DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN COCOA BEAN AND SOILS ALONG TOPOSEQUENCE OF COCOA PLANTATIONS

This study was conducted in April, 2018 to evaluate the relationships between Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in cocoa beanand in soils along a toposequence of cocoa-growing areas of Abia State, Nigeria. Twelve composite soil samplesand 10 plant tissues (leaves and cocoa pods) were randomly collected from twelve (12) different cocoaplantations along a toposequence (crests, upper, middle, lower and bottom) for laboratory analyses. Theconcentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in both plant tissues and soils were determined. Results showed that the soilswere sandy clay loam, strongly acidic, low in organic matter and sufficient in the four heavy metals contents. Thecontent of coca-cola extractable Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in soils, cocoa bean and leaf varied significantly along the soiltoposequence. The bioavailability of the metals in soils and in plant tissues were in the order: Cu>Zn>Fe>Mn,while, the comparative abundance of the four metals followed the order: cocoa bean > leaves > soil. Significantpositive relationships were also established between the metals in cacao tissues and corresponding levels ofbioavailability in soils. This suggests that, the primary source of the heavy metals in cocoa beans could be linkedto its primary uptake from the soils and secondary from the leaf sprayed with metals containing pesticides. Thisresult can possibly be used as predictive parameter for evaluating Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn levels in cacao bean andcocoa products

Serum protein and enzyme levels in rats following administration of ethanolic leaf extract of Ageratum conyzoides (goat weed)

The potential hepatotoxic effects following oral administration of ethanolic leaf extract of Ageratum conyzoides (goat weed) was investigated in albino Wistar rats. Twenty eight (28) adult male Wistar rats were uniformly divided into four groups of seven rats each. Group 1 served as control while groups 2, 3 and 4 were respectively gavaged with 200mg/kg body weight, 400mg/kg body weight and 600mg/kg body weight of the extract daily for 21 days. At the end of treatments, animals were sacrificed, serum and liver tissues obtained for assay of total protein concentration and levels of ALT, AST and ALP. Results showed that treatment of rats with the respective doses of the extract did not significantly alter the serum and liver levels of total protein, ALT, AST and ALP in all test groups. This result suggests that ingestion of the extract may not be toxic at the doses investigated.Keywords: Ageratum conyzoides, rats, toxicological effect

Atherogenic potentials of some Nigerian meals

The atherogenic potentials of peeled grated cocoyam (Xanthosoma maffafa scot) "ekpang nkukwo", pounded yam (Discorea spp) with plain soup "afia efere", and plantain porridge (Musa paradisiaca) "iwuk ukom" meals were investigated. The three meals were fed to three different groups of albino rats of Wistar strain for a period of twenty eight days. A fourth group which served as control was feed with normal rat pellet. The mean total plasma cholesterol level in the pounded yam with plainsoup fed group was significantly lower (P< 0.05) when compared to the control and peeled grated cocoyam fed groups. The mean total plasma triglyceride (MTPTG) level in the pounded yam with plain soup fed group was significantly lower (P< 0.05) when compared to the control group. However the MTPTG level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain porridge fed groups were comparable to control. The mean HDL-cholesterol level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain fed groups were comparable control. The mean LDL-cholesterol level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain porridge fed groups was significantly lower (

ATHEROGENIC POTENTIALS OF SOME NIGERIAN MEALS

The atherogenic potentials of peeled grated cocoyam (Xanthosoma maffafa scot) "ekpang nkukwo", pounded yam (Discorea spp) with plain soup "afia efere", and plantain porridge (Musa paradisiaca) "iwuk ukom" meals were investigated. The three meals were fed to three different groups of albino rats of Wistar strain for a period of twenty eight days. A fourth group which served as control was feed with normal rat pellet. The mean total plasma cholesterol level in the pounded yam with plain soup fed group was significantly lower (P< 0.05) when compared to the control and peeled grated cocoyam fed groups. The mean total plasma triglyceride (MTPTG) level in the pounded yam with plain soup fed group was significantly lower (P< 0.05) when compared to the control group. However the MTPTG level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain porridge fed groups were comparable to control. The mean HDL-cholesterol level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain fed groups were comparable control. The mean LDL-cholesterol level in the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain porridge fed groups was significantly lower (P<0.05) than the control group. The LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol in the pounded yam with plain soup fed group was significantly lower (P<0.05) when compared to control. These findings suggest low atherogenic potentials of the pounded yam with plain soup meal compared to the peeled grated cocoyam and plantain porridge meals