Haematological and immunological effect of coadministration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina and Azadirachta indica on normal and diabetic rats

This study evaluated the effect of co-administration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (VA) and Azadirachta indica Linn.(AI) on haemapoietic and immunological indices of normal and diabetic rats. White blood cells which were non-significantly decreased (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats relative to the normal control, respectively increased and decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts of VA and AI to diabetic and non-diabetic test rats. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin content and red cell count as well as its derived factors (mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin and mean cell haemoglobin concentration) of both diabetic and non-diabetic rats were not affected by the treatment, relative to their respective controls. As compared to insulin treatment, the combined extracts significantly increased (p<0.05) mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of diabetic rats. Platelets number which was non-significantly lower (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats as compared to non-diabetic control was further decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) upon administration of the combined extracts and insulin. Diabetes induction significantly increased CD4+ count (p<0.05) as compared to the normal control. This was however decreased significantly (p<0.05) upon treatment with the combined extracts and insulin. The combined extract similarly decreased CD4+ counts in normal test rats as compared to the normal control. Combined extracts of VA and AI is non-haematotoxic and may possess some anti-inflammatory properties when used as a management against diabetes mellitus.Key words: Diabetes, haematological and immunological indices, Vernonia amygdalina, Azadirachta indica

Proximate And Mineral Composition Of Two Soups As Prepared In The South-West And South-South Regions Of Nigeria

The proximate and mineral composition of okro and ogbono soups prepared with two different Nigeria traditional (South/West, i.e. Yoruba, and South/South, i.e. Efik/Ibibio) recipes was assessed in this study. The crude protein, fat, Ca and Na nutrient composition (30.53 + 0.15% dry weight, 32.58 + 1.32% dry weight, 1132.42 + 9.26mg/100DM and 1803.95 + 130.47mg/100DM respectively), of okro soup prepared with South/South (S/S) recipe were significantly higher (

Effect of quality protein maize diet on liver integrity and serum aminotransferases of albino wistar rats

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of quality protein maize (QPM) diet on the histology of the liver and on the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in albino wistar rats. The AST level in rats fed QPM diet was 57.4 ± 8.92U/L which compared favourably with that in rats fed the reference casein diet (46.0 ± 8.48U/L) at p>0.05. There was also no significant difference (p>0.05) in the serum AST levels in rats fed the basal diet (61.2 ± 4.63U/L), common maize diet (60.2 ±8.59U/L) and the reference diet. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the levels of serum ALT in rats fed the basal diet (33.5 ±6.50U/L), QPM diet (21.6 ±3.98U/L), common maize diet (27.4 ± 6.13U/L) and the reference case in diet (21.6 ± 2.11U/L). Histological examination of the livers of rats fed the experimental diets showed mild degeneration of the hepatic vessels and a small central vein in the group fed the basal (protein-free) diet while the livers of the rats fed the QPM diet showed a smaller central vein but generally gave the same picture as that of the group fed the reference casein diet. The results indicate that consumption of QPM diet by rats does not have adverse effect on the liver. Keywords: quality protein maize, liver integrity, serum aminotransferasesGlobal Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 12(2) 2006: 189-19