Changes in erythrocyte membrane properties following exposure to premium motor spirit (petrol vapour) and modulatory effects of moringa oleifera and vitamin c in wistar rats

Background: The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of petrol vapour on properties of Erythrocyte: osmotic fragility(EOF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and red cell indices as well as the comparative beneficial effect of Moringa oleifera and Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on the values.Methods: Forty adult male Wister rats randomly divided to four with ten rats in a group. Group 1: control, was given water and feed ad-libitum without any treatment. Group 2 (petrol only) were exposed to petrol vapour only without any pretreatment. Group 3 (Vit C group) pretreated wit Ascorbic acid (100mg/kg) before exposure to petrol vapour; and group 4 were (Moringa group) were pretreated with Moringa oleifera extract (40mg/kg) before exposure to petrol vapour. The exposure to petrol vapour was done 10 minutes every day for eight weeks. Exposure to petrol fume was generated by using human compressor nebulizer adopted for rats and connected to fume chamber where the rats were kept. The pretreatment was effected by gavage using the oral cannula, 30 minutes before exposure. At the end of the exposure, period 0.2ml of blood samples obtained from individual rat in each group were suspended in separate sets of Phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution of decreasing concentrations to evaluate erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF). RBC, PCV and Hb were analyzed from heparinised blood sample. The red cell indices were thereafter calculated. 1.2ml of blood kept inside sodium oxalate bottle was suspended in the Westergren tube for one hour.Results: There was significant increase in the fragility of the group exposed to petrol vapour only compared with control and the pre-treated groups. There was zero sedimentation with little or no rouleaux of the erythrocyte in the petrol only group compared with control. There was sedimentation with rouleaux formation in the control, Moringa and vitamin C groups, the difference was however not significant (p>0.05).Conclusion: The study concluded that Erythrocytes membrane became more fragile on exposure to petrol vapour, The degree of amelioration shown by pretreatment with Moringa oleifera was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of Ascorbic acid. Moringa oleifera was found to be more effective in protecting the erythrocyte properties following exposure to petrol vapour than vitamin C.Keywords: Erythrocyte osmotic Fragility, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Moringa oleifera, Ascorbic aci

Microbiota of gills and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolates from Clarias gariepinus in different holding facilities

Gill is a key respiratory and excretory organ in fish as it provides oxygen need for survival and excretes waste products. However, gills can be infected with pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria leading to increasing fish morbidity and mortality. This study was carried out to isolate, estimate and identify bacteria on the gills of Clarias gariepinus reared in different holding facilities. The susceptibility patterns of the bacteria were also studied using 10 antibiotics commonly used in pisciculture in Nigeria. A total of 84 bacteria belonging to 12 genera were isolated from the gills of 75 Clarias gariepinus. Gram-negative bacteria isolated included Salmonella species (3.6%), Pseudomonas species (7.1%), Aeromonas species (2.4%), Escherichia coli (13.1%), Proteus species (11.9%) Klebsiella species (3.6%), Citrobacter species (4.8%), and Shigella species (3.6%). Gram-positive Corynebacterium species (3.6 %), Staphylococcus species (20.3%), Bacillus species (19.0%) and Streptococcus species (7.1%) were also isolated. The result showed varying bacteria species when considering the different holding facilities. Greater than 50 % of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated were resistant to 5 and 6 different antibiotics respectively while greater than 80 % of all the bacteria were resistant to ≥ 3 antibiotics. The presence of these bacteria in fish predict subsequent impediment in pisciculture and may lead to socioeconomic losses, environmental contaminations and high public health risk. This study calls for concern and an urgent intervention on antibiotic stewardship among fish farmers. Keywords: Antibiotics resistance, Clarias gariepinus, Fish farms, Gills microbiota, Kaduna stat

The ameliorative effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extract on cardiovascular functions and osmotic fragility of wistar rats exposed to petrol vapour

The present study was aimed at evaluating the ameliorating effects of Moringa oleifera extract compared to captopril and candesartan cilexetil on cardiovascular functions and osmotic fragility of rats exposed to petrol vapour. Twenty five adult male Wistar rats (130g-200g) were randomly grouped to five with five rats in a group. Group 1 (control) was not exposed to petrol fume. Groups 2 (petrol only), was exposed to petrol fume only. Groups 3, 4 and 5 were pretreated with Moringa oleifera extract (40mg/kg), captopril (25 mg/kg) and candesartan (16mg/kg), respectively before exposure to petrol vapour, 10 minutes every day for eight weeks. All groups were given feed and water ad-libitum. Petrol vapour was generated by using human compressor nebulizer adopted for rats and connected to fume chamber where the rats were kept. The pretreatment were administered by oral cannula. At the end of the exposure, 0.2ml of blood samples obtained from individual rat in each group were suspended in separate sets of Phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution of decreasing concentrations. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) was determined by spectrophotometer. Electrocardiography was done using EDAN 10. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in EOF of the rats exposed to petrol vapour only. However, Moringa oleifera, captopril and candesartan cilexetil significantly ameliorated this effect. There was no significant difference in the amelioration of Moringa oleifera and candesartan cilexetil. There was absence of p-wave and significant increase in heart rate observed in the electrocardiogram of petrol only group, this was significantly restored in the Moringa oleifera, captopril and the candesartan cilexetil group. The results showed that exposure to petrol vapour elevated EOF, resulted in atria arrhythmia and increased heart rate. These effects were ameliorated by pretreatment with Moringa oleifera, captopril and candesartan cilexetil. The amelioration in Moringa oleifera was comparable with that of candesartan cilexetil suggesting that Moringa oleifera may be an Angiotensin II receptor blocker.Keywords: Candesartan cilexetil, Captopril, Moringa oleifera, Osmotic fragility, Petrol vapou