Influence of Oral Administration of Peppermint Tea on Biochemical and Histological Markers of the Liver of Wistar Rats

Reports have linked the consumption of peppermint tea to improve liver cell functioning and the consumption of peppermint tea has been on the increase. The aim of this experiment was to assess the influence of the oral administration of peppermint tea on the liver of Wistar rats using biochemical and histological findings. 20 male Wistar albino rats were grouped into 4, consisting of 5 rats in each group. They were given 10mg/kg b.wt, 30mg/kg b.wt and 50mg/kg b.wt concentration of peppermint tea in tap water for 4 weeks. The first group was on normal diet and received tap water instead of tea. Their blood samples were analyzed for alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase,albumin, glucose and lactate dehydrogenase. The liver tissues were also processed for histological examination. The liver tissues were essentially normal and similar to the control tissues. The biochemical parameters studied were also normal and similar to the results obtained from the control animals. The consumption of peppermint tea days has no effect on the liver biomarkers and the histology of the liver of Wistar rats which confirmed the safety in the consumption of the studied. Keywords: Peppermint, Tea, Wistar rats, Live

Antioxidant indices and amino acid composition of phenolic containing Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) after simulated human gastrointestinal digestion

The present investigation was designed to characterize the phenolic profile of Lima beans (Phaseolus Lunatus) and also to evaluate the antioxidant indices: total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and amino acid composition at different stages of simulated gastrointestinal digestion (oral, gastric, intestinal). High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-DAD) analysis revealed the presence of some phenolic compounds (gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, rutin, quercitrin, quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin), with a reduced amount (mg/g) after cooking; gallic acid (raw: 1.96 ± 0.02; cooked: 1.82 ± 0.01); catechin (raw: 0.83 ± 0.01; cooked: 0.73 ± 0.01); rutin (raw: 2.61 ± 0.03; cooked:1.74 ±0.03); quercitrin (raw: 5.73 ± 0.01; cooked: 5.68 ± 0.01); apigenin (raw: 2.09 ±0.01; cooked:1.79 ± 0.02),  with exception of quercetin (raw: 2.11 ±0.02; cooked: 5.73 ±  0.02) and caffeic acid (raw: 2.08 ±0.04; cooked: 2.95 ± 0.04). The results of antioxidant indices of in vitro enzyme digested lima beans revealed higher values for cooked Lima beans compared to the raw counterpart, with a stepwise increase at the different stages of in vitro digestion, with the exception of ferric reducing antioxidant power; TPC (oral digestion: 65.44 ± 0.96; gastric digestion:134.87± 0.46; intestinal digestion:517.72 ± 4.70; mg/g tannic acid equivalent), TFC (oral digestion: 199.30 ± 6.43; gastric digestion: 1065.97 ± 1.22; intestinal digestion: 3691.87 ± 4.2; mg/g quercetin equivalent), DPPH (oral digestion: 85800.00 ± 305.50; gastric digestion: 99066.66 ± 115.47; intestinal digestion: 211354.20 ± 360.84 µmol TE/g sample). The results also revealed a progressive increase in the antioxidant indices and amino acid composition (mg/kg) for both raw and processed lima beans at various stages of the in vitro digestion, with the intestinal phase of simulated digestion ranking higher. This implied that the Lima beans contained some essential amino acids and antioxidant molecules that would be readily available after passing through the gastrointestinal tract and could therefore be explored as functional food in the management of free radical mediated diseases

Bioassay-guided evaluation of the antidiarrhoeal potentials of Zizyphus spina-christi root bark in rats

The basis for the use of Zizyphus spina-christi in folkloric practice as a remedy for diarrhoea was investigated in rats. The root bark of the plant material was sequentially extracted and the main antidiarrhoeal activity was traced to a fraction (numbered ZS-4E), eluted with chloroform-methanol (60:40), from the methanol extract. The fraction was tested for antidiarrhoeal activity against castor oil induced-diarrhoea and fluid accumulation, and charcoal meal test in rats. Results show that the fraction (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) exhibited some level of efficacy against the models used which however was not dose-dependent. Phytochemical tests of the methanol extract indicated the presence of tannins, saponins, balsams and carbohydrates. The total tannin content was established to be 18.1 mg/g. International Journal of Biological & Chemical Sciences Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 15-2