Phytochemical and anticonvulsant screening of three medicinal plants used in the treatment of epilepsy in the south-western part of Nigeria

The burden of epilepsy in developing countries made medicinal plants like Xylopia aethiopica fruit; Khaya grandifoliola, Alstonia boonei etc an alternative source in epilepsy management in the south-western part of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to provide pharmacological rationale for the ethnomedicinal use of the plants in epilepsy management. The oral medial lethal dose of methanol stem bark extracts of Alstonia boonei (MEAB) and Khaya grandifoliola (MEKG) and methanol fruit extract of Xylopia aethiopica (MEXAF) were done in accordance with the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development guideline. Quantitative and qualitative phytochemical profiling of the extracts was done. Anticonvulsant screening was carried out on the extracts (doses: 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg) using the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure and maximum electroshock tests (MEST). Results showed that the MEXAF has the highest amount of phytochemicals except for saponins in MEKG; and MEAB with the least amount (but higher alkaloid) than MEKG. The TLC showed different bands of spots of the extracts. In the PTZ test, MEXAF showed 100 % protection against mortality at 300 mg/kg; MEAB with 66.67 % protection at 75 mg/kg and MEKG 0 % protection. MEAB, MEKG and MEXAF nonsignificantly increased the onset of seizure and latency to death. In the MEST, MEXAF, MEKG and MEAB at 75 mg/kg protected 50, 33.3 and 16.67% of the animals against tonic hind limb extension respectively and nonsignificantly (p˃0.05) decreased the recovery time at a dose of 75 mg/kg. It was concluded that the extracts possess anticonvulsant activities hence, the pharmacological credence for the ethnomedicinal use of these plants in treating epilepsy.

Sexual dimorphism and determination using foot outlines, foot print angles, and foot indices.

Sex determination is one of the fundamental procedures in the forensic investigation during personal identification. Foot dimensions, prints, indices, and angles are assessment tools used by podiatrists and forensic anthropologists. The arch index remains a tool for clinical evaluation of the incidence of pes planus by clinicians. This cross-sectional study was performed to investigate sexual dimorphism and discriminate sex using foot and footprint dimensions, foot angles, and foot indices among the Ebira ethnic group of Nigeria. Bilateral foot outlines and prints were obtained from 317 females and 283 males using a digital Vernier caliper, improvised footpad, and A4 paper. The results revealed that in the right foot and print, the males' bare right foot length (BRFL), bare right foot breadth (BRFB), right arch index (RAI), right Chippaux-Smirak index (RCSI), right footprint angle (RFPA), right ball angle (RBA), and all the measurements of the corresponding toes in the prints are significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the females. The same trend was also observed in the left footprint except for the left ball angle (LBA). The stepwise, binary logistics regression model for sex determination showed that bare left foot breadth (BLFB) and bare right foot length (BRFL) were the single best predictors of sex with an accuracy of 72.5% and 71.7% accuracy. Other foot variables marginally increased the percentage accuracy at each step. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the sexing potential of the bare left foot breadth and bare right foot length to be 79%. Sexual dimorphism exists in all the foot dimensions, arch indices, Chippaux-Smirak indices, footprint angles, and ball angles, except the left ball angle. The sexual dimorphism in the foot variables forms the basis of sex determination, with left foot breadth and right foot length as the best sex predictors. Therefore, 25 cm can be regarded as the cut-off point for foot length and 9 cm as the cut-off point for foot breadth among this tribe.

Hepatoprotective potential of Tamarindus indica following prenatal aluminum exposure in Wistar rat pups.

Over time, the use of plant-derived agents in the management of various human health conditions has gained a lot of attention. The study assessed the hepatoprotective potential of ethyl acetate fraction Tamarindus indica leaves (EFTI) during prenatal aluminum chloride exposure. Pregnant rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 4); Group I rats were administered 2 ml kg-1 of distilled water (negative control), Group II rats received only 200 mg kg-1 aluminum chloride (positive control), Group III rats were administered 200 mg kg-1 aluminum chloride and 400 mg kg-1 EFTI, Group IV rats were administered 200 mg kg-1 aluminum chloride and 800 mg kg-1 EFTI, Group V rats were administered 200 mg kg-1 aluminum chloride and 300 mg kg-1 Vit E (comparative control). On postnatal day 1, the pups were euthanized, and liver tissues were harvested for the biochemical study (tissue levels of malondialdehyde, caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferases) and the liver histological examination. The administration of EFTI was marked with significant improvement in the tissue levels of malondialdehyde, caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferases. There was a marked improvement in histopathological changes associated with prenatal aluminum chloride exposure. In conclusion, the administration of EFTI was protective during prenatal aluminum chloride exposure of the liver in Wistar rats, and is mediated by the anti-lipid peroxidative, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activity of EFTI.

Neurobehavioral and Immunohistochemical Studies of the Cerebral Cortex Following Treatment with Ethyl Acetate Leaf Fraction of Tamarindus indica During Prenatal Aluminum Chloride Exposure in Wistar Rats.

