Phytochemical and microscopical evaluation of Desmodium velutinum (P. Beauv.) DC (Papilionaceae) used for pain management in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Microscopical examination was conducted using powdered samples, transverse and longitudinal sections of the leaves of Desmodiumvelutinum. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were carried out on the leaves using standard methods.The leaf powder of D.velutinum was cleared using chloral hydrate and little quantity of it was mounted on a clean slide using dilute glycerol and observed under the compound microscope for the presence of cell inclusions such as cellulose, starch, oil, tannins, and calcium oxalate crystals. Thin layer chromatography was conducted using prepared silica gel plates.The methanol extract was spotted at about 1cm from the bottom end of the plate using a capillary tube. The plates were developed in the glass tank while closed. Thereafter, the plates were removed, the solvent front marked and dried in an oven at 1050C for about 3mins. Each chamber contained plates, some for ultraviolet examination and others sprayed with different reagents, observed, and sometimes heated before observation.The microscopic examination of the leaf powder of Desmodium velutinum(Papilionaceae) and thin section revealed various anatomical features of the plant. The epidermal cells were cuboidal in form. Anomocytic type of stomata which range from 10-12ìm long and 6-8ìm wide were observed only on the lower epidermis. Calcium oxalate crystals were observed in between veins in fresh leaf and numerous unicellular covering trichomes were observed all over the epidermis. The thin layer chromatography(TLC) of the leaf powder of the plant revealed the presence of tannins, steroids, flavonoids and terpenes but absence of alkaloid

Ethnomedical survey of some of the plants used for pain management in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

This research is to evaluate the traditional pain management or treatment using plants in Lokoja. An ethnomedical survey on medicinal plants/recipes used in pain management was conducted between March and August, 2013 in Lokoja, Nigeria. Information on indigenous medicinal plant wealth of the people was obtained  using a scientifically structured questionnaire with key people who are recognized in alternative/traditional  medicine. Pain is called ‘oyizi’, ‘uwo’ and ‘irora’, in Ebira, Igala and Okun languages/dialects respectively. The  Ebira, Igala and Okun are the dominant tribes living in Lokoja where the survey was conducted. The  investigation yielded a total of 23 medicinal plant species represented by 23 genera from 17 families cited by 52  informants. Testing using Chi-square statistical test at 5% level of significance, there was significant  difference between the actual interviews conducted and collection rate depending on the differences in the sites where the interviews were conducted. The vernacular names of the plants were recorded in Ebira, Igala and Okun (the major local languages in Lokoja). From the ethnomedical survey result, Asteraceae is most  represented (17%), most of the plants are wild (65%) and shrub has the largest representation (39%). The  mode of administration (mostly oral or topical) and dosageregimen were also reported. The findings in this research have provided useful information for the monograph of the plants surveyed.Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Management, Pain, Plants, Surve

Pharmacognostic investigation of the leaves of Gisekia pharnacioides

Pharacognostic investigation of the fresh, powdered and anatomical sections of the leaves of Gisekia pharnacioides Linn was carried out to determine its macro- and microscopical characters and also some of its physical constants. Externally, the leaves possess a symmetrical base, an entire margin,obtuse apex and a pilose surface. Internally, its shows the presences of an anisocytic stomata, unicellular, uniseriated-covering trichomes with swollen base and an acute apex, prism and clustered crystals of calcium oxalate and fiber elements. The chemo-microscopy revealed the presences of lignin,mucilage, proteins, starch grains, fats and oils. Phytochemical studies of the powdered leaves revealed the presences of tannins, alkaloids, resins, cardiac glycosides, flavoniods and some carbohydrates. The results of the study could be useful in setting some diagnostic indices for the identification and preparation of a monograph of the plan

Inhibitory Effect of Garcinia kola Heckel (Clusiacea) Seed Extracts on Some Key Enzymes Linked to Diabetes Mellitus

Enzymes linked with diabetes mellitus and Phytochemical characterization of its bioactive constituents. Crude n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were prepared successively in a soxhlet apparatus at 50ºC. Subsequently, extraction of crude enzymes from porcine pancreas and rat intestine, thin layer chromatographic analysis (TLC), and inhibitory effects of the extracts on b-amylase and b-glucosidase were determined in vitro. The results reveal that G. kola seed extracts inhibited b-amylase (IC50=  4.89 mg/ml, 3.44 mg/ml, 0.78 mg/ml) and b-glucosidase (IC50= 10.29 mg/ml, 1.68 mg/ml, 2.67 mg/ ml) corresponding to n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol gradient extracts. n-hexane extract had the highest inhibitory effect on b-amylase, while methanol extract was highest on b-glucosidase. Characterization of the bioactive constituents of the extracts using TLC analysis revealed the presence of steroids/triterpenes and phenolic compounds with phenolic compounds appearing in all extracts irrespective of the solvent polarity used for extraction. Anthraquinone and alkaloids were confirmed absent on TLC. This enzyme inhibition could be one of the possible pathways by which G. kola elicits its antidiabetic properties. Furthermore, the enzyme inhibitory properties of the extracts can be attributed to the presence of steroids/triterpenes, phenolic compounds in the seeds of G. kola.Keywords: Garcinia kola, b-amylase, b-glucosidase, TLC, Inhibitory Effec