Effect of alligator pepper (Zingiberaceae aframomum melegueta) on first trimester pregnancy in Sprague Dawley rats.

Alligator pepper (Aframomum melegueta) is a spice that is widely used in many cultures for entertainment, religious rites, food flavor and as a part of many traditional doctors medications. Pregnant women are among those who ingest Alligator pepper in these activities. This experiment was carried out to determine the health risk or benefit of Alligator pepper to pregnant women if any. Fifteen male rats and fifteen female rats of proven fertility from a pilot study were randomly paired in fifteen cages in a well ventilated room. After three days of mating, the males were withdrawn from the females, which were allowed to stay in their separate maternity cages for 18-25 days. The females in the control group were fed with normal rat chow and clean drinking water ad libitum for the duration of the experiment. Each of the rats in the experimental group was served 20 g of rat chow mixed with 50mg of Alligator pepper for one day only and thereafter fed with normal rat chow and clean drinking water ad libitum for 18-25 days. The rats in the control group had a mean of 7 litters each, while the rats in the experimental group did not litter at all. It was concluded that ingestion of large quantities of Alligator pepper poses a health risk to women in their first trimester of pregnancy.

Effect of aqueous extract of alligator pepper (Zingiberaceae aframomum melegueta) on gestational weight gain.

Increased gestational weight gain is associated with higher rates of complications of pregnancy and delivery. Gestational weight gain of 9-12 Kg has been associated with the best outcome for both mothers and infants. However, weight gain in most pregnant women is not within this range, perhaps due to the difficulty of calculating the exact quantity, timing and duration of dietary restriction in individual patients that would bring their weight gain within the normal range. There is therefore a need to develop a drug or food supplement that would reduce weight gain without causing adverse effects on the fetus. Aframomum melegueta is widely used in Nigeria by most people including pregnant women for various purposes. It is against this background that the present investigation examines the possibility of its beneficial effects on pregnancy, using Sprague Dawley rat as the animal model. Twenty female and ten male Sprague-Dawley rats of proven fertility from a pilot study were randomly mated in groups of two females and one male. Three days later, female rats in the experimental groups were given intra-peritoneal injections of 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.5 mg and 2 mg of aqueous extract of alligator pepper respectively while the control had 2 ml of distilled water. All rats were observed for 18-25 days. There was a significant [P<0.05] reduction in gestational weight gain of the experimental rats. The litters were not adversely affected. It is suggested that the active component of aqueous extract of alligator pepper be determined because of its beneficial effect of gestational weight gain reduction.

In vivo chemotaxis of oxidised lipids: 1. Chemotactic effects of oxidised arachidonic acid on rat leucocytes.

In vivo chemotaxis to rat leucocytes was shown to mildly oxidised arachidonic acid in the migration into cotton pellet method. Amounts of oxidised acid, 0.25, 0.5 and 2.5 mg, mobilized net leucocytes (mostly neutrophils) into experimental pellets in 12 h. The 0.5 mg of oxidised acid showed maximum chemotactic activity and attracted maximum net leucocytes into the experimental pellets at 12 h. Doses lower or higher than this were less effective. Equivalent doses of pure arachidonic acid failed to show these chemotactic activities but evoked inflammatory reactions at the experimental pellet sites. Chemotactic activity seemed therefore to require mild oxidation of the lipid. Oxidation also seemed to stimulate spontaneous migratory activity into the control pellets.

Staphylococcal protein A (SpA): a potent in vivo chemotactic agent for rat leucocytes.

Staphylococcal protein A had strong chemotactic attraction in vivo to rat leucocytes. Doses as small as 5 micrograms attracted net leucocytes into experimental pellets in 6 h. 50 micrograms Staphylococcal protein A showed maximum chemotactic activity and does greater or less than 50 micrograms attracted less net leucocytes into experimental pellets. The effect of time on the chemoattraction of 50 micrograms Staphylococcal protein A showed that it was an early chemoattractant. Chemotactic activity for this dose, shown by the chemotactic index, reached a peak at 6 h followed by maximum leucocytic infiltration, and almost disappeared completely at 12 h. Leucocytic migration into control pellets rose from 3 h and reached a peak at 12 h (later than the chemotactic peak). Staphylococcal protein A also showed in this study a "later reaction" from 24 to 36 h, resulting in local inflammation of the test site and rise in cellular response.

In vivo chemotaxis of rat leucocytes to N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP).

FMLP was potently chemotactic in vivo to rat leucocytes. Doses of 1 microgram attracted net leucocytes into experimental cotton pellets in 6 h. Maximal chemotactic activity occurred at 0.01 mg. Doses greater or less than 0.01 mg attracted less net leucocytes into experimental pellets. The effect of time on chemotaxis of 0.05 mg FMLP showed that between 3 and 36 h, chemotactic index remained above unity and rose maximally to over 1.5. Maximal chemotactic index occurred at 6 h followed by maximal leucocytic infiltration. FMLP showed early chemoattraction in vivo to rat leucocytes. Leucocytic migration into control pellets rose from 3 h, reached maximum levels at 24 h and remained almost at this level at 36 h. L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (MLP), studied as a negative control, showed a chemotactic index and chemotactic differential that rose and fell together between 3 and 36 h. The kinetics of migrating leucocyte populations in response to FMLP showed absolute polymorphonuclear leucocytes at 3 h and over 90% mononuclear leucocytes at 36 h.

Leucocyte migration into cotton pellets: a new in vivo method for the study of chemotaxis and leucocytic migration.

A new in vivo method for studying chemotaxis and leucocyte migration was developed in male Wistar rats, using the well characterized chemoattractant, N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-phenylalanine (FMP) as positive control, and dental cotton pellets. 2.0 mg FMP attracted the greatest net leucocytes into test pellets, while doses higher or lower, attracted less cells. Use of L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (MLP) as negative control showed that the method could be used to distinguish chemotactic migrations from other migrations. The kinetics of the leucocytic infiltration showed the predominance of polymorphonuclear leucocytes at the early reactions and the arrival of mononuclear leucocytes in later stages. Use of Staphylococcal protein A and trypsin demonstrated that it was possible to assay the activities of those chemoattractants which require complement activation for chemotaxis. However, complement was not normally activated by the technique. The method requires simple surgery, seems a good model for evaluating the in vivo applicability of the numerous in vitro chemotactic findings, and should possibly be used to develop agents such as drugs destined to produce changes in the inflammatory process.