Effect of ethanolic extract of Senecio biafrae on puberty onset and fertility in immature female rat.

Senecio biafrae is a medicinal plant widely used by traditional healers in the western region of Cameroon for the treatment of woman infertility. In the course of the evaluation of its effect on puberty onset and some physiological parameters of fertility, different doses of its ethanolic extract were orally administered to immature female rats for 30 days. Body, ovarian, uterus weight; uterine, ovarian proteins or cholesterol level as well as data on puberty onset were recorded. A linear increase in the growth rate of all animal was observed throughout the experimental period. From the 27th day till the end of treatment, the body weight gain of rats treated with 8 mg/kg was significantly increased (

Antihepatotoxic and antioxidant activities of methanol extract and isolated compounds from Ficus chlamydocarpa

Free radicals, in particular radical oxygen species (ROS), play an important role in the aetiology and pathogenesis of various diseases. Current research in many countries focuses on the use of local medicinal plants as a promising source of liver protective agents. This paper describes the hepatoprotective effects of the methanol extract and four isolated compounds from Ficus chlamydocarpa on CCl4-induced liver damage, as well as the possible antioxidant mechanisms involved in this protection. The DPPH test, along with the beta-Carotene-Linoleic Acid Model System and Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power assays, as well as the inhibition of microsomal lipid peroxidation were used to measure radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities. Pretreatment of rats with the methanol extract of F. chlamydocarpa before CCl4 administration, significantly prevented serum increase of hepatic enzyme markers, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), in a dose-dependent manner. The hepatoprotection was also associated with a significant enhancement in hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) and a marked decrease of liver malondialdehyde (MDA). Among the four compounds 1-4, isolated from the methanol extract, alpha-amyrin acetate (1) and luteolin (4) showed a significant hepatoprotective activity, as indicated by their ability to prevent liver cell death and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage during CCl4 intoxicatio

Associated factors in modulating aflatoxin B1-albumin adduct level in three Chinese populations

10.1007/s10620-005-2468-1Digestive Diseases and Sciences503525-532DDSC