Free Radicals and the Role of Plant Phytochemicals as Antioxidants Against Oxidative Stress-Related Diseases

Free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from various sources in the environment as well as from cellular processes in the body are of serious health challenges. Overwhelming levels of these free radicals disrupt the antioxidant defense system in the body thereby damaging cell membranes and cellular macromolecules such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids leading to cell death or causing mutations leading to uncontrolled cell division. Once the cellular antioxidant system is disrupted and becomes deficient, oxidative stress emerges thereby promoting several diseases such as diabetes, arthrosclerosis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc. Better management of oxidative stress requires antioxidants from external sources to supplement the body’s antioxidant defense system. Because of their natural origin and therapeutic benefits, plants have been considered as a major source of antioxidants. Certain non-enzymatic plant phytochemicals such as glutathione, polyphenols, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, hydroxycinnamates as well as some vitamins have shown to possess antioxidant properties in vitro and in vivo. These plant phytochemicals are now been used in the prevention and management of oxidative stress-related diseases

Ebola Virus Disease: Progress So Far in the Management of the Disease

Ebola virus disease is one of the most deadly emerging infectious diseases in the world which causes severe haemorrhagic fever, with a mortality rate of 50–90%. Following the largest outbreak in West Africa in 2014 which was the most deadly of all time challenging global health, so much concern has been tilted towards the management of the disease. Some of the major global challenges that prolonged and escalated the gravity of the 2014 outbreak were the lack of prompt, reliable and affordable diagnostic tools, but most importantly no specific treatment and vaccines were available to manage the infection. Though certain non-licensed experimental drugs as well as vaccines were introduced during the 2014 outbreak that contributed towards the control of the epidemic, their efficacy was yet to be confirmed in randomized trials. Presently, a few rapid diagnostic test kits have been approved by FDA and WHO. Also, several experimental drugs and vaccines are undergoing randomized clinical trials with a few currently at phase III. Thus, it is our hope that most of these drugs and vaccines will be available in future to better manage re-emerging Ebola infections or outbreaks

Malaria and treatment: Herbal antimalarials as alternative to conventional medicine

For decades, malaria treatment has been championed by conventional medicine through chemotherapy. This was evident until the late 20th century when problems of treatment failure were observed as a result of the emergence of plasmodium parasite resistance.  In addition, the safety of some of these drugs could not be guaranteed as were found to be toxic and produce adverse effect. In search for solutions to the challenges of chemotherapy enveloped the emergence of herbal medicine as possible alternatives. Today herbal medicine is appreciated worldwide for the treatment of so many diseases and malaria. This paper reviews the current status of malaria and its management with references to treatment by chemotherapy. It also enumerates the pitfalls of conventional medicine which laid the foundation of herbal medicine on malaria treatment. Key herbal antimalarial plants and studies of their efficacy and safety are cited. In addition to their safety, some herbals plants were shown in some studies to be effective against resistant parasite strains. In conclusion, emphases on the contributions of herbal treatments in the management of malaria are outlined with possible suggestion to ensure quality using good manufacturing practices for a better management of malaria in the future

The pharmacological effects of topical ginseng root and leaf extracts (Panax ginseng) on the intraoccular pressure of experimental rabbits

This study investigates the effect of Panax ginseng on the intraocular pressure of rabbit eye. Methanolic extracts of the root and stem of Panax ginseng (5mg/ml) were topically administered twice daily for five days to rabbit’s eyes with increased intraocular pressure (IOP) induced with 1%  atropine. The IOP lowering activity of topically administered Panax ginseng root and stem extracts of induced IOP of rabbits eye was evaluated using the KOWA applanation tonometer. The root extracts (5mg/ml) showed a reduction of IOP back to base within 5 days compared to the control (p< 0.05). The stem extract (5mg/ml) was so toxic that it caused severe inflammation, which led to multiple and purulent infections in the rabbit eyes. The data obtained suggest that the root extract administered topically possesses IOP lowering effects which may be mediated through the dilation of ciliary vessels in the ciliary body and antioxidant activities

Mechanism and Health Effects of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Humans

Several heavy metals are found naturally in the earth crust and are exploited for various industrial and economic purposes. Among these heavy metals, a few have direct or indirect impact on the human body. Some of these heavy metals such as copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, magnesium, molybdenum, chromium, selenium, manganese and zinc have functional roles which are essential for various diverse physiological and biochemical activities in the body. However, some of these heavy metals in high doses can be harmful to the body while others such as cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium, silver, and arsenic in minute quantities have delirious effects in the body causing acute and chronic toxicities in humans. The focus of this chapter is to describe the various mechanism of intoxication of some selected heavy metals in humans along with their health effects. Therefore it aims to highlight on biochemical mechanisms of heavy metal intoxication which involves binding to proteins and enzymes, altering their activity and causing damage. More so, the mechanism by which heavy metals cause neurotoxicity, generate free radical which promotes oxidative stress damaging lipids, proteins and DNA molecules and how these free radicals propagate carcinogenesis are discussed. Alongside these mechanisms, the noxious health effects of these heavy metals are discussed

