Serum testosterone concentration in chloroquinetreated rats: effects of ascorbic acid and alphatocopherol

The effects of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) were studied on serum testosterone concentration in chloroquine-treated rats. Thirty five (35) adult male rats weighing 160 - 200 g were divided into seven groups of five (5) rats each. Group I rats served as the control and received 2 ml/kg of normal saline while Group II rats were treated with chloroquine (20 mg/kg). Groups III, IV, V, VI and VII rats were treated with chloroquine (20 mg/kg) and either vitamin C (14.3 or 100 mg/kg) or vitamin E (9.3 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) or the combination of both. The drugs were administered orally for thirty five (35) days and at the end of the treatment, serum testosterone concentrations were determined. Theresults showed that chloroquine did not cause a significant change in serum testosterone concentration. In addition, the administration of the vitamins with chloroquine also did not cause any significant change in serum testosterone concentration when compared with the control. The results suggest that long-term administration of chloroquine could have no effect on testosterone concentration and the vitamins also could not cause any significant change in testosterone concentration in the presence of chloroquine

Effects of Roasted Yam (Discorea rotundata Poir.) on Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility and Other Haematologic Values in Male Albino Rats

The effects of roasted yam (Discorea rotundata Poir.) were studied on some hematologic parameters in male albino rats. Twenty four (24) adult male rats were divided into three groups of eight rats per group.Group I served as the control group, in which the rats were given normal rat chow. Group II rats served as the sham control and received normal rat chow mixed with 25% of finely ground yam, while group IIIserved as experimental group and received normal rat chow mixed with 25% of finely ground roasted yam. At the end of the experimental period (6 weeks), animals in all the groups were sacrificed and bloodsamples were taken for the determination of red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and packed cell volume (PCV) and erythrocyte osmotic fragility. It was observed that roasted yamingestion reduced RBC count, PCV, and Hb concentration while it increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility rats (

Effects of aqueous extract of Ocimum gratissimum on haematological parameters of Wistar rats

The effect of aqueous extract of Ocimum gratissimum on hematological parameters of Wister rats was studied. Twenty five rats with weight ranging between 100-160g were used. The rats were divided into five groups; with group one as the control group. Increasing doses (0.2, 0.4,0.8, 1.6g kg-1 body weight) of the extract were administered orally to the other four groups for a period of four weeks. Significant (P< 0.05) decreases in the level of hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and other hematological parameters were observed

Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Urinary Testosterone Excretion in Men

Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and concentration of testosterone in the urine. Forty young men age between 23 to 31 years were used for this study. The subjects were divided into two groups of 20 controls (noncigarette smoker) and 20 experimental groups (cigarette smoker). 5ml of mid-stream urine was collected from each subject at 0700 hour and urine testosterone concentration was estimated using enzyme immunoassay method. The result showed that the urinary testosterone concentration of non-cigarette smokers was 4.35±0.52 ng/ml, while the concentration in cigarette smokers was 2.81±0.38 ng/ml with

Short day photoperiod protects against acetaminophen-induced heptotoxicity in rats

This study investigated the effect of different photoperiods on acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Twenty four adult male rats (average weight = 160±7g) were conditioned to different photoperiod regimens for 6 weeks. At the end of the 6-week period, rats exposed to normal, short and long photoperiods received oral acetaminophen (2g/kg body weight) while in the control group, exposed to normal photoperiod, received oral saline. Rats were sacrificed 24 h after acetaminophen administration by cervical dislocation and blood was collected by cardiac puncture for the estimation of liver enzymes activities. Liver tissues were excised and homogenized for estimation of liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. Elevation of serum levels of alanine and aspartate transaminases and alkaline phosphatase caused by acetaminophen intoxication were not affected in rats subjected to long photoperiod while these parameters were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in rats subjected to short photoperiod. However, alteration of photoperiod resulted in significantly (P<0.05) lower serum gamma glutamate transpeptidase and total protein in acetaminophentreated rats. All groups of rats had similar serum albumin while serum malondialdehyde concentration was significantly lower in rats subjected to short photoperiod. This study revealed the protective effects of short photoperiod against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity and lipid peroxidation in rats.Published onlin

Aqueous extract of Telfairia occidentalis leaves reduces blood sugar and increases haematological and reproductive indices in male rats

