ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Acute diarrhea is one of the major illnesses that cause death in children, despite clinical interventions and the use of oral rehydration therapy. Thus, there is need to discover other effective, affordable and accessible treatments for this disease. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of hexane extract of Citrus limon peel (HECLP) on castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Diarrhea was induced in male albino Wistar rats weighing 100-150 g. The antidiarrheal activity of HECLP at different oral dosages (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) was investigated by counting the number of wet fecal pellets. Animals were further treated with propranolol, prazosin, nifedipine and atropine to assess the effects of receptor blockers on the activities of the extract. The effects of HECLP on castor oil-induced enteropooling and the intestinal transit time of activated charcoal were also evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Each of the 3 doses of C. limon significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the number of wet fecal pellets produced by animals, with 20 mg/kg HECLP producing the highest percentage inhibition (34.2%). Wet fecal pellet inhibition by the standard drug loperamide (3 mg/kg p.o.) was 68.4% relative to the negative control. Blockage of β adrenergic receptors by propanolol abolished the antidiarrheal effects of HECLP. Intestinal fluid accumulation was inhibited by 68.7% and 78.5% by 20 mg/kg HECLP and loperamide respectively. Furthermore, 20 mg/kg HECLP significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the percentage intestinal transit time (21.4% ± 1.42%), relative to the control (34.2% ± 4.29%); atropine (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the percentage intestinal transit time to 11.2% ± 0.85%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggest that C. limon peel possesses antidiarrheal effects through antisecretory and antimotility mechanisms that act through the β adrenergic system.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Antidiarrheals , Pharmacology , Citrus , Diarrhea , Drug Therapy , Disease Models, Animal , Gastrointestinal Motility , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
The present study was aimed to compare the wound healing, free radical scavenging and cytotoxicity potentials of Jatropha curcas and Pergularia daemia leaf extracts. Quantitative analysis for some phytochemicals; flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, tannins, saponins and alkaloids were carried out using standard methods. Herbal ointments containing 50% (w/w) methanol leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas and Pergularia daemia were formulated. Excision wound measuring 7x7 mm2 was created and the ointment applied topically on the wounded area which was measured at intervals of 4 days. Blank ointment (paraffin base) served as the negative control while Povidone iodine ointment served as the standard treatment. On the 16th day, rats treated with the standard drug (Povidone iodine) showed 82.1% wound closure; J. curcas -treated rats showed 91.3% wound healing while P. daemia treated rats exhibited 97.2% wound closure, indicating an efficacy of the formulations. The ointment formulated with P. daemia leaf extract had the best wound healing potential with very minimal scar formulation. The phytochemical screening revealed that the leaves of J. curcas and P. daemia contain tannins, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and glycosides. J. curcas had appreciable amount of saponins, however, saponins were not detected in P. daemia. The LC50 values for J. curcas and P. daemia were 586.79 μg/ml and 344.26 μg/ml, respectively while that of the standard (Potassium dichromate) was 62.52 μg/ml. The crude methanol extracts of J. curcas and P. daemia possessed free radical scavenging activities with IC50 of 90.83 and 214.16 μg/ml, respectively while that of the standard quercetin was 50.71 μg/ml. The results obtained in this study strongly support the verbal claims on the use of these plants for wound healing. It also indicates that J. curcas and P. daemia are potential sources of natural antioxidants and are relatively safe for the purposes utilized.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the antihypertensive effect of the methanol extract of the leaf of Napoleona imperialis (p. beauv) in adrenaline induced hypertensive rats (AlHR) and compared with those of Propanolol in a cross over design. Napoleona imperialis leaf extract and the commercial drug (Propanolol) were administered orally and through intraperitoneal (I.P) route respectively for one week. Effect of the extract on different biochemical parameters such as blood glucose, serum triglycerides, serum cholesterol, serum creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, pulse rate and body weight were measured utilizing standard methods. Napoleona imperialis leaf extract at the doses of 26mg/130±17g and 52mg/130±17g of body weight were given orally every morning during treatment to show the effect of dose concentration. Propanolol at a dose of 0.084mg/130±17g of body weight was injected into rats according to its pharmacokinetic parameters. The extract administered rats had significantly lowered serum lactate dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase and pulse rate compared to the non-extract administered AlHR group (P<0.05). Blood glucose, serum triglycerides and serum cholesterol were not lowered and significantly different (P<0.05) when compared with the control. These results suggest that oral administration of methanol extract of Napoleona imperialis may be useful for prevention and treatment of hypertension.
