ABSTRACT
The hypoglycaemic effect of aqueous leaf extract of Murraya koenigii was studied in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The extract was administered orally at 100 mg/Kg, 150 mg/Kg and 200 mg/Kg bodyweight each to respective groups of animals (Groups I, II and III) for seven days. Group IV received normal saline and served as control for the normal rats. For the alloxan-induced diabetic rats, the same dosage pattern was administered to three groups of rats for seven days (Groups V, VI and VII) while group VIII which received normal saline served as control. At the various dose levels administered, the glucose lowering effect was more pronounced in the alloxan-diabetic rats than in control rats. When compared with chlorpropamide, the glucose lowering effect of aqueous extract of Murraya koenigii was significantly (p < 0.05) lower at the dose levels administered in both normal and alloxan-diabetic rats.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/drug effects , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy , Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology , Hypolipidemic Agents/pharmacology , Lipids/blood , Murraya , Plant Preparations/pharmacology , Administration, Oral , Animals , Chlorpropamide/pharmacology , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/blood , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Hypoglycemic Agents/isolation & purification , Hypolipidemic Agents/isolation & purification , Male , Murraya/chemistry , Plant Leaves , Plant Preparations/isolation & purification , RatsABSTRACT
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of ingestion of crude ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed on erythrocytes. Fifty male Wistar rats with average weight of 200g were divided into 5 treatment groups of 10 rats per group. Group A, served as the control and was fed with standard animal feed only while groups B, C, D and E which were the treatment groups, in addition were force-fed 2 g/kg/rat/day of the Ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed for 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks respectively by means of an endogastric tube and syringe. At the end of the experimental period for each group the animals were sacrificed and the erythrocyte number, packed cell volume (PCV), and heamogloin concentration values were determined. The result on analysis showed that erythrocyte-count, PCV and haemoglobin concentration values showed significantly decreased values [P < 0.05] between group B (week 1) and Group A, but groups C, D and E values showed a steady rise which were not significant [P < 0.05] when compared with Group A. None of the values fell below the normal physiological range of the experimental animals. This shows that Garcinia kola seed which has flavonoids as its active constituent has no long term significant toxicological implication with respect to the concentration given on the erythrocytes of mammals.
ABSTRACT
Serum iron concentrations were studied in two groups of Hausa women, one of pregnant subjects attending the antenatal clinics at a health centre and one of lactating subjects attending the centre's postnatal clinics. It was thought possible that the normal diet of the pregnant women had sufficient iron content to meet the women's increased demands for this metal. Of the pregnant women, 17% had serum iron concentrations of < or = 490 micrograms/litre [14% with microcytic hypochromia and a mean cell haemoglobin concentration (239 +/- 2 g/litre) indicative of iron deficiency, plus 3% with normocytic-microcytic hypochromia] and 7% had normocytic-microcytic cells and 525 +/- 25 micrograms iron/litre of serum. The low serum iron in 17% of the pregnant women may be the result of repeated pregnancies without proper child spacing, leading to maternal iron deficiency syndrome, or of infestation by the parasites that are prevalent in rural areas, or to both. None of the lactating mothers was found to be iron deficient and there were apparently no cases of haemosiderosis. Mean (+/- S.D.) blood haemoglobin concentrations (87.5 +/- 1.3 g/litre), packed cell volumes (32 +/- 3.2%), mean cell haemoglobin concentrations (274 +/- 37 g/litre) and serum iron concentrations (735 +/- 261 micrograms/litre) were all significantly lower in the pregnant women (P < 0.001) than in the lactating women (105.7 +/- 12.9 g/litre, 36.8 +/- 3.4%, 288 +/- 32 g/litre and 1154 +/- 277 micrograms/litre, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
