Leaf epidermal studies of four species of Chlorophytum Ker- Gawl in Nigeria

Studies of the foliar epidermal morphology in four species of Chlorophytum; C. orchidastrum , C. bichetii , C. stenopetalum and C. macrophyllum revealed the presence of stomata on both sides of the leaves(amphistomatic stomata distribution). In C. orchidastrum, few stomata are present on the adaxial surfaces. Stomata type has no diagnostic importance as all the species studied have tetracytic stomata. Stomata index (<10%) on the adaxial surface in C. orchidastrum easily distinguished the species from others. In C. bichetii and C. macrophyllum stomata index (<50%) was recorded while stomata index (>50%) was recorded for C. stenopetalum on the adaxial surface. Stomata index on the abaxial surface also shows that fewer stomata occur in C. macrophyllum compared with C. stenopetalum. The studies also revealed smooth leaf margin for C. orchidastrum. Papillea out growth were observed on the leaf margin of C. stenopetalum and C. macrophyllum, Papillea projections were however more pronounced in C. bichetii. Leaf epidermal character is hereby indicated as an important tool in delimiting species in the genus Chlorophytum

Effects of extract of leaves of Newbouldia laevis on the activities of some enzymes of hepatic glucose metabolism in diabetic rats

In diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance, the activity of the enzymes involved in hepatic glucose homeostasis is disturbed. Promoting the physiologic functions of these enzymes and restoring homeostatic control by medicinal plants could be beneficial in the management of diabetes. This study investigates the effects of extract of leaves of Newbouldia laevis on some key enzymes of hepatic glucose metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in rats by intravenous injection of streptozotocin. Diabetic rats were treated orally with N. laevis extract for four weeks. At the end of the treatment, the activities of hepatic glucokinase and glucose 6-phosphatase were evaluated. Effect of N. laevis extract on glucose 6-phosphatase activity was also assessed in vitro using enzyme obtained from rabbit liver. The levels of hepatic glycogen, pancreatic insulin and serum insulin were also determined. Treatment of diabetic rats with N. laevis extract resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the activity of hepatic glucokinase when compared with diabetic control. Extract of N. laevis showed significant inhibitory effect against the activity of glucose 6-phosphatase in both in vivo and in vitro studies. The level of hepatic glycogen in treated rats significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared to untreated diabetic rats. Although there was a slight increase in serum and pancreatic insulin levels of treated diabetic rats, the difference was not significant (P > 0.05) when compared to diabetic control. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that N. laevis leaf extract stimulates the activity of hepatic glucokinase and inhibits the activity of glucose 6-phosphatase in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. It could serve as a good alternative remedy in the management of diabetes mellitus.Keywords: Liver, glucokinase, glucose 6-phosphatase, diabetes mellitus, Newbouldia laevis, glucose.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(22) 2273-228

Leaf epidermal studies of four species of Chlorophytum Ker- Gawl in Nigeria

Studies of the foliar epidermal morphology in four species of Chlorophytum; C. orchidastrum, C. bichetii, C. stenopetalum and C. macrophyllum revealed the presence of stomata on both sides of the leaves (amphistomatic stomata distribution). In C. orchidastrum, few stomata are present on the adaxial surfaces. Stomata type has no diagnostic importance as all the species studied have tetracytic stomata. Stomata index (<10%) on the adaxial surface in C. orchidastrum easily distinguished the species from others. In C. bichetii and C. macrophyllum stomata index (<50%) was recorded while stomata index (>50%) was recorded for C. stenopetalum on the adaxial surface. Stomata index on the abaxial surface also shows that fewer stomata occur in C. macrophyllum compared with C. stenopetalum. The studies also revealed smooth leaf margin for C. orchidastrum. Papillea out growth were observed on the leaf margin of C. stenopetalum and C. macrophyllum, Papillea projections were however more pronounced in C. bichetii. Leaf epidermal character is hereby indicated as an important tool in delimiting species in the genus Chlorophytum. Keywords: Chlorophytum, stomata, epidermal cells, anatomy, foliar morphology

Azithromycin-induced Hiccups

Background: Hiccups are not only known symptoms of some diseases but have been found to be induced by some drugs. In this report, we present a very rare case of azithromycin induced hiccups seen in a young male adult.Methods: The case records of a 34 year old male who was admitted and successfully managed for sepsis but placed on azithromycin as the only medication at the time of discharge was reviewed.Results: T he patient presented again at the hospital within twelve (12) hours of discharge with a history of severe hiccups which improved significantly with administered chlorpromazine.H e was sent home the following day while still on azithromycin.T he patient stopped all the medications at home after the second dose of azithromycin due to persistent drowsiness and decided to take the last dose of azithromycin two days later after realizing that the drowsiness was chlorpromazine induced.H e developed another severe episode of hiccups which was successively retreated with oral chlorpromazine.Conclusion: The patient developed hiccups within 12 hours while he was taking only azithromycin on two (2) different occasions. We then concluded that azithromycin was the probable cause of the hiccups.Keywords: hiccups, azithromycin, drug-induced,ad verse drug reactio

Reduction of sodium content in spicy soups using monosodium glutamate

Background: Excessive dietary sodium intake causes several diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular and renal disease, etc. Hence, reducing sodium intake has been highly recommended. In this study the effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG), as an umami substance, on saltiness and sodium reduction was investigated.Methods and Results: The trained panellists were presented with basic spicy soups (curry chicken and chili chicken) containing different amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl) (0-1.2%) and MSG (0-1.2%). They tasted the optimum concentrations of NaCl and MSG for the two spicy soups and the overall acceptability were 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively. There was no significant effect of spiciness level on the saltiness and umami taste of both soups. The optimum levels of combined NaCl and MSG for overall acceptance in the chili and curry soups were 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively. The results showed that with the addition of MSG, it is possible to reduce sodium intake without changing the overall acceptability of the spicy soup. A 32.5% reduction in sodium level is made feasible by adding 0.7% MSG to the spicy soups.Conclusions: This study suggests that low-sodium soups can be developed by the addition of appropriate amounts of MSG, while maintaining the acceptability of the spicy soups. It was also proven that it is feasible to reduce sodium intake by replacing NaCl with MSG