Evaluation of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of Cordia africana leaf and stem bark extracts

Cordia africana (Boraginaceae) is a tree used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation related conditions and infectious diseases. This study was undertaken with the objectives of establishing the scavenging effect of extracts and fractions of Codia africana on the mediator of inflammation Lipoxygenases (LOX), and some non-biological free radicals such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the [2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] (ABTS) radicals and the Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Antimicrobial activities, total phenolics/flavonoids and cytotoxicity of extracts of Codia africana were also evaluated. Extracts were obtained by maceration. Anti-inflammatory activity was determined using a LOX-inhibitor screening assay kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. A broth serial micro dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Mycobacterium species. The antioxidant activity was determined using free-radical-scavenging assays, and the 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction assay was used for cytotoxicity. Both the extracts of C. africana inhibited LOX enzyme. The most active being the methanol extract of the bark with IC50 value of 55 ± 0.9 μg/ml. Both the extracts of C. africana, had excellent to weak antimicrobial activites (MICs ranging from 32 to 1024 μg/ml) against bacteria. All the extracts had significant (P< 0.05) free-radical scavenging activity (IC50 ranging from 6.79 ± 0.07 to 331.98 ± 0.07 μg/ml). There was a positive correlation between the antioxidant activity and the total flavonoid and total phenolic contents of Cordia africana. The cytotoxicity on Vero cells was low with LC50 of 81.79 ± 13.31 and 99.67 ± 16.10 μg/ml. The results support the use of C. africana leaves in traditional medicine to treat inflammation related conditions and infectious diseases.Keywords: Cordia Africana, Inflammation, antibacterial, antioxidant, total flavonoid

Modulatory Effect of L-carnitine on Red Blood Cell and Indices in Testicular Ischaemic-Reperfusion in Wistar Rats

Communication in Physical Sciences, 2023, 10(2): 009-016 Authors: Richard Jewo Bebekah; Malajiya Ibrahim Alhaji Saleh., Aliyu Mohammed and Yusuf Tanko Received:  17 September 2023/Accepted 01 December 2023 Ischaemic-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a complex phenomenon that induces cell damage through a biphasic process and reperfusion. This results in oxidative damage via the reactive oxygen species, inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecule generated during reperfusion. This study aimed to investigate the modulatory effect of L-carnitine on Red blood cells and their indices following testicular torsion. Forty-five adult male Wistar rats were used for this study. The animals were divided into three groups comprising fifteen (n=5) in each group. Five (n=5) animals from each group i.e. Sham, IRI and IRI treated with 500mg/kg of L-carnitine were sacrificed on day twenty-two (22), forty-two (42) and sixty-two (62) of the study respectively. At the end of the study, blood samples were collected from each of the animals through cardiac puncture and a full blood count was done using an automated haematological analyzer to determine the Red blood cells and their indices. Our findings revealed a significant increase in RBCs count (6.30±0.44 x106 µL) for the group the IRI+L treated 62 groups when compared with sham treated group for the same duration and also when compared with the 1RI+L for 22 days. The Haemoglobin concentration (13.49±0.35 g/dL) increased significantly in the IRI+L for 42 days when compared with the Sham group for the same duration. A similar trend also was recorded in the Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC). Treatment of Wistar rats induced with testicular torsion with L-carnitine improved significantly the RBC and their indice