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This study was aimed to investigate the effects of chemical treatment as well as pasteurization on the shelf life of “kunun zaki” (a non-alcoholic beverage commonly consumed by the people of northern Nigeria), to increase the shelf life and preserve the quality of the beverage. Kunun zaki was produced by dry -cleaning, washing, steeping (sorghum for 24 hours and maize for 48 hours), malting for 72 hours at room temperature, wet milling, mixing, cooking and filtering to obtain the liquor. The product was treated with 0.1% sodiumbenzoate or sodium metabisulphite or their combinations. These were packed and pasteurized in bottles at 60oC for one hour. Another batch of samples were chemically treated but not pasteurized. Pasteurized samples which were not chemically treated served as control. Samples were stored at ambient temperature and monitored for changes in pH, titratable acidity, total solid, total sugars, acceptability and colour for four weeks. The pH and sugar decreased and the decrease was more pronounced in non pasteurized samples irrespective of chemical treatment. Titratable acidity increased in all samples with storage time. Pasteurized kunun zaki which received no chemical treatment deteriorated after one week of storage. Samples treated with 0.1% sodium benzoate or sodium metabisulphite or their combination without pasteurization deteriorated after two weeks of storage. Samples which were similarly treated and pasteurized were stable for more than three weeks. Pasteurization enhanced effectiveness of chemical preservation and acceptability of kunun zaki.
ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to investigate the effects of chemical treatment as well as pasteurization on the shelf life of “kunun zaki” (a non-alcoholic beverage commonly consumed by the people of northern Nigeria), to increase the shelf life and preserve the quality of the beverage. Kunun zaki was produced by dry -cleaning, washing, steeping (sorghum for 24 hours and maize for 48 hours), malting for 72 hours at room temperature, wet milling, mixing, cooking and filtering to obtain the liquor. The product was treated with 0.1% sodiumbenzoate or sodium metabisulphite or their combinations. These were packed and pasteurized in bottles at 60oC for one hour. Another batch of samples were chemically treated but not pasteurized. Pasteurized samples which were not chemically treated served as control. Samples were stored at ambient temperature and monitored for changes in pH, titratable acidity, total solid, total sugars, acceptability and colour for four weeks. The pH and sugar decreased and the decrease was more pronounced in non pasteurized samples irrespective of chemical treatment. Titratable acidity increased in all samples with storage time. Pasteurized kunun zaki which received no chemical treatment deteriorated after one week of storage. Samples treated with 0.1% sodium benzoate or sodium metabisulphite or their combination without pasteurization deteriorated after two weeks of storage. Samples which were similarly treated and pasteurized were stable for more than three weeks. Pasteurization enhanced effectiveness of chemical preservation and acceptability of kunun zaki.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-diabetic and wound healing properties of Cissus multistriata leaf extract. Diabetes mellitus was induced with alloxan and graded doses of methanol leaf extract of Cissus multistriata were administered orally to the experimentally diabetic rats for 28 days at 400, 800 and 1600mg/kg b.w for groups. Administration of the methanol extract elicited a statistically significant (P<0.05) reduction in blood glucose level in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The reduction was dose dependent. There was reduction in blood haemoglobin and increase in body weights of animals which were statistically significant (P<0.05) when compared with the control. Three groups of male rats each consisting of four rats were used for the evaluation of wound healing potential of the extract. Groups 1, 2 and 3 were treated topically with C. multistriata, Povidone iodine (drug) and paraffin base (negative control), respectively. The extract significantly (P<0.05) accelerated wound healing process compared to standard povidone iodine used. It could be stated that Cissus multistriata possesses hypoglycemic and wound healing properties.
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The relationship between some haematological and lipid indices were studied and compared in white albino rats using aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa) extracts. The effect of garlic and onion extracts were each tested with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg body wt. concentrations for 28 days. Biochemical parameters were assayed using standard methods. The extracts significantly (P<0.05) lowered the serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL) but increased the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) concentration when compared between the control and the test groups though there were no significant differences (P>0.05) when the effects of the extracts were compared at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg body wt. equal treatments. The results show that there was no significant difference between the effects of the extracts on the haematological indices. The total cholesterol and triacylglycerols concentrations positively correlated to the haematological indices. The results collectively indicate that the extracts have hypolipidaemic effects which were not significant to each other. The results also show that though the extract lowered the TC and TG concentration, they indicated a direct relationship to the haematological indices.