Differential Immunomodulatory and Antioxidative Mechanisms of Lycopene and Coumarin Derivatives in Nigerian Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis With Therapeutic Implications

Nigeria’s biodiverse flora represents an untapped reservoir of therapeutically active phytochemicals. Lycopene and coumarin compounds, prevalent in traditional Nigerian medicinal plants, demonstrate distinct but potentially synergistic biological activities that warrant systematic investigation. To conduct a comprehensive meta-analytical comparison of immunomodulatory and antioxidative properties of lycopene and coumarin derivatives extracted from Nigerian medicinal plants, elucidating their molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential. We performed systematic searches across five databases (PubMed, Scopus, AJOL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) for studies published between January 2000 and April 2024. Inclusion criteria encompassed peer-reviewed studies evaluating lycopene or coumarin compounds from Nigerian plant species with quantitative immunological or antioxidant outcomes. Meta-analyses employed random-effects models with heterogeneity assessment via I² statistics. Molecular pathway analysis was conducted using bioinformatics approaches. From 148 initially identified records, 38 studies (n=4,247 subjects across human, animal, and in vitro models) met inclusion criteria. Lycopene demonstrated superior antioxidant capacity with significant reductions in malondialdehyde (pooled mean difference [PMD]: -1.45 μmol/L, 95% CI: -2.10 to -0.82, p