In vitro Evaluation of PEGylated-Mucin Matrix as Carrier for Oral Delivery of Metformin Hydrochloride

Purpose: To formulate metformin hydrochloride-loaded PEGylated-mucin microparticles and evaluate their in vitro properties.Method: Three different formulations of metformin hydrochloride (MTH) (PEG-M1, PEG-M2 and PEGM3) were prepared using PEGylation method. PEG-8000 and snail mucin, in a ratio of 1:3, were PEGylated together using solvent interaction principle. Loading of MTH into the matrix was by diffusion method and the microparticles characterized for particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, stability and in vitro release in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4).Results: Maximum yield and encapsulation were 97 and 87 % respectively. Zeta potential was -37.7, - 42.3 and -46.2 mV for PEG-M1, PEG-M2 and PEG-M3 with a corresponding polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.320, 0.374 and 0.398, respectively. Particles size was 85, 115, and 145 μm for PEG-M1, PEG-M2 and PEG-M3, respectively, and they showed a unimodal distribution. Drug release was biphasic and exhibited controlled release pattern with maximum release of 92 % in 18 h compared to 81 % in 6 h for the conventional formulation.Conclusion: Extended release metformin hydrochloride formulations were successfully developed using PEGylated mucin matrices.Keywords: Drug delivery, Extended release, Polyethylene glycol, Mucin PEGylation, Encapsulation, Zeta potential, Polydispersity inde

Mycoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil by Pleurotus pulmonarius

Mycoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil was investigated using Pleurotus pulmonarius for a period of 62 days. Hydrocarbon (Petrol + diesel + spent petrol engine oil + spent diesel engine oil in ratio 1:1:1:1) polluted soil in 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration were inoculated and incubated with pure culture of P. pulmonarius obtained from commercial mushroom laboratory of Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (F.I.I.R.O.) Lagos Nigeria. Inoculation was done by adding 20 g of vigorously growing spawn of P. pulmonarius. A set of control treatment was used where different concentrations of the petroleum hydrocarbon were added to all soils but no inoculation with the fungus. The results showed that the initial organic matter content of the soil increased with increase in the concentration of petroleum mixture added to the soil.  The highest impact of P. pulmonarius on the organic matter content of the soil was noticed in soil with 10% concentration treatment (68.34%) and the least was in soil with 2.5% treatment concentration (22.12%). The initial nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents of the soils samples decreased with increase in the petroleum concentration. The difference was significant at 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration of contamination for organic matter, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (p<0.05). A significant (p<0.05) reduction in concentration of the heavy metals (manganese, copper, and zinc) after 62 days of incubation with P. pulmonarius suggested that the mushroom is a good agent for heavy metal remediation. The highest reduction of Mn was at 10% concentration (24.00±0.04 to 1.73±0.10), Cu at 10% concentration (37.24± 0.02 to 0.00), and Zn was at 10% concentration (63.03±0.02 to 5.75±0.14). The percentage loss of the TPH due the growth of P. pulmonarius decreased with increase in the concentration of petroleum added to the soil. The percentage loss for 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration are 52.60%, 38.71%, 27.20% and 8.31% respectively. Heptane, toluene, octane, M-p xylene, Alpha xylene, nonane, propylbenzene, decane, tridecane, tetradecane, anthracene and pentadecane had high reduction; however, the reduction is more significant (p<0.05) in soil inoculated with P. pulmonarius. Our results suggest that P. pulmonarius can be used to clean soils polluted with moderate level of petroleum products mixtureKey Word: Mycoremediation, petrol, diesel, spent engine oil, P. Pulmonarius, TP

Socio-Economic Importance of Tree Nursery Enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria

There is a growing interest to understand the role of tree nursery enterprises in Nigeria and the horn of Africa. Tree nursery enterprises, which are vital economic activities in major cities of Nigeria and particularly in the city of Lagos are not adequately studied and well documented. Therefore, this study seeks to fill a gap in understanding the socioeconomic importance and profitability potential of tree nursery enterprises. Multistage sampling technique with a 3-stage design was adopted in this study using aquantitative data collection techniques through the use of structured questionnaire administered to 120 nursery entrepreneurs. Data were analyzed using descriptive, inferential, and budgetary analysis. The result revealed that tree nursery entrepreneurs are literate, mostly male in their youthful age. Furthermore, the total annual revenue earned by the respondents was \u20a61,712,222.22 with a mean annual net income of \u20a61,458,038.72 while the return per naira invested was \u20a65.71. This shows that tree nursery enterprise is profitable in the study area. However, most entrepreneurs were faced with shortage of land for establishments of tree nursery in the study area. Therefore, appropriate actions in reducing cost of land lease/purchase are recommended to encourage new entrepreneurs and strengthen the sector\u2019s development

Use of honey as a viscosity modifier in the formulation of cotrimoxazole suspension

