Evaluation Of The Anti-Arthritic Activity Of The Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract Of Alchornea Cordifolia In Rats

Background: Different decoctions of Alchornea cordifolia leaves are used by Yoruba herbalists (Southwest Nigeria) for the local treatment of ulcers, rheumatic pains, febrile convulsions, and for enhancing physical performance.Materials and methods: In this study, the anti-arthritic effect of 100 – 400 mg/kg/day of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia (HEAC) was investigated in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritic rats as a way of evaluating its efficacy in the local management of arthritis. In addition, the effects of HEAC on liver and renal function parameters as well as its effect on the antioxidant enzyme system were investigated. Arthritis was induced using 0.1 ml of 10 mg/ml of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) following 1 h oral pretreatment and 8th day postarthritic induction with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg/day of HEAC and 3 mg/kg/day of celecoxib as the reference drug. The anti-arthritic activity of HEAC was assessed based on the ability of HEAC to alter the paw edema diameter, body weight, full blood count, renal and liver function markers, glycoprotein, lysosomal enzymes and possible antioxidant potential in the arthritic rats.Results: Oral pretreatment with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day of HEAC produced significant (p<0.001, p<0.05 and p<0.01) reductions in the paw edema diameter in a non-dose dependent fashion in ACF-induced arthritic rats with the 100 mg/kg/day of HEAC producing the most significant antiarthritic effect. Similarly, HEAC increased hepatic GSH levels, CAT and SOD activities suggesting possible antioxidant mechanism for its antiarthritic effect.Conclusion: Overall, results of this study lend credence to the folkloric use of water decoction of Alchornea cordifolia leaves against rheumatoid arthritis. However, further pharmacological investigations would be required at isolating and determining the active anti-arthritic molecule(s) in HEAC in the nearest future.Key words: Complete Freund’s Adjuvant, Arthritis, Hydroethanolic leaf extract, Alchornea cordifolia, Rat

Neuroprotective effect of olanzapine and fluoxetine in rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease in mice: role of antioxidant systems

Background: Depression may antedate motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is usually of moderate or mild intensity. Moreover, depression is of major impact on the quality of life in PD patients according to a recent survey. Conversely, drug-induced psychosis is one of the major therapeutic challenges in Parkinson's disease and may occur in up to 6% in otherwise uncomplicated de novo patients when first receiving dopaminergic therapy.Objective: This study sought to investigate the protective effect of olanzapine and fluoxetine when used alone or in combination against rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in mice.Methods: Olanzapine (1, 5, 10 mg/kg), fluoxetine (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) or sub-effective doses of olanzapine (1 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (5 mg/kg, respectively) were given to mice orally for 30 days. PD-like behaviour was induced with rotenone (2 mg/kg, i.p., in sunflower oil for 28 days from day 3). The effects on motor coordination were assessed using open field test (OFT), bar test and rotarod test while memory function was investigated using the elevated plus maze test (EPM). On day 28, animals were sacrificed for biochemical estimation of oxidative and nitrosative stress parameters in the brains.Results: Acute treatment with olanzapine (1, 5, 10 mg/kg) did not affect blood glucose level. However, coadministration of sub-effective doses of olanzapine (1 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) showed significant (P<0.01) increase in the level of blood glucose. Subchronic treatment of mice with olanzapine (1, 5 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10, 20 mg/kg) significantly attenuated rotenoneinduced catalepsy in mice similar to the effect of trihexyphenidyl (reference drug) between days 8 and 16. However, by day 24 of treatment, olanzapine (5, 10 mg/kg) showed a dose-dependent increase in rotenone-induced catalepsy but not fluoxetine or olanzapine-fluoxetine combination. In addition, rotenone induced significant (p<0.01) motor deficit which was reversed by olanzapine (1 mg/kg) but not 5 and 10 mg/kg treatment in OFT. Moreover, fluoxetine treatment enhanced ambulatory activity of the animals. However, pretreatment of mice with olanzapine (1, 5, 10 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) failed to prevent rotenone-induced memory deficit on days 9 and 10. In contrast, rotenone increased (P<0.001) brain malondialdehyde and nitrite generation with concomitant decrease in the level of reduced glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase. Conversely, olanzapine (1, 5 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10, 20 mg/kg) treatment significantly attenuated the effect of rotenone.Conclusion: These findings suggest that olanzapine and fluoxetine (alone or in combination) could protect against rotenone-induced motor deficit through enhancement of  brain antioxidant systems. Thus suggesting that olanzapine and fluoxetine could be used as adjuvants in the treatment of PD.Keywords: Rotenone; elevated plus maze; bar test; glutathione; malondialdehyd

Antidiarrhoeal Activity of Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum Lam. Kurtz (Crassulaceae)

