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the UFS, focuses on preserving human brain health to delay or prevent age-related conditions.

According to her, while the primary focus is on age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s, the bioactive compounds in these medicinal plants may also have therapeutic potential for other neurological disorders, various types of cancers and Type 2 Diabetes. The broad protective effects of these plant-based bioactive compounds could make them relevant in the potential treatment of other diseases involving oxidative stress and inflammation.

She is involved in several multidisciplinary projects, collaborating with research experts from Denmark, the UK, and various national institutions such as the Central University of Technology (CUT), North West University (NWU), and the Stellenbosch University (SUN), as well as colleagues from the UFS.

The potential of medicinal plants

“In collaboration with experts from our institution, the CUT and SU, who have strong backgrounds in pharmacology and ethnobotany, we are focusing on underexplored medicinal plants and nutraceuticals. These plants contain bioactive compounds with potential neuroprotective properties, which are believed to provide extra health benefits beyond basic nutritional value,” says Dr Ntsapi.

“We hope that these medicinal plants have the potential to preserve cognitive function and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Specifically, we aim to identify novel therapeutic targets and discover new avenues for intervention that can improve the quality of life for individuals affected by age-related brain conditions,” she says.

Identifying therapeutic targets and discovering new interventions

The bioactive compounds found in selective medicinal plants and nutraceuticals, explains Dr Ntsapi, serve as a promising source of ‘natural’ therapeutics that may be safer and have fewer side effects compared to conventional synthetic drugs. Additionally, the untapped potential of these compounds for neuroprotection and the preservation of brain health could provide innovative therapeutic solutions. These compounds may be used as complementary therapies to existing drugs, which often have limited efficacy on their own, thereby enhancing overall treatment outcomes for neurodegenerative diseases.

“By utilising cutting-edge techniques, such the innovative CelVivo ClinoStar 2 System, we strive to gain insights into the safety and efficacy of underexplored medicinal plants in preserving cognitive function and slowing disease progression.

“By exploring the untapped potential of bioactive compounds found in medicinal plants and nutraceuticals, our research group aims to contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the discovery of new avenues for intervention to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by age-related brain conditions,” says Dr Ntsapi.

The researchers, in collaboration with others in the UFS School of Clinical Medicine, will develop 3D cell-based models of the human cortex and hippocampus by utilising the CelVivo ClinoStar 2 System. This cutting-edge technology, housed in an easy-to-use CO² incubator, mimics ‘animal model-like’ conditions with low sheer stress, allowing scientists to generate cell-based models that closely resemble real-world conditions.

Dr Ntsapi explains that they will specifically focus on the technologies’ applications in studying age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The potential impact of this research is immense, as it could contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for combating the debilitating progression of neurodegenerative diseases, and ultimately improving the quality of life for affected individuals.

Hope for the research

“Our hope for this research is to significantly advance our understanding of neurodegenerative disease progression and to develop novel therapeutic strategies that can effectively combat these debilitating conditions. Ultimately, we aim to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases by preserving cognitive function and slowing disease progression.

“This research will contribute to the knowledge pool in this field, with the potential to lead to groundbreaking discoveries in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders, potentially contributing to the policy guidelines on how these conditions are managed and treated,” she says.

The international partners from Denmark and the UK have made their expertise and facilities available to postgraduate students from the UFS, some of whom they are co-supervising.

Dr Ntsapi, who is passionate about exploring innovative solutions to address the gradual decline in normal brain function associated with aging, was this year one the university’s nominations for the prestigious 2023/2024 NSTF-South32 Awards, popularly known as the “Science Oscars” of South Africa.

News Archive

Professor launches his book, opposition parties attend

2011-03-22

Prof. Hussein Solomon
Photo: Stephen Collett

“We are good in opposing people, but we’re less good in opposing ideas.” This was how Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS) introduced the book launch of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa.

The event was hosted in collaboration with the publisher under the title: Are opposition parties in South Africa in a crisis? This formed part of a series of dialogue sessions, organised by the Centre for Africa Studies, in the run up to the local elections.

Amongst those interested who attended the evening in the Senate Hall of the CR Swart Building on the Main Campus were various politicians, students, staff en a panel consisting of academics and the respective provincial representatives of the ANC and DA.

Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), acted as arbiter.

Proff. Hussein Solomon, author of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa, also lecturer at the UFS, as well as Dirk Kotzé, Head of the Department of Political Science at Unisa, delivered enriching lectures on the stance and positioning of opposition parties.

Prof. Hussein, who spoke first, circumscribed the context of the political climate in the country, based on his book. “The problem that political science encounters is that everybody becomes experts on the internet, while they have no experience of what is happening in South Africa.” He said that when political parties in the country are under discussion, voters often allow myths and/or stereotyping to influence their concept of it. ‘’If there are no opposition parties, there is no democracy and people are deprived of their vote.”

Prof. Kotzé stated in his speech that it was not only opposition parties who had to make the government watch its step, but also the status that the country acquired, amongst others, from its connections, i.e. collaborative agreements such as BRICSA and the country’s inclusion in the G20. He left the audience with a question about how they were going to become involved in politics, and with his rhetoric question referred to options like social networks and movements.

Mr Sibongile Besani, the ANC'S secretary in the Free State, said the DA grew due to it’s swallowing of other parties; something he claims is taking the country backwards. He also described the use of personalities by opposition parties as means of association a weakness. He added that voters will continue voting for the ANC because they can associate themselves with the party’s vision.

In contrast, Mr Roy Jankielsohn, provincial leader of the DA, said voters and parties unite under their core vision for the country as like in the case of the ANC during the liberation struggles.

During the question-and-answer session, which followed after Mr Jankielson’s speech, Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo, upon completion and summary of the discussions, stated firmly that the opposition parties are in a crisis. “The start of the solution is to recognise the problem. That is why our democracy finds itself in the state in which it is; because the opposition does not fulfil the role that they are supposed to fulfil.“ Prof. Kondlo is the head of the Centre of Africa Studies at the UFS.

He concluded by stating that the economic basis in the country was not transformed. “We cannot say that people determine their futures if they posses nothing. Opposition parties must start to communicate at this level in order to table something new. Our democracy must become more inclusive at political and material level.”

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