The effects of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Telfairia Occidentalis (fluted pumpkin) were studied on some haematological indices, sperm parameters and blood glucose in male albino rats. Theexperiment was divided into two parts. In the first part, twelve (12) male rats were divided into two groups of six (6) rats each. Group 1 rats served as control and were given 10 ml/kg of normal salinewhile the group 2 rats were treated with 200 mg/kg of the aqueous extract for two weeks. At the end of the treatment period, haematological indices (packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, red and white blood cell counts), sperm parameters (sperm motility, viability and counts) and blood glucosewere determined. In the second part of the experiment, twenty four (24) male rats were divided into four (4) groups of six (6) rats each. Group 1 rats served as control while groups 2, 3 and 4 rats were given200 mg/kg of the extract for 5, 7 and 14 days, respectively. Haematological indices were determined in these rats at the end of the treatment. The results showed that T. occidentalis significantly increased all the haematological indices and sperm parameters. In contrast, however, the extract significantly reduced the blood glucose levels. The results also showed that the increase in the haematologicalindices started after the seventh day of treatment. The results suggest that T. occidentalis could increase haematological indices within seven days. It could also improve sperm quality and could be a potent hypoglycemic agent

Plasma magnesium and cardiovascular changes during menstrual cycle in young Nigeria Women

No Abstract.Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 15 (2) 2008: pp. 24-2

Effect of Vitamin C on Glutathione Peroxidase Activities in Pregnant Nigerian Women - An Ilorin Study

Glutathione peroxidase is one of the most important antioxidant enzymes in humans. We studied the relationship between serum glutathione peroxidase activity and vitamin C ingestion during normal pregnancy in women attending antenatal clinic in the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin. Glutathione peroxidase activity was determined at entry in early second trimester and six weeks later within the same trimester involving sixty women. Twenty non-pregnant women served as controls, while forty pregnant women were divided into two groups of twenty each. One group of the pregnant women did not receive vitamin C, while the other group received 100mg of vitamin C. All the pregnant women were on their routine antenatal drugs of folic acid and ferrous sulphate. During pregnancy, glutathione peroxidase activity reduced significantly between entry and six weeks later in normal pregnancy, from 240.25±14.41 to 231.05±8.63 (p0.05). Statistically significant associations (all positive) were observed between glutathione peroxidase activity in normal non-pregnant women and all the pregnant groups (

Effect of photoperiod on some haematological indices in rats

The study was designed to investigate the effects of photoperiod on some haematological indices in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty four adult male rats were divided into four groups of six rats per group. The control group was maintained under natural light condition 12hours of light and 12hours of darkness (12L : 12D). The short photoperiod (SP) was maintained under 8hours of light and 16hours of darkness (8L : 16D), the long photoperiod (LP), was maintained under 16 hours of light and 8hours of darkness (8L : 16D), the long photoperiod (LP), was maintained under 16 hours of light and 8hours of darkness (16L : 8D), the rats in long photoperiod with tryptohan group was kept as LP, but were administered 100mg/kg body weight of L-tryptophan daily. After 6 weeks, the haematological indices were determined in the rats. The results show an increase in haematological indices under SP tryptophan significantly reduced the haematological indices except packed cell volume (PCV). Furthermore, white blood cell count (WBC) differential showed a lymphocytic leukocytosis in the SP group. Therefore, it is concluded that SP enhances haematological indices in Sprague-Dawley rats. Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 7 (1) 2008 pp. 11-1

L-Tryptophan Reduces Creatinine Clearance In Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Previous studies on type I diabetes have shown that toxic effects by free radicals are involved in the damage to the renal system. Tryptophan is known to have antioxidant effect and is a precursor of melatonin which is a powerful antioxidant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of tryptophan in mitigating renal damage in type I diabetic rats. Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups: Control, Untreated Diabetic and Tryptophan-treated Diabetic. Weight change, fasting blood glucose, urinary albumin excretion and creatinine clearance were measured at the beginning and at the end of the study. It was found that tryptophan treatment reduced the urinary albumin excretion and creatinine clearance in diabetic rats (p&lt;0.05). However, the urinary albumin excretion and creatinine clearance were still higher than in the control rats. Treatment with tryptophan slightly reduced the fasting blood glucose in rats, this was however not statistically significant. There was an increase in weight in rats treated with tryptophan compared to the untreated diabetic rats, however, this was not statistically significant. It was therefore concluded that oral tryptophan treatment might improve renal disturbances in early type I diabetes mellitus.The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol 19 No 1 (January 2012