Antiplasmodial flavonoid from young twigs and leaves of Caesalpinia bonduc (Linn) Roxb

Young twigs and leaves of Caesalpinia bonduc (Linn) Roxb is used in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, as an antimalarial medicinal decoction together with other medicinal plant. In order to discover new antimalaria drug or drug lead and also to verify the traditional use of C. bonduc in this area, the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of crude extract, solvent fractions and compounds isolated from C. bonduc were investigated. In vitro antiplasmodial evaluation was carried out using chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum FCR-3 and selective toxicity determination was investigated using sensitivity study on Mouse mammary tumor FM3A cells as a host model. Ethyl acetate and petroleum ether soluble solvent fractions of C. bonduc showed antiplasmodial activity with EC50 values of 16 and 18 μg/mL and selectivity index (SI) of 0.69 and 0.29 respectively. Bioassay guided fractionation of C. bonduc led to the isolation of seven flavonoids, 7-hydroxy-4'-methoxy-3,11- dehydrohomoisoflavanone (1), 4,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-chalcone (2), 7,3'-dihydroxy-3,11-dehydrohomoisoflavanone (3), Luteolin (4), quercetin-3-methyl ether (5), Kaempferol-3-O-b-D-xylopyranoside (6)and Kaempferol-3-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1®2)-B-D-xylopyranoside (7). Structures of compounds 1 to 7 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compound 2 exhibited moderate antiplasmodial activity with EC50 and SI values of 33 μM and 0.33 respectively while compounds 1, 3 to 7 showed insignificant antiplasmodial activity. The investigation revealed that the moderate antiplasmodial activity exhibited by the solvent fractions of C. bonduc might be mediated by 4,4'-dihydroxy-2'-methoxy-chalcone

Antiplasmodial activity of quinine-zinc complex and chloroquine: A comparative in vitro assessment

The evolving and complicating drug resistance exhibited by strains of Plasmodium falciparum to existing antimalarials like chloroquine and quinine (which are relatively more affordable than recent drugs) and advances in metal-drug complex research instigated this work. The antiplasmodial activity of the Quinine-Zinc complex (QZ) synthesized by a modification of the method of Singla and Wadhwa was assessed relative to that of Chloroquine diphosphate (C) in vitro. Measurement of antiplasmodial activity was carried out based on the inhibition of parasite growth measured by the inhibition of schizont formation in freshly collected infected blood samples from malaria patients. A comparative analysis of the antiplasmodial activity of QZ against C showed that its antiplasmodial activity was significantly better than that of C (p < 0.05). The result of this study suggests that the QZ could have a better therapeutic activity against malaria than C

THE EFFECT OF ABO BLOOD GROUP CLASSIFCATIONS ON BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF HEALTHY ADULTS

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of ABO blood groups on liver function and lipid profile. A total of seventy (n=70) adult of both sexes were recruited into the study. All participants were assumed healthy provided they have not been on medication for a period of two weeks prior to their recruitment. Biochemical markers assessed includes liver function tests such as; albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Lipid profile such as cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Blood group O has the highest frequency of 42 %, while AB has the lowest frequency of 12.9 %. A significant positive correlation was seen between weight and BMI also a negative correlation was seen between total cholesterol and BMI. There was no significant difference in the levels of ALT and triglyceride. In the blood group A, results of the liver function test reveals that the activity of AST and albumin decreased significantly for the liver function test among the blood groups (p< 0.05). The level of blood total cholesterol increased significantly (p< 0.05) in blood group B; but decreased significantly in blood group A and AB (p< 0.05) among the blood groups for the lipid profile assay. These assays show significant differences within the ABO blood groups; this may be an indicator of health status with respect to ABO blood group based on the knowledge of what we know of polymorphisms, that individuals belonging to the different blood groups are not equally viable

Evaluation of Biochemical Toxicity and Antioxidant Properties of Pioglitazone on Albino Wistar Rats

Pioglitazone is one of the thiazolidinedione anti-diabetic drugs which have been used for the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. This study aims at investigating the biochemical effects and safety of pioglitazone (PIO) at various concentrations in female Wistar rats. A total of 28 rats were randomly divided into four groups of seven animals each. Groups 1-4 were given 0.5 mL kgG1 b.wt., dayG1 of distilled water as normal control; 15, 30 and 45 mg kgG1 b.wt., dayG1 of PIO, respectively as treatment groups 2, 3 and 4, respectively for 28 days. Using standard biochemical kits and reported chemical procedures, plasma biochemical parameter and organ lipid peroxidation effects were determined in all the groups. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in plasma total protein concentration of group 3 and 4 in comparison with control. There was also significant (p<0.05) reduction in total and LDL cholesterols in PIO-treated groups and concentration of TBARS was reduced in the liver and heart of PIO-treated groups in comparison with normal control. There was no significant alteration in the concentrations and activities of liver and kidney function markers of PIO treated groups in comparison with normal control groups. Pioglitazone at highest concentration of 45 mg kgG1 b.wt., for the duration of 28 days did not elicit any measurable biochemical toxicity on non-diabetic rat mode