Acute and Sub-acute Toxicity Profile of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Nymphaea lotus Linn (Nymphaeaceae) in Wistar Rats

Purpose: To evaluate the acute and sub-acute toxicity profile of the aqueous leaf extract of Nymphaea lotus L in Wistar rats.Methods: Acute toxicity study was performed by administering a single oral dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight of the extract to 5 rats while distilled water was given to another 5 rats (control), and the animals were observed for 14 days. Thereafter, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of the extract were administered to different groups of 5 rats each daily for 28 days while control received distilled water. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and the serum obtained was used for the assessment of haematological and biochemical parameters. Histological examination was also performed on the liver and kidney of the rats.Results: The concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (42.56 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (126.01 U/L) and alkaline phosphatase (183.33 U/L) significantly decreased while creatinine (0.64 mg/dL) and chloride ions (94.50 mmol/L) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) compared to those of control following the extract treatment. Haematological parameters were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from those of control except white blood cell count (7.80 × 109/L), lymphocytes (5.20 %) and monocytes (2.72 %) which were significantly elevated (p 0.05) in the 100 and 200 mg/kg treated groups. Histopathology did not reveal any sign of lesions or pathological changes in the organs that could be attributed to treatment with the plant extract.Conclusions: These results suggest that the aqueous leaf extract of Nymphaea lotus may be safe for use at the doses tested.Keywords: Nymphaea lotus, Toxicity, White Blood Count, Alkaline Phosphatase, Histolog

Lipid profile of drug naive HIV patients in a tertiary health facility in Lagos, Nigeria

Aim: To determine the effect of HIV syndrome on lipid profile in a cohort of Nigerians.Objective: To determine the concentrations of total cholesterol (Tchol), triglyceride (TGL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in HIV positive drug naive patients as against HIV negative people.Methods: This study examined the lipid profiles of 50 HIV positive individuals (test group), and 50 HIV negative individuals (control group) at the Human Virology Laboratory of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Nigeria. Informed consent was obtained and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of NIMR approved the study. A questionnaire based assessment was provided for the individuals to complete, before 5 ml of blood was taken by venopuncture. Blood collected in plain tubes was centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 10 minutes and the serum obtained, used for the various lipid profile tests mentioned above.Statistical analysis on data from the questionnaire was done using Epi info 2000 (CDC).Results: The median lipid profile values for the control group were 168, 85, 99 and 58 mg/dl for Tchol, TGL, HDL and LDL respectively. Conversely, median lipid profile values for the HIV positive patients were 145, 98, 53, and 67 mg/dl for Tchol, TGL, HDL and LDL respectively. P values greater than 0.05 were taken to indicate an insignificant difference between the lipid profiles of the two groups.Conclusion: Based on results obtained, there were significant differences in the Tchol and HDL values between the two groups, indicating a possible effect of HIV on lipid profile for drug naive patients.Key words: lipid profile, HIV, TGL, HDL, LDL, Tchol

The prevalence of Antithyroglobulin and Antithyroid Microsomal Autoantibodies in Euthyroid Fertile and Infertile Nigerian Women with recurrent spontaneous Abortion and Unexplained Infertility

Plasma levels of antithyroglobulin {TG} and microsomal thyroid peroxidase {TPO} autoantibodies were determined using the ELISA methods, in 87 euthyroid women. These were made up of 44 control women which included 8{18%} nulligravidae, 18{41%} non pregnant multiparous and 18{41%}, pregnant subjects. The infertile groups were made up of 43 women which included 18{42%} with secondary infertility, 17{39%} recurrent spontaneous aborters {RSA} and 8{19%} unexplained {Primary} infertility subjects. The microsomal antithyroid peroxidase and the anti-thyroglobulin auto-antibodies, micro titer mean values, in the infertility subjects were 347.55 units/ml and 35.23 units/ml respectively. These values were higher compared with the micro titer mean values of the control subjects with 284.40 units/ml and 32.51 units/ml respectively. The Micro titer mean value levels of the microsomal antithyroid peroxidase auto-antibodies in the primary infertility group was 437.19 units/ml and in the secondary infertility group was 362.50 units/ml compared with the micro titer mean value of control groups of 284.40 units/ml at

