Antioxidant properties, protein binding capacity and mineral contents of some plants traditionally used in the management of animal wounds

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstrac

Ensuring quality in herbal medicines: Toxic phthalates in plastic-packaged commercial herbal products

AbstractThere is a proliferation in the use of commercial herbal preparations, most notably liquid preparations of plant material packaged in plastic containers. The quality of these herbal preparations has always and still remains questionable. A number of research institutes and research groups in tertiary institutions throughout South Africa have embarked on the development of quality control programmes to test herbal medicines for safety and efficacy. However, very few of these groups have placed any emphasis on commercial herbal mixtures. This paper describes some effects of toxic phthalates such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalates, (a common plasticiser) used in cheap soft plastics and its metabolites. Analytical methods for the determination, quantification and monitoring of DEHP in herbal remedies to ensure safety are also highlighted

Is oxygen supplementation necessary for patients under spinal anaesthesia? - A prospective hospital- based study

Background: Oxygen supplementation is given routinely to patients undergoing surgery under spinal anaesthesia, the basic aim being to prevent oxygen desaturation and hypoxemia.Objective: This study aimed to find out the incidence of hypoxemia under spinal anaesthesia and determine if oxygen supplementation is necessary for patients under spinal anaesthesia.Materials and methods: This was a prospective nonrandomised study, conducted at a central hospital in Zimbabwe: Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Harare. Fifty- nine (59) consenting patients, both sexes, ASA I-IV undergoing surgery under spinal anaesthesia with standard doses of heavy bupivacaine and fentanyl were recruited. Oxygen saturation was measured before the spinal anaesthetic and continuously after the spinal anaesthetic up to the recovery room, until discharge to the ward using a Datex Ohmeda pulse oximeter. Rescue oxygen supplementation was given to patients that became hypoxemic (SPO2< 90% for >30 seconds with a normal wave form on plethysmogragh).Results: The incidence of intra operative hypoxemia under spinal anaesthesia in this study was 1.69%, and there was a relationship between height of block and saturation change.Conclusion: From the study, it is concluded that it is not necessary to routinely supplement oxygen to patients under spinal anaesthesia

Genotoxicity of water extracts from hypoxis species

&lt;p&gt;There is a continuous search for new medication against many diseases. The main reason is that existing remedies have unwanted side-effects and that they may lose their efficacy with time. Traditional medicinal plants are seen as an important source of possible new and interesting therapeutic drugs. Many of these plants, or preparations thereof, have shown their efficacy over the years but they have not been screened for potential adverse health effects as is the practice for modern medicines. It is therefore important to test such plants or their extracts for potential effects on health. We therefore investigated the genotoxicity of a number of Hypoxis species. This is important as preparations from them were highly promoted in the popular press in South Africa as agents that can also boost immunity in HIV/AIDS patients. Yet, there are unconfirmed reports of toxic properties and hence warnings against the use of Hypoxis and their products.We performed an in vitro evaluation of the genotoxic potential of water extracts from the Hypoxis species Hypoxis hemerocallidea, H. colchicifolia, H. rigidula and H. acuminata and from a commercial preparation thereof using the neutral red uptake (NRU) assay, the alkaline comet assay and the cytome assay in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. The relative cytotoxicity of these samples was established by determining their NI50 values (50% inhibition of NRU), and these results were used for dose-finding in genotoxicity tests. None of the tested extracts were identified as genotoxic in both the alkaline comet assay and cytome assay.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Antiplasmodial, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory and cytotoxicity properties of Centratherum punctatum Cass. and its fractions

AbstractThe hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions of an ethanolic extract of Centratherum punctatum leaves were screened for antiplasmodial, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory and cytotoxicity properties. The crude extract exhibited both antiplasmodial (IC50=3.2μg/ml) and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory (IC50=72.8μg/ml) activities. A remarkable improvement in both antiplasmodial (IC50=0.419μg/ml) and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory (IC50=52.4μg/ml) activities was observed with dichloromethane fraction. The study revealed the antiplasmodial and HIV-1 RT inhibitory effects of C. punctatum and its fractions, especially the dichloromethane fraction. However, its safety index values [antiplasmodial (0.2), HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition (0.0017)] indicate that the fraction is cytotoxic