Withdrawn: Effect of Fractions of Vernonia amygdalina on Some Biochemical Parameters in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats

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Pharmacological Evaluation of Selected Medicinal Plants Used in the Management of Oral and Skin Infections in Ebem-Ohafia District, Abia State, Nigeria.

Oral and skin infections contribute significantly to the global health challenges responsible for the current trend of increased morbidity and premature death. The purpose of this study was to document medicinal plants used in the management of oral and skin infections in Ebem-Ohafia Local Government Area (LGA), Abia State, and to characterize the in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activity. The thin layer chromatography (TLC) profiling of ten of the selected folklore medicine was carried out using a various solvent system of different polarity index. The antioxidant capacity of the plant extracts was evaluated using chemical-based methods, and its antibacterial effect was investigated using disc diffusion and microdilution methods. Sixty-one plant species belonging to 26 families were discovered, and the most frequently cited species are Euphorbiaceae (18.03%), Fabaceae (11.47%), and Asteraceae (11.47%). All the plant extracts showed a promising free radical scavenging activity and efficient ferric reducing antioxidant power in a concentration-dependent manner possibly due to their richness in polyphenol with TLC profiling showing maximum three bands of phytochemicals. Also, the plant extracts exhibited a mild to weak antibacterial activity against our panel of bacterial strains having MIC values ranging from 256 to > 512 µg/ mL reflected in their zone of inhibition at 10 µg/disc. The data obtained for Breynia nivosa (BN), Eleusine indica (EI), Cassia alata (CA), Chromolaena odorata (CO), and Acalypha hispida (AH) extracts substantiate the traditional use of these herbal remedies in the region and open the possibility for the development of cheaper and affordable drugs in the treatment of oral and skin infections. Further studies are needed to identify active ingredient with strong antibacterial and antioxidant capacities along with their molecular mechanisms.

Modulatory effects of dietary supplementation by Vernonia amygdalina on high-fat-diet-induced obesity in Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing public health problem arising from energy imbalance. The effect of 10% dietary incorporation of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) leaves into high-fat diets on some biological markers of adiposity and dyslipidaemia was investigated. METHODS: Experimental diets consisted of the following – CD (control diet); HFD (high-fat diet); and HFD- VA (HFD containing 10% Vernonia amygdalina leaves) supplementation. Fifteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of five animals each. After twelve weeks of feeding, serum lipid profile, blood glucose concentrations, body weight, adiposity index, feed intake, fecal loss and relative organ weight were investigated. RESULTS: Vernonia amygdalina (VA) inhibited HFD-induced weight gain and adiposity in rats. HFD-induced obese rats showed a significant increase in the levels of serum TG and TC compared to rats on a normal diet. However, the levels of serum TG, TC, LDL-C in HFDVA rats reduced significantly relative to the levels in HFD rats. Our results indicate that HFDVA reversed fatty infiltration leading to decreased body weight and fat tissue mass in the rats. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that incorporation of Vernonia amygdalina into high-fat diets may have therapeutic potentials for obesity and related metabolic disorders. Further studies to explore its possibility as an alternative pharmacologic agent to treat obesity are warranted.

Alpha-Amylase Inhibition and Antioxidative Capacity of Some Antidiabetic Plants Used by the Traditional Healers in Southeastern Nigeria.

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome including diabetes mellitus (DM). The inhibition of alpha-amylase is an important therapeutic target in the regulation of postprandial increase of blood glucose in diabetic patients. The present study investigated the alpha-amylase inhibitory and antioxidant potential of selected herbal drugs used in the treatment of DM by the traditional healers in Isiala Mbano and Ikwuano regions of southeastern Nigeria. Antioxidant activity was evaluated in terms of free radical scavenging, reducing power, and total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC) in consonance with the TLC profiling. The results showed that methanol crude extracts from Anacardium occidentale (AO) and Ceiba pentandra (CP) recorded higher TPC and TFC, potent free radical scavenging, and efficient reducing power (RP) as compared with other plant samples. All the plant extracts exhibited a relative alpha-amylase inhibition apart from Strophanthus hispidus (SH) extract with a negative effect. We discovered a mild to weak correlation between alpha-amylase inhibition or antioxidative capacity and the total phenol or flavonoid content. At least in part, the results obtained in this work support the traditional use of certain plant species in the treatment of patients with DM.

Aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina leaves exert their anti-obesity effects through the modulation of appetite-regulatory hormones.

CONTEXT: Aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Asteraceae) (AEVA and MEVA, respectively) leaves are reported to possess anti-obesity properties, exerted through unknown mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of AEVA and MEVA on relevant hormones and enzymes in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two Wistar rats were placed into seven groups. The test groups received 100 mg/kg.bw AEVA (AEVA100), 500 mg/kg.bw AEVA (AEVA500), 50 mg/kg.bw MEVA (MEVA50) and 200 mg/kg.bw MEVA (MEVA200), respectively. The positive control (PC) group received 20 mg/kg.bw Orlistat, while the negative control (NeC) and normal control (NoC) groups received distilled water. The extracts were given orally daily for 12 weeks. Thereafter, the concentrations/activities of relevant hormones/enzymes in their sera were determined. RESULTS: Insulin concentrations (ng/ml) in the test groups ranged from 1.08 ± 0.01 (AEVA100) to 1.09 ± 0.01 (AEVA500). They were all similar (p > .05) to the NoC and PC controls. Leptin concentrations (pg/ml) in the test rats ranged from 0.02 ± 0.01 (AEVA500) to 0.03 ± 0.00 (MEVA50), and were all similar to the NoC group. The ghrelin concentrations of only the AEVA500 and MEVA200 groups were similar to those of the PC group (0.10 ± 0.01 pg/ml). AEVA100 and MEVA200 resulted in adiponectin concentrations (ng/ml) of the rats (0.27 ± 0.04 and 0.28 ± 0.04 respectively) that were similar to the PC group. The activities of lipoprotein lipase and the concentrations of intestinal amylase in the test rats were similar to values obtained for the control groups. CONCLUSION: Appetite regulation may be the mechanism through which the weight-loss properties of AEVA and MEVA are expressed.