Antifertility effect of extracts of Musanga cecropioidis budsheath on the femal rat

Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.10(1) 2000: 44-4

Hyperprolactinaemia A Cause of Infertility in Nigerian Men

In this study attempt was made to provide the explanation for the possible mechanism, of the interference of, high prolactin levels with spermatogenesis. 128 Nigerian male adults, aged between 23 and 60 years, attending the infertility clinic were used. 76 (59.4%) of the subjects were found to be oligospermic, 37 (28.9%) were normospermic, while 15 (11.7%) were azoospermic. The normospermic subject serves as the control. The 37 normospermic subject had a mean ± Standard Deviation serum testosterone level 6.3 ± 2.9 ng/ml which was significantly higher than 5.6 ± 4.2 ng/ml (P < 0.005) observed in oligospermic subjects (P < 0.005). The prolactin level of normospermic was found to be 106 ± 3.6 ng/ml. This was significantly lower than 186 ± 10.1ng/ml (P < 0.005) obtained for oligospermic and 210 ± 11.4 ng/ml for the azospermic patients. Hyperprolactinaemia in Nigerian men, showed that there is low serum testoterone level and high prolactin level which is indicative of low sperm count that is less than 40 million, which presupposes that hyperprolactinemia might have interfered with the spermatogenesis. KEY WORDS: Hyperprolactinemia, infertility, Nigerian men. Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol.4(1) 2005: 17-1

A COMPARISION OF THE EFFECTS OF EXTRACTS OF MUSANGA CECROPIOIDIS ON SERUM LIPIDS TO THAT OF COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE-NEOGYNON-ED FE IN FEMALE RATS.

Effects of the Water (MCW), Ethanolic (MCE) and Acetylated Ethanolic (MCA) extracts of the budsheath of Musanga cecrepioidis (Cecropiaceae) administered into mature female Sprague Dawley rats were compared with those of the synthetic low-dose combined oral contraceptive-Neogynon Ed Fe (C.O.C-N). All the three extracts of Musanga cecrepioidis elicited a significant (

Effect Of The Extracts Of Musanga Cecropioidis Budsheath On The Contractility Of The Rat Uterus

The effect of the water, ethanol and chloroform extracts of the stipular Budsheath of Musanga cecropiodis (cecropiaceae) on the contractility of the isolated uterine rings was investigated. Water extract of Musanga cecropioidis did not show any effect on the contractility of the uterus. However, the ethanol solution of the ethanolic extract significantly reduced and even completely abolished the contractile responses induced by either oxytocin, acetylcholine or serotonin. The ethanol solution of the chloroform extract also caused inhibition of the contraction induced by oxytocin but the effect was not as marked as that of the ethanol solution of the ethanolic extract. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.9, No.3 (1999) pp. 241-24

Anti-diabetic Potential of the Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Ocimum Gratissimum (Labiatae) and Vernonia Amygdalina Del. (Compositae) in Diabetic–Induced Rabbit

The anti-diabetic potential of aqueous extracts of leaves of both Ocimum gratissimum and Vernonia amygdalina were investigated in rabbits. Ten female rabbits were grouped into five groups (1-5) of two rabbits each. Group 1 is the control. Groups (2-5) was alloxan induced diabetic. Group 3 was thentreated with 200mg/kg body wt. Ocimum gratissimum, group 4 was treated with 200mg/kg body wt. Vernonia amygdalina while group 5 was treated with 400mg/kg body wt. of b oth aqueous extracts in ratio 3: 1. The results showed a significant reduction in the plasma glucose in the treated rabbits

Metabolic and histopathological effects of extracts of Musanga cecropiodis and Neogynon-EDFe in mature female Sprague-Dawley rats

No abstract Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol. 13(1-2): 52-5