Acute Toxicity and Hypoglycemic Effect of a Polyherbal Formulation on Blood Glucose in Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Madam F. Kayes Bitters® is an herbal formulation commonly used in Nigeria and some African countries in the management of diabetes mellitus and other diseases conditions. This study evaluated the in-vivo hypoglycaemic activity, as well as acute toxicity of the polyherbal formulation to provide its efficacy and safety. Healthy albino mice (20-30 g) and Sprague Dawley female rats (90-130 g) were used for this study. Acute toxicity study (LD50) of the herbal formulation was determined by methods originally described by Miller and Tainter in 1994. Following oral dosing with glucose (2 g/kg) in normal fasted animals, herbal formulation (HF) at various doses was administered and blood glucose levels at 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes were taken and recorded. Diabetes was induced using alloxan 150 mg/kg and diabetic rats were given the HF at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg with glibenclamide 2.5 mg/kg used as standard drug treatment. Blood glucose level was determined on 1st day, 7th day, 14th and 21st day. The LD50 was greater than 5g/kg with oral administration. The oral glucose tolerance test showed that the group that received 100 mg/kg HF showed a significant reduction (p<0.05) in glucose level after 120 minutes when compared to the basal level of glucose recorded. All treated diabetic groups showed a significant decrease in glucose level on the 21st day. The herbal formulation of Hydrastis canadesis Aloe capensis, Echinacea angustifolia and honey exhibited a significant glucose-lowering activity in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Effect of Ethanol Extracts of Musa paradisiaca Fruit Pulp and Peels on Haematological Indices and Liver Enzymes of Experimental Rats

Medicinal plants usage in traditional medicine has risen over the years. Musa paradisiaca has been reported that it possesses various therapeutic efficacies. This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of parts of the ethanol fruit extracts of Musa paradisiaca on haematological indices and serum liver enzymes. Thirty Wistar rats were grouped into five groups of six animals each which were administered 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of Musa paradisiac fruit (MPF) pulp extract or peel extract. Haematological indices and liver enzymes were assayed for at the end of the 14-days experimental period. MPF pulp and MPF peel at 400 mg/kg showed a significant (P0.05) increase in haemoglobin concentration in the treated rats as compared to the control. There was also a non-significant (P>0.05) change in AST, ALT, and ALP level of the treated rats as compared to the control. Fruit pulp and peel of Musa paradisiaca improve erythrocytes count and haematocrit level, and they may not be associated with liver toxicity

Possible mechanisms involved in the protective effect of lutein against cyclosporine-induced testicular damage in rats

Oxidative stress and aberrant inflammatory response have important implications in cyclosporin-induced reproductive functions. Previous studies have shown that agents with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities might be beneficial in reversing cyclosporin-induced reproductive impairment. Lutein is a naturally occurring compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of lutein against cyclosporin-induced reproductive impairment remains in complete. Hence, we investigated the protective effect of lutein, specifically focusing on the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor-2 (Nrf2)/heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1)/connexin-43 (Cx-43) upregulation system against cyclosporine-induced reproductive impairment. Six male Wistar rats were allotted into 5 groups and given daily gavage of cyclosporine (40 mg/kg) and/or lutein (30 mg/kg) for four (4) weeks or in combination, respectively. The testicular antioxidant scaffolds: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), add to sulfhydryl (T-SH), non-protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S -transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), myeloperoxidase (MPO), testicular proinflammatory cytokines, apoptotic related protein, nucleic acids, sialic acid, testicular proton pump ATPase, stress responsive protein, BTB-related protein and total protein levels in the testes were assayed thereafter. Cyclosporin significantly increased NOX-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, MPO, caspase-3 and -9 levels, which were reversed by lutein. Lutein reversed cyclosporin-induced decreases in Nrf2, HO-1, BCL-2, cytochrome C, with corresponding increase in CAT, SOD, GSH, T-SH, NP-SH, GST, GR, GSH-Px, and Cx-43 levels compared to cyclosporin groups. Lutein also abates cyclosporin-induced alterations Na + -K + -ATPase activities. Our findings showed that lutein's protective effect against cyclosporin-induced reproductive impairment might be associated with mechanisms linked to its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties, notably through up-regulation of Nrf2/HO-1/Cx-43 signaling and down-regulation of NOX-1 signaling

Antihypertensive Drugs Therapy in Hypertension and Covid-19 Comorbidity

The novel coronavirus (CoV) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 outbreak began at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has spread to over 200 countries. Many comorbidities have shown to be associated with the severity of the viral infection with hypertension being one of the highest rated comorbidities since loss of the ACE2 receptor due to SARS-Cov-2 infection can lead to increased blood pressure. The effects and clinical characteristics associated with the use of beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and calcium-channel blockers (CCB) shows not to affect the outcome of covid-19, except in angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) which may have negative outcomes on covid-19 infected patients. Many comorbidities have shown to be associated with the severity of the viral infection

Antihypertensive Drugs Therapy in Hypertension and Covid-19 Comorbidity

The novel coronavirus (CoV) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 outbreak began at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has spread to over 200 countries. Many comorbidities have shown to be associated with the severity of the viral infection with hypertension being one of the highest rated comorbidities since loss of the ACE2 receptor due to SARS-Cov-2 infection can lead to increased blood pressure. The effects and clinical characteristics associated with the use of beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and calcium-channel blockers (CCB) shows not to affect the outcome of covid-19, except in angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) which may have negative outcomes on covid-19 infected patients. Many comorbidities have shown to be associated with the severity of the viral infection

The Role of Medicinal Plants in Diabetes Mellitus and Oxidative Stress: A Review

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrinology disorder of great global concern. It results from an irregularity in the secretion or action of insulin. It is a metabolic condition characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of some diseases such as diabetes, aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease, as well as liver and lung diseases. Oxidative stress occurs due to an imbalance between radical generation and radical scavenging. One of the main mechanisms for the development of diabetes complications is via oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a main upstream occurrence for diabetes complications as well as the development of insulin resistivity. Medicinal plants can be useful in the treatment of numerous diseases and some of their healthful effects are due to their antioxidant activity. Their antihyperglycemic effect is very much linked to their antioxidant potential. This review summarized the antidiabetic potential of some medicinal plants in animal models. There is a continuous need to explore the medicinal capability of herbal products with antioxidant effects in the management of diabetes mellitus