ABSTRACT
Aim: To measure respiratory burst enzymes, pro-oxidants, antioxidants and red cell indices in Nigerian children with sickle cell disease (HbSS) below five years of age and compared with apparently healthy children with normal haemoglobin (HbAA). Method: A total of 45 subjects were recruited which included 23 children (age range 10 – 48 months) with HbSS and 22 children (age- and sex- matched) with HbAA. Blood samples were collected and red cell indices were determined using automated haematology analyser while serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidise (GSH-Px) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities were measured using ELISA kits. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), glutathione S transferase (GST), catalase (Cat), xanthine oxidase (XO) and glutathione (GSH) were measured with colorimetric techniques. MPO, SOD and Cat represented respiratory burst enzymes; MDA, H2O2 and XO were measured as pro-oxidants while GSH, GST and GSH-Px were the measured antioxidants. Results: Mean concentration of malondialdehyde was significantly reduced (5.56±1.12nmol/L vs. 6.46±1.11nmol/L, P=.04) in HbSS children compared with HbAA children. Similarly, mean serum activity of myeloperoxidase in HbSS children was significantly reduced compared with HbAA children (66.12±13.34U/mL vs 77.02±13.54U/mL, P=.03). However, there were no significant differences in mean concentration of serum glutathione, hydrogen peroxide; serum activities of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, xanthine oxidase and glutathione S transferase in HbSS children compared with HbAA children Conclusion: HbSS children in this population did not demonstrate raised oxidative stress.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the antimalarial potential of kolaviron (KV), a biflavonoid fraction from Garcinia kola seeds, against Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) infection in Swiss albino mice.@*METHODS@#The study consists of seven groups of ten mice each. Groups I, II and III were normal mice that received corn oil, KV1 and chloroquine (CQ), respectively. Groups IV, V, VI and VII were infected mice that received corn oil, CQ, KV1 and KV2, respectively. CQ, KV1 and KV2 were given at 10-, 100- and 200-mg/kg daily, respectively for three consecutive days.@*RESULTS@#Administration of KV1 and KV2 significantly (P<0.05) suppressed P. berghei-infection in the mice by 85% and 90%, respectively, while CQ produced 87% suppression relative to untreated infected group after the fifth day of treatment. Also, KV2 significantly (P<0.05) increased the mean survival time of the infected mice by 175%. The biflavonoid prevented a drastic reduction in PCV from day 4 of treatment, indicating its efficacy in ameliorating anaemia. Significant (P<0.05) oxidative stress assessed by the elevation of serum and hepatic malondialdehydewere observed in untreated P. berghei-infected mice. Specifically, serum and hepatic malondialdehyde levels increased by 93% and 78%, respectively in the untreated infected mice. Furthermore, antioxidant indices, viz; superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-s-transferase, gluathione peroxidase and reduced gluathione decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the tissues of untreated P. berghei-infected mice. KV significantly (P<0.05) ameliorated the P. berghei-induced decrease in antioxidant status of the infected mice.@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study shows that kolaviron, especially at 200 mg/kg, has high antimalarial activities in P. berghei-infected mice, in addition to its known antioxidant properties.