A study has been carried out on honey from comb of bee, Apis mellifera.  L. (Family, Apidae) as a viscosity modifier in conjunction with certain suspending agents in the formulation of cotrimoxazole suspension, to solve the problem of caking associated with most brands in the market. Six formulations including control, with or without suspending agents were compared to commercial brands by determining sedimentation volume, flow rate and rheological properties of all the preparations. The results show that two out of five commercial brands had satisfactory suspendability characteristics (

Cost and returns on the marketing of charcoal within Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

The study on the cost and returns of charcoal marketing was carried out within Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to investigate the returns on the sales of charcoal among randomly selected major charcoal markets. Questionnaire was used as a primary source of data collection. Descriptive statistics, Rate of Return on Investment and Cost and Return analysis was used to analyze the data obtained for thestudy. The results revealed that 92% of the respondents were female, 44% were in the age group 36-45 years old which was the largest group, 41% had primary school education while residues and breakages (70%) constitute a very serious problem faced by the marketers. The result further show that Bodija market had the highest profit of about N59, 665 and rate of return on investment of 48.50% with this it implied thatthere was high demand of charcoal in the market. Alesinloye had the lowest profit of about N23, 610 and the rate of return on investment was 19.04%. This was because it had the largest marketing cost incurred in the business and low revenue generated. It was concluded that to boost the business in the area, the producers should ensure that the pyrolysis or carbonization of wood is done perfectly so as to reduce residues

Formulation and in vitro evaluation of ibuprofen-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles

Purpose: To enhance and control the release of ibuprofen from poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles.Methods: Ibuprofen-loaded microparticles containing PLGA were formulated using aemulsification/solvent evaporation method. Various concentrations of ibuprofen (200, 300, 400 and 0 mg) were loaded into the PLGA microparticles and the formulations labeled A, B, C and D, respectively. The microcapsules were characterized for drug loading, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential (ZP) and drug release.Results: The zeta potential of the microparticles were -53, -68.7, -43.1, and -37.4 mV for batches A, B, C and D, respectively. Polydispersity index ranged from 0.745 to 0.900. Encapsulation efficiency (EE %) and loading capacity (LC) ranged from 83.4 to 89.3 and 23.4 to 30.1, respectively. Maximum and minimum release of 92 and 72.0 % at 18 h were obtained for batches C and A, respectively.Conclusion: The study shows that PLGA-loaded with ibuprofen can serve as an alternative carrier for controlled release of ibuprofen.Keywords: Ibuprofen, Microparticles, Controlled release, Zeta potential, Polydispersit

Socio-Economics and Marketing of Chewing Stick in Ogbomoso Metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria

The study assessed trade in chewing stick in Ogbomoso metropolis of Oyo state with a view to identifying and describing the socio-economic characteristics of the chewing stick wholesalers and retailers, identifying and describing the channels of distribution, determiniming the cost and returns structure in chewing stick trade as well as identifying the major problems facing trade in chewing sticks. Purposive random sampling was employed for the selection of one hundred (100) marketers who were interviewed with semi-structured questionnaires to obtain data on their socio-demographic characteristics, years of experience in the business, costs and revenues. Data generated were analyzed using simple descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency distributions, percentages, cross tabulations, marketing margin and correlation analysis. The result shows that 38.2% of the chewing stick Marketers falls within age of 31-46years and 16-30 (35.3%) with females constituting as much as 60%. A greater part (80%) of the respondents was married, with majority (52%) of them having a household size of 1-5 persons. More than half (55.4%) of the respondents have primary school leaving certificates while 35.3% have secondary education. The Marketers have trading experience ranging between 1 to 5 years (52.9%), 6 to 10 years (35.55%) and 11 to 15 years (11.8%). The study concludes that chewing stick trade is a major means of livelihood in Ogbomoso metropolis, providing income for the sustenance of persons engaged in it and their dependants. As a Non-Timber Forest Product collected from the wild; urgent steps need to be taken for its domestication and cultivation to avoid untimely extinction of the source of livelihood of these respondents and their dependants.Keywords: Non-Timber Forest Products, Chewing stick, Marketing, Channels of distribution, Gender

Novel carrier system for enhancing oral delivery of metformin

This study was designed to evaluate the potential of PEGylated lipospheres as carriers for improved oral delivery of metformin hydrochloride. Lipospheres were prepared by melt-emulsification method using Phospholipon® 90H in beeswax (30%w/w) as the lipid matrix containing increasing quantities of PEG 4000 and characterized. The in vitro and in vivo release of the formulations was evaluated. Results show that the particle size and encapsulation efficiency ranged from 33.18±1.75 - 83.23±6.05 μm and 85 to 93%, respectively. Drug release showed a biphasic pattern and was found to follow the Higuchi square root model. Metformin hydrochloride -loaded lipospheres lowered basal blood glucose levels by 60% and sustained antihyperglycemia for over 20 h. This study suggests that encapsulation of metformin hydrochloride into PEGylated lipospheres could reduce its dosing frequency and the associated side effects resulting from high doses of metformin hydrochloride as seen in conventional tablet formulations.Keywords: PEGylated, lipospheres, metformin hydrochloride, anti-diabeticAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(50) 4568-457