Moderation of hematological and plasma biochemical indices of sub-chronic salt-loaded rats by aqueous extract of the sclerotia of Pleurotus tuberregium (Fr) Sing's: implications for the reduction of cardiovascular risk.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The sclerotia of Pleurotus tuberregium are used in Southern Nigeria for the management of diabetes and hypertension, yet there is scarcity of information in the literature regarding the evaluation of the biochemical basis of its antihypertensive property, as well as the biochemical impact of its administration to the hypertensive. Thus, in this study, the ability of an aqueous extract of the sclerotia of Pleurotus tuberregium to moderate biochemical and hematological indices was investigated in normal and sub-chronic salt-loaded rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The normal and treatment control groups received a diet consisting 100% of the commercial feed, while the test control, reference and test treatment groups received an 8% salt-loaded diet. The extract was orally administered daily at 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight; while the moduretics was administered at 1 mg/kg. The normal and test control groups received appropriate volumes of water by the same route. RESULTS: On gas chromatographic analysis of the crude aqueous extract, 29 known flavonoids (mainly 47.71% kaempferol and 37.36% quercetin), four saponins (mainly 72.93% avenacin B1 and 26.80% avenacin A1), six hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (mainly 57.57% p-coumaric and 42.10% caffeic acid), ten carotenoids (mainly 58.44% carotene and 28.16% lycopene) and seven phytosterols (mainly 98.16% sitosterol) were detected. Also detected were nine benzoic acid derivatives (mainly 44.19% ferulic acid and 25.92% rosmarinic acid), six lignans (mainly 70.88% galgravin and 22.69% retusin), three allicins (mainly 71.92% diallyl thiosulphinate and 23.68% methyl allyl thiosulphinate), seven glycosides (mainly 84.86% arbutin and 12.01% ouabain), 31 alkaloids (mainly 48.82% lupanine, 32.26% augustamine) and 24 terpenes (mainly 60.66% limonene and 6.52% geranyl acetate). Compared to test control, the treatment significantly, dose-dependently lowered (P < 0.05) the mean cell volume, atherogenic indices (cardiac risk ratio, atherogenic coefficient and atherogenic index of plasma), plasma alanine and aspartate transaminase activities, mean cell hemoglobin, sodium, bicarbonate, urea, blood urea nitrogen, triglyceride, total-, non-high density lipoprotein-, low density lipoprotein- and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, and neutrophils, monocytes and platelets counts of the treated animals. However, it significantly, dose-dependently increased (P < 0.05) the hemoglobin concentration, mean cell hemoglobin, red cells and lymphocytes counts, plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol, calcium, potassium, chloride, creatinine, albumin and total protein concentrations of the treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: All these results support the use of the plant in traditional health care, for the management of hypertension, and highlight the cardio-protective potential of the sclerotia, whilst suggesting that its antihypertensive activity may be mediated through alteration of plasma levels of sodium and potassium, or increases in muscle tone brought about by changes in plasma calcium levels.

Obesity in young-adult Nigerians: variations in prevalence determined by anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis, and the development of % body fat prediction equations.

BACKGROUND: Overweight/obesity is a growing global public health concern. The variations in the prevalence of overweight/obesity, defined by Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHpR) and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), were studied and a prediction equation for % body fat (%BF) developed. METHODS: A total of 1584 subjects (56.4% males) were recruited for the study. Data on age, gender, height, weight, hip circumference and WC were collected from the subjects using standard protocols. BMI, WHtR and WHpR were derived using standard equations. %BF was measured using a BIA device (Omron BF-400). Appropriate statistical tools were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight/obesity in the population was 28.4% (36.3% for males; 22.6% for females) (BIA); 20.7% (17.5% for males; 24.8% for females) (BMI); 7.5% (1.3% for males; 16.1% for females) (WC); 2.9% (4.3% for males; 1.2% for females) (WHpR); and 15.4% (14.8% for males; 16.2% females) (WHtR). Taking BIA as the reference point, WC misclassified overweight/obesity the most for males (35%), while for the females, WHpR misclassified both disorders the most (21.4%). Correlation studies showed that only BMI correlated significantly, albeit weakly, with %BF among the males, whereas all the anthropometric measures, but WHpR correlated significantly with % body fat in females. Two prediction equations for %BF were generated, and %BF predicted with the two equations correlated significantly (P < 0.001) with that measured by BIA. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight/obesity in this population vary widely depending on the definition used. The developed prediction equations could be useful in resource-poor settings, but require validation.

Digging a little Bellow the Surface of the relationship between blood Plessure and Obesity: Dichotomous Correlations in Young-Adult Nigerians

The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and obesity is still controversial; and was studied in a population of young-adult Nigerians. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured using an oscillometric device while relevant anthropometric indices were measured and derived using standard protocol. Body fat (BF) was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated for the general population and based on BP phenotype; and scatter plots generated (for both sexes). The results show that in the general population; SBP was correlated with BF (males; r = +0.093; P 0.01; females; r 0.05) correlated with either BF or BMI. The BP versus BF or BMI curve shows sex variations; and plateaus once the BP value exceeds 120/80 mmHg. This dichotomous relationship implies that weight management may be useful in hypertension prevention in normotensive subjects; but may not be very useful; as a therapeutic option; in hypertensives