Moringa oleifera attenuates biochemical and histological changes associated with the pancreas in nicotine-treated rats

Objective: The study was undertaken in order to evaluate the beneficial potential of Moringa oleifera, in nicotine-induced pancreatic injury.Method: Forty-five adult female albino rats were divided into 5 groups A-E, each group having nine rats. Group A received normal saline; group B received 6.88 mg/kg of nicotine intraperitoneally (i.p); group C received 6.88 mg/kg of nicotine i.p. and 200 mg/kg of Moringa oleifera leaf powder dissolved in 2 ml of normal saline (orally); group D received 13.76 mg/kg of nicotine i.p., while group E received 13.76 mg/kg of nicotine i.p. and 200 mg/kg of Moringa oleifera leaf powder dissolved in 2 ml of normal saline (orally). Treatment was for 8 days and the rats were sacrificed after 24 hours of termination of study. Intracardial blood specimens were obtained to analyse blood glucose, while the pancreas was excised and either fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for histology or sucrose solution and homogenised for biochemical analysis of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) enzymes.Results: In comparison with the Control, animals treated with low dose of nicotine with or without Moringa oleifera and those treated with high dose of nicotine plus Moringa oleifera had reduction in body weights (p>0.05), while marked reduction in pancreatic weights was noted in low dose nicotine (p<0.05) and both nicotine groups co-treated with Moringa oleifera (p<0.05). There were no significant changes in the levels of blood glucose and pancreatic G-6-PDH levels, while significant reduction occurred in pancreatic LDH levels in nicotine-treated rats (p<0.05). However, LDH improved following coadministration with Moringa oleifera. Observation of the histology of the pancreas revealed atrophy of intercalated ducts, poorly delineated and disintegrating islet of Langerhans in animals treated with the higher dose of nicotine, while changes in pancreatic tissue in animals co-treated with Moringa oleifera were not as severe as the nicotine-treated animals.Conclusion: Moringa oleifera leaf decoction minimally ameliorates morphological and biochemical changes associated with nicotine-induced pancreatic damage.Keywords: Nicotine, Pancreatic damage, Moringa oleifer

Testicular morphology and seminal fluid parameters of adult Wistar rats following honey administration

Purpose: Honey has a long history of use in the traditional medical systems This objective of this study was to find out the effects of honey on quality and quantity of sperm and testicular microstructure when compared to fertility boosting drug and controls.Methods: A total number of thirty (30) matured male Wistar rats that were sexually active weighing 200 - 280g were used for this study. The animals were grouped into five as A - E. Group A was the control; Group B (standard group) was the standard group that received 0.3ml of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) drug for 6 days; groups C, D and E received 1ml, 2ml, and 2.5ml of honey daily for 21days respectively. After 21 days of administration, the testes were removed for analysis of the sperm parameters and the histology.Results: Honey significantly improved the sperm quality and spermatogenesis rate (denser seminiferous tubule lumen) of exposed animals compared to control animals, but most improvement was seen in the standard group that received 0.3ml FSH. Also no sign of degeneration or cellular loss was observable in the testicular histo-architecture of experimental animals.Conclusion: This research showed that honey possesses some fertility boosting properties in exposed animals compared to controls and honey is not associated with increased sperm abnormalities.Keywords: Honey, Fertility booster, Spermatozoa, Ologospermi

Moringa oleifera ameliorates histomorphological changes associated with cuprizone neurotoxicity in the hippocampal Cornu ammonis (CA) 3 region

Summary: Cuprizone-induced neurotoxicity has severally been used to study demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), adversely affecting both the white and grey matters of the brain. Lesions have been observed in different regions of the brain including, corpus callosum, neocortex and the hippocampal formation. The current study explored the role of Moringa oleifera leaf extract in restoring the resultant histomorphological changes in cuprizone-induced hippocampal damage in Wistar rats. Twenty adult female Wistar rats with average weight of 163.74 ± 3.59 g were grouped into A: Control, administered with 1 ml of normal saline, B: received 0.4% cuprizone diet, C: received 1.875 mg/ml/day of Moringa extract, and D: received a combination of cuprizone and Moringa in similar doses. Administration was oral for 5 weeks. The weights of animals were assessed during treatment, and at the termination of experiment, the rats were euthanized and the brains were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The tissue was processed for histological and histochemical examinations using the Haematoxylin and Eosin stain and cresyl fast violet stain to assess the general microarchitecture and neuronal cells respectively of hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA) 3 region. The body weight of cuprizone-treated rats was reduced and this was ameliorated significantly in animals that were co-administered with Moringa. Similarly, there were histological alterations in the CA3 region of the hippocampus with the presence of pyknotic pyramidal cells organized in clusters and CA3 cells with degenerative changes, but administration of Moringa led to a better organised and fairly intact histological appearance. Pharmaceutical development of Moringa oleifera into appropriate therapeutic formulations could offer some relief to patients of demyelinating conditions that have clinical features of neurological deficits.Keywords: cuprizone, neurotoxicity, hippocampus, Moring

Haematological effects of aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina and a known immunostimulant In Wistar Rats

Plants have provided sources of drugs which have made contribution to health. The use of plant extracts for the treatment of diseases is being practiced widely. Vernonia amygdalina (VA), otherwise known as bitter leaf is a shrub that grows commonly in tropical Africa and consumed as vegetable. People have considered bitter leaf as a traditional medicine, as its being used for the treatment of various illnesses such as fever, diarrhea, malaria, etc. However, its haematological effects are to be explored in this study.Thirty adult male wistar rats weighing averagely 150g were studied. They were housed, fed and cared under humane conditions in the animal house. They were divided into six groups of 5 each, with groups I and II being controls while the others were experimental. Prednisone was administered for two weeks, then blood samples were taken following which the treatments were given for specified periods. The animals were thereafter sacrificed and blood samples for CD4 and haematologic parameters taken, as well as splenic organ for histology.The results show weight increase across all groups. There was no appreciable difference in the CD4 and red blood cell count in the bitter leaf groups while the levamisole had significant decrease in these parameters. Bitter leaf was associated with significant decrease in haemoglobin level. The photomicrographs of the spleen showed decrease dimension in the white pulp and marginal zone. Levamisole and Vernonia amygdalina were associated with decreased haematological parameters.Keyowrds: Vernonia amygdalina, Levamisole, Haematological parameters, Wistar rat