ABSTRACT
This study was aimed at studying the effect of solvents (n-hexane, chloroform and methanol) fractions of Cucurbita maxima (pumpkin) cuticular lipids on metabolic biomarkers of cardiovascular disease using L-NAME induced hypertensive rats. A total of thirty-six (120-150 g) albino rats were randomly selected and placed into twelve groups of three rats each were used for this study. Each rat was weighed and tagged and thereafter weighed weekly for five weeks of the experiment. Rats were induced with hypertension using 40mg/Kg body weight/24hours. Other rats were placed on normal feeds and water while biomarkers were assayed and recorded on weekly basis. Group I served as normal control, Group II were hypertensive control, Group III were induced with hypertension and administered with standard drug while Groups IV-XII were induced with hypertension and administered with varying doses of n-hexane, chloroform and methanol fractions. A slight alteration on metabolic biomarkers between the normal control group and hypertensive control group was recorded, which was reversed by the administration of methanol fraction. Thus, cuticular lipids from Cucurbita maxima might have some anti-hypertensive potentials.
ABSTRACT
Aim: The study is aimed at assessing the antioxidant potentials of Nymphaea lotusand Nymphaea pubescensseed oils. Study Design:It was designed to extract oil from the seeds and investigate their antioxidant properties to indicate their capabilities to improve oxidative stability. Place and Duration of Study:The research was conducted between August 2016 and January 2017 atDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Bayero University, Kano State-Nigeria. Methodology: 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and reducing power assays were used to determine free radical scavenging activities and reducing power potential of Nymphaea lotusand Nymphaea pubescensseed oils. Results:From the DPPH radical scavenging assay, It shows that the IC50value of the ascorbic acid (reference standard) was found to be higher (13.23± 0.16?g/ml) compared to Nymphaea lotusseed oil (8.82 ± 0.82?g/ml). The IC50 value of Nymphaea pubescensseed oil was also compared with the standard and was found to be (41.76 ± 0.98?g/ml) higher than ascorbic acid (13.23± 0.16?g/ml). The lower the IC50 value the higher the antioxidant activity of the oil. The order of the effectiveness of reducing capabilities of the oils was found to be N. lotusseed oil > ascorbic acid> N. pubescensseedoil.Gas chromatographic coupled mass spectroscopy analysis of the N. lotusseed oil showed that Dihydrocarveol (0.87%), Eicosane (1.10%), Lupeol (14.75%), Tetracosane (2.14%) and Viridiflorol (13.72%) were the major antioxidants compounds identified whereas Palmitic acid (23.57), Eicosane (7.65%), Oleic acid (37.85%), Tetracosane (3.10%) and Squalene (1.58%) were the major antioxidants detected in N. pubescensseed oil. Compared with standard (ascorbic acid), the results show that N. lotusseed oil possessed highest antioxidant potential. The higher antioxidant potential displayed by Nymphaea lotusseed oil could be attributed to the presence of these compounds that could act synergistically.Conclusion:Therefore, Nymphaea lotus seed oil and Nymphaea pubescensseed oil contains natural antioxidants that can improveoxidative stability.