Purpose: The recent increase in aluminum exposure and its effect on the development of the brain call for serious attention. The study investigated the behavioral and immunohistochemical changes in the cerebral cortex of Wistar rats following prenatal co-administration of ethyl acetate leaf fraction of Tamarindus indica (EATI) and aluminum chloride (AlCl3). Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups (n=4). Group I (negative control), Group II-V were experimental groups treated with 200 mg/kg of AlCl3 s/c. Group III and IV received an additional 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of EATI respectively, while Group V received an additional 300 mg/kg of Vitamin E for 14 days (prenatal days 7-21) via the oral route. The pups were then exposed to cliff avoidance, negative geotaxis, and elevated plus maze (EPM) test on the post-natal day (PoND) 4-6, 7-10, and 18 respectively. On PoND 21 pups were sacrificed, and the skull dissected to remove the brain. The harvested brain tissues were processed for Cresyl fast (CF) and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP). Results: The study showed that EATI administration during AlCl3 exposure was associated with significant improvement in sensory-motor development. The EPM, CF, and GFAP results revealed significant improvement in anxiety-like behavior, motor activities, GFAP expression, pyramidal cell count, and Nissl staining following prenatal EATI administration during AlCl3 exposure. Conclusion: The present study concludes that EATI was associated with some protective potential during prenatal AlCl3 exposure in Wistar rats.

Tamarindus indica ameliorates behavioral and cytoarchitectural changes in the cerebellar cortex following prenatal aluminum chloride exposure in Wistar rats.

Aluminium exposure has been linked with developmental neurotoxicity in humans and experimental animals. The study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of Tamarindus indica on the developing cerebellar cortex, neurobehavior, and immunohistochemistry of the cerebellar cortex following prenatal aluminum chloride (AlCl3) exposure. Pregnant timed Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups (n=4). Group I (negative control) was given distilled water, group II was treated with 200 mg/kg of AlCl3, group III were given 200 mg/kg of AlCl3 and 400 mg/kg of ethyl acetate leaf fraction of Tamarindus indica (EATI), group IV were given 200 mg/kg of AlCl3 and 800 mg/kg of EATI, and group V were treated with 200 mg/kg of AlCl3 s/c and 300 mg/kg of vitamin E for 14 days (prenatal day 7-21) via the oral route. Male pups (n=6) were randomly selected and taken for neurobehavioral studies, and humanely sacrificed via intraperitoneal injection of thiopental sodium. The cerebellum was removed, fixed and tissue processed for histological and immunohistochemical studies. The results revealed that prenatal AlCl3 exposure impacted neurodevelopment and neurobehaviour among exposed pups. Prenatal AlCl3 exposure was marked with delayed cytoarchitectural development of the cerebellar cortex and increased GFAP expression in the cerebellar cortex. On the other hand, treatment with EATI and vitamin E were marked with significant improvements. The present study therefore concluded treatment with EATI shows an ameliorative effect to prenatal AlCl3 exposure.

In silico design and analyses of a multi-epitope vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus through reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approaches.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV) is a deadly human pathogen that causes an emerging zoonotic disease with a broad geographic spread, especially in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the second most common viral hemorrhagic fever and widely transmitted tick-borne viral disease. Following infection, the patients are presented with a variety of clinical manifestations and a fatality rate of 40%. Despite the high fatality rate, there are unmet clinical interventions, as no antiviral drugs or vaccines for CCHF have been approved. Immunoinformatics pipeline and reverse vaccinology were used in this study to design a multi-epitope vaccine that may elicit a protective humoral and cellular immune response against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection. Three essential virulent and antigenic proteins (S, M, and L) were used to predict seven CTL and 18 HTL epitopes that were non-allergenic, antigenic, IFN-γ inducing, and non-toxic. The epitopes were connected using linkers and 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was used as an adjuvant and raised a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) that is 567 amino acids long. Molecular docking and simulation of the predicted 3D structure of the MEV with the toll-like (TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4) receptors and major histocompatibility complex (MCH-I and MCH-II) indicate high interactions and stability of the complexes, MM-GBSA free binding energy calculation revealed a favourable protein-protein complex. Maximum MEV expression was achieved with a CAI value of 0.98 through in silico cloning in the Drosophila melanogaster host. According to the immune simulation, IgG1, T-helper cells, T-cytotoxic cells, INF-γ, and IL-2 were predicted to be significantly elevated. These robust computational analyses demonstrated that the proposed MEV is effective in preventing CCHFV infections. However, it is still necessary to conduct both in vitro and in vivo experiments to validate the potential of the vaccine.

The use of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) in determining glycemic control (and relevance of BMI) in diabetic patients in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Nigeria.

This study was carried out to specifically investigate the local HbA1C level and determine extent of (if any) variation from the WHO (World Health Organization) recommended threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes using blood glucose as a benchmark. In addition, we also looked to see what role BMI (Body Mass Index) plays among subjects used for the study. 152 subjects were used for the study: 101 diabetic subjects and 51 non-diabetic control subjects. 5 mL of blood sample was collected from each of the subjects after about 8-10 h of overnight fasting. 3-4 mL of the sample was centrifuged and the serum analysed for glucose. The remaining 1-2 ml was transferred into EDTA bottles and analysed immediately for glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C). The BMI (kg/m2) was calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms (kg) by the square of the height in metres (m2). For the BMI, no significant difference was observed between the diabetic subjects (mean = 25.75 kg/m2) and the non-diabetic control subjects (mean = 25.09 kg/m2). Thirty-seven (37) of the diabetic subjects and twenty-three (23) of the non-diabetic subjects had HbA1C levels (mean = 6.96% and 6.29% respectively) that would imply either prediabetes or diabetes but were actually normal going by their fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels. A new chart for the interconversions between FBG and HbA1c and for predicting their expected values from each other was realized, drawn up and recommended for consideration in the management of diabetic patients along with the WHO recommended chart. There are a lot of normal individuals with HbA1c level that does not conform to (or that are simply higher than) what is regarded as the threshold for the onset of diabetes or prediabetes. Generally, the local (Nigerian) glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level can therefore be said to be distinctly higher for a given blood glucose range and should be taken as such in the management of diabetes in this environment. Being overweight or obese is not prerequisite to the development of diabetes or abnormal glycated haemoglobin level.