Effect of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) on the External Adnexia of the Rabbit Eye

SLS is an anionic surfactant used in the production of personal hygiene products such as tooth pastes, soaps, shampoos, shaving foam and other consumable related products. This study evaluated the effect of SLS on the tissues of the external adnexia of rabbit eye Varying doses of SLS (5mg/ml and 10mg/ml) was instilled on the eyes of New Zealand rabbits and the ocular status was observed for five days using a 20X magnification lens. It was observed that SLS was toxic to the external adnexia of the eye and caused some morphological changes. There was swelling of the eyelid, hyperemia in conjunctiva, tearing, discharge, photophobia and edema which were visible from up to day five with optimal changes on day three. The effect was dose dependent and more significant in animals instilled with 10mg/ml of SLS solution. The results suggest that SLS was toxic to the rabbit eye and increased dose could increase toxic effect on the eye. This study has exposed the effect of SLS to the eye and recommends minimal concentration in cosmetics and household hygienic detergents that can get direct contact with the eye

Determination of some soft drink constituents and contamination by some heavy metals in Nigeria

AbstractSoft drinks are consumed daily in Nigeria due to its affordability, characteristic taste, and thirst quenching potential. However, the high demand may compromise the quality of production with possible contamination of heavy metals which have shown to cause intoxication and death in humans. This study evaluated some constituents of twenty-six soft drinks in Nigeria and investigated the presence of some heavy metal contaminants. The soft drinks were screened for the presence of sugar, carbon dioxide, phosphate and alcohol as well as the pH and acidity determined. The level of cadmium, mercury and lead were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The study showed the presence of sugar, carbon dioxide, phosphate, and alcohol in the soft drinks. The soft drinks were acidic in nature, pH ranging from 3 to 5 with a mean of 3.6 and the acid concentration was relatively low between 3 and 12g/L with a mean of 8.1g/L. Lead was present in all the samples ranging from 0.17 to 3.39mg/L with a mean of 0.8, mercury was present in 22 samples ranging from 0.29 to 11.32mg/L with a mean of 2.08mg/L while cadmium was present only in one sample (0.149mg/L). When compared to EPA, WHO and NIS standards, the levels of the heavy metal contaminants were above the tolerated limits for good quality drinking water in most samples. These results suggest that soft drinks in Nigeria may be contaminated with heavy metals which constitute a major public health problem. Thus, quality control is recommended during the production process especially at the stages of sterilization and purification

Assessment of the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPAR-γ2 gene among type 2 diabetes patients in a Nigerian population

The association between the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPARγ2 gene, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and obesity in certain ethnic populations has been reported. However, this relationship has not yet been described among diabetes patients in Nigeria. This study investigated the relationship between the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPARγ2 gene, obesity, and lipid abnormalities characterizing T2D among patients in Nigeria. This case-control study recruited 73 T2D and 75 non-diabetic (ND) patients. Demographic and clinical data were collected and blood glucose levels together with serum lipid profile for patients were measured. Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPARγ2 gene was genotyped by restriction fragment length-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR). The PPAR-γ2 gene (amplicon size = 270 base pair) was successfully amplified for all samples. Following restriction enzyme digestion and analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis, amplicons from samples showed a band of size 270 bp and were of the wild homozygous Pro/Pro genotype. Ala12 variant was totally absent from the study population. Obesity, estimated using Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), was significantly higher (p 200 mg/dL), hypertriglyceridaemia (TG > 150 mg/dL), high HDL (>100 mg/dL), and low HDL (<50 mg/dL) was significantly greater (p < 0.001) in T2D patients compared to non-diabetic patients. Results obtained further indicated lack of significant association between PPAR-γ2 gene polymorphism, T2D, and obesity. However, obesity and dyslipidaemia were strongly associated in T2D patients

Relationship of oxidative stress and antioxidant response with vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell anaemia

Background: Though sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is known to promote oxidative stress, there is paucity of information on the relationship between oxidative stress and vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship of oxidative stress and antioxidant response with VOC in SCA. Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study was carried out at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu Nigeria involving 116 individuals which included 36 SCA subject, 40 sickle cell carriers (AS) and 40 healthy individuals (AA). Baseline information as well as the frequency of VOC was obtained from the participants and anaemia as well as oxidative stress and antioxidant indices were assessed in blood. Results: Anaemia was prevalent (88.9 %) in SCA individuals compared to AS (52.5%) and AA (47.5 %) individuals. Nitric oxide scavenging (NOS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as well as glutathione level were significantly (p&lt;0.005) lower while catalase activity was higher in SCA individuals compared to controls (AA and AS). Higher malondialdehyde (MDA) level was associated with very severe VOC while low level of NOS activity was associated with severe VOC in SCA individuals. Conclusion: Sickle cell anaemia exhibited oxidative stress and alteration in the levels of antioxidant indices which was possibly associated with vaso-occlusive crisis