Background: Bryophyllum pinnatum Lam. Kurtz (Crassulaceae) is used in traditional African medicine in the treatment of diarrhoea.Objective: To investigate the antidiarrhoeal action of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum (BP).Methods: Normal intestinal transit, castor oil-induced intestinal transit, castor oil-induced diarrhoea, gastric emptying and enteropooling models in rodents were used to investigate antidiarrhoeal effect. The possible mechanism of antidiarrhoeal activity was investigated using prazosin (1 mg/kg, s.c; α adrenoceptor antagonist), 1 yohimbine (1 mg/kg, s.c; α adrenoceptor antagonist), 2 propranolol (1 mg/kg, i.p; β- adrenoceptor non-selective antagonist), atropine (1 mg/kg, s.c; muscarinic cholinergicantagonist), pilocarpine (1 mg/kg, s.c; muscarinic cholinergic agonist), and isosorbide dinitrate (IDN) (150 mg/kg, p.o; nitric oxide donor).Results: BP (25-100 mg/kg, p.o) produced dosedependent and significant (P<0.001) decrease in intestinal propulsion in normal and castor  oil-induced intestinal transit models in comparison to distilled water (10 ml/kg, p.o.) treated control. This antidiarrhoeal effect was inhibitedby propranolol pretreatment but yohimbine, prazosin, or atropine pretreatment failed to block this effect. BP treatment reduced the increased peristaltic activity induced by pilocarpine, however, co-treatment with IDNsignificantly (P<0.001) enhanced the antidiarrhoeal effect of the extract. In castor oil-induced diarrhoea test, the extract produced a dose-dependent and significant (P<0.001) increase in onset of diarrhoea, decreased diarrhoea score, the number and weight of wet stools when compared to control. The in vivo antidiarrhoeal index (ADIin) of 53.52 produced by the extract (50 mg/kg, p.o.) was vivo similar to 76.28 ADI produced by morphine (10 mg/kg, in vivo s.c.). The extract produced dose- dependent and significant (P<0.05; P<0.001) decrease in the weight and volume of intestinal content in the intestinal fluid accumulation model. In gastric emptying test, BP treatment reduced the quantity of test meal emptied in 1 h but not significant.Conclusion: The results showed that the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum possesses antidiarrhoeal activity possibly mediated by interaction with â adrenoceptor, muscarinic cholinergic receptor and nitricoxide pathway.Keywords: Bryophyllum pinnatum; diarrhoea; muscariniccholinergic; nitrergic pathway; β-adrenoceptor

Metformin prevented dopaminergic neurotoxicity induced by 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine administration

Metformin, a well-known antidiabetic drug, has recently been proposed to promote neurogenesis and to have a neuroprotective effect on the neurodegenerative processes induced by the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in models of Parkinson’s disease. Interestingly, metformin has antioxidant properties and is involved in regulating the production of cytokines released during the neuroinflammatory process. Several studies have reported that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a recreational drug mostly consumed by young adults, produces a persistent loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and caudate putamen (CPu) of mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of metformin against short- and long-term neurotoxicity induced by MDMA and its role on MDMA-induced hyperthermia. Adult mice received metformin (2 × 200 mg/kg, 11-h intervals, administered orally), MDMA (4 × 20 mg/kg, 2-h interval, administered intraperitoneally), or MDMA plus metformin (2 × 200 mg/kg, 1 h before the first MDMA administration and 4 h after the last). On the second and third day, mice were treated with vehicle or metformin (1 × 200 mg/kg) and sacrificed 48 h and 7 days after the last MDMA administration. The neuroprotective effect of metformin on MDMA-induced dopaminergic damage was evaluated by dopamine transporter (DAT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry in SNc and CPu. Metformin prevented the MDMA-induced loss of TH-positive neurons in the SNc and TH- and DAT-positive fibers in CPu, both at 48 h and 7 days after the last MDMA administration. These results show that metformin is neuroprotective against the short- and long-lasting dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by MDM

In Vivo antimicrobial activities of Allium cepa on cultured adult Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

The design of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Allium cepa in cultured Clarias gariepinus. The proximate compositions and Mineral assay of whole A. cepa bulb and experimental diets were determined using standard methods. Microbial susceptibility assay was carried out in vitro on Staphloccocus aureus and Escherichia coli using Agar well diffusion. Bacterial isolation and identification from the different treatments and control was carried out according to standard methods. High moisture content (89.25 %) was recorded followed by carbohydrate (9.45%) and crude protein (7.21%). Experimental and control diets revealed 50 % and above crude protein content. In vitro susceptibility test of the various onion extracts and antibiotic shows susceptibility of the reference strains to the onion extracts. Bacterial isolation and identification showed the presence of pathogenic gram positive and negative coli and bacilli respectively. Results obtained for total fungi counts show the presence of both systemic and superficial fungi. Lower bacteria and fungi counts were observed 14 days after the withdrawal of experimental diets. Conclusively, onion can be used as antimicrobial agent in the culture of Clarias gariepinus

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Breast Cancer Screening among Nurses in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos Nigeria

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