Pharmacological justification for the ethnomedicinal use of Amblygonocarpus andongensis stem bark in pain relief

Amblygonocarpus andongensis (family: Mimosaceae) is ethnomedicinally used in Northern Nigeria for the relief of pain. The methanolic extract of the plant stem bark was evaluated for anti-nociceptive activity using acetic acid-induced writhing model and formalin test in mice. Anti-inflammatory property was tested on egg albumin-induced oedema in rats while agar dilution method was used for antimicrobial effect. The acute toxicity effect (LD50) was also determined via intraperitoneal route. The results showed the LD50 value to be 547.7 mg/kg i.p. There was a significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent reduction of acetic acid-induced pain at 50, 100, 200 mg/kg i.p. The extract at the same doses significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited pains in both early and late phases of the formalin test. However, the extract showed neither anti-inflammatory nor anti-microbial effects. The results corroborate the folkloric use of the plant

Evaluation of the aqueous extract of Boswellia dalzielii stem bark for antimicrobial activities and gastrointestinal effects

The aqueous extract of Boswelli dalzielii Hutch (family: Burseraceae) was investigated for therapeutic properties using aspirin-induced ulceration in rats, gastrointestinal motility in mice and castor oil-induced diarrhoea in rats. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract was carried out via the oral route in mice. Antimicrobial and preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract was also investigated. The extract did not show toxicity signs or death at doses O.O5) protection against castor oil-induced diarrhoea in rats. No antimicrobial effects were shown by the extract (200 mg/kg) against any of the tested organisms. Tannins were detected in the aqueous extract. The above results show that B. dalzielii stem bark probably contains some active ingredients that could be developed for such gastrointestinal problems as have been claimed by traditional medical practitioners. Key words: . African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(5) 2004: 284-28

Methylation at Global LINE-1 Repeats in Human Blood Are Affected by Gender but Not by Age or Natural Hormone Cycles

Previously, we reported on inter-individual and gender specific variations of LINE-1 methylation in healthy individuals. In this study, we investigated whether this variability could be influenced by age or sex hormones in humans. To this end, we studied LINE-1 methylation in vivo in blood-derived DNA from individuals aged 18 to 64 years and from young healthy females at various hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. Our results show that no significant association with age was observed. However, the previously reported increase of LINE-1 methylation in males was reconfirmed. In females, although no correlation between LINE-1 or Alu methylation and hormone levels was observed, a significant stable individual specific level of methylation was noted. In vitro results largely confirmed these findings, as neither estrogen nor dihydrotestosterone affected LINE-1 or Alu methylation in Hek293T, HUVEC, or MDA-kb2 cell lines. In contrast, a decrease in methylation was observed in estrogen-treated T47-Kbluc cell lines strongly expressing estrogen receptor. The very low expression of estrogen receptor in blood cells could explain the observed insensitivity of methylation at LINE-1 to natural hormonal variations in females. In conclusion, neither natural cycle of hormones nor age has a detectable effect on the LINE-1 methylation in peripheral blood cells, while gender remains an important factor