The Modulatory Activity of Justicia carnea in Plasmodium Infected Mice

The study investigated the antiplasmodial potency of Justicia carnea in plasmodium infected mice. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea was subjected to phytochemical screening using GC-FID. The suppressive, prophylactic and curative activity of the studied plant was accessed after oral administration of standard drugs (5mgkg-1 choroquine and 4mgkg-1 artesunate) and 400-800mgkg-1 of the extract. The effect of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant was also explored in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and hematological indices of plasmodium infected mice using spectrophotomertic methods and a hematology auto analyzer (BC 5300 Mindray England) respectively. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea showed considerable dose dependent antiplasmodial activity in the suppressive, prophylactic and curative test conducted. The suppressive activity of (92%) of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant at 800mgkg-1 was comparable to the standard drugs used while the mean survival time of plasmodium infected mice at 800mgkg-1 was beyond the mean survival time of the infected untreated group. The aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant also exhibited significant improvements in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and some hematological parameters at 800mgkg-1 of the extract when compared with the infected and untreated group. The results of the study exhibited the antiplasmodial activity of the studied plant, nonetheless, the crude extracts of the studied plant can be further purified for synergistic use with other potent antimalarial drugs to combat and achieve total clearance of plasmodium resistant infections

Optimization of the Industrial use of Renewable Energy for Sustainable and Cost Effective Rural Electrification

There is an inequitable access of rural communities to electricity services in Nigeria as demand supersedes generation. The provision of viable electricity to rural communities is hampered by some inefficiency bedeviling the allocation of energy resources coupled with the near depletion of fossil fuels. Due to capital intensive nature of renewable energy sources; most of these energy sources remain unexploited in Nigeria. This study aims at developing a general framework that can be utilized in Nigeria to minimize the total cost of installing renewable energy technologies while satisfying some predetermined constraints such as demand, supply and renewable energy potentials. Three scenarios were presented namely; prospective off-grid which accesses electricity level below 50%, on-grid which accesses electricity level above 50% and all-off-grid which finds the optimal cost of installing off-grid renewable energies. The results show that the total installation costs of the first and second scenarios are ₦42,656,292,800 and ₦49,908,650,400 respectively while that of the third scenario is found to be ₦106,938,354,400 which represent the extent of renewable energy resources that could possibly incentivize the realization of wider renewable energy applications in rural Nigeria. Furthermore, it was observed that the combination of the off-grid and on-grid installations have the potential for a decentralized renewable energy resources, with minimum installation cost. This will not only improve the wellbeing of rural communities, but also enhance Nigeria’s energy and economic prospects for potential global investments. &nbsp

Efficacy of using walnuts as statin adjuvants in hypertension management

Background Due to the widespread unorthodox use of nuts to improve cardiovascular health, this clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of walnut as an adjuvant statin in hypertensive subjects. Method A single-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial that lasted for 3 months. Forty-five screened hypertensive subjects on treatment, aged 45–65 years, were randomized into intervention and placebo groups according to their blood pressure defined by the American Heart Association criteria. Fifteen (15) normotensive subjects were also recruited for this study. The participants in the intervention group included daily 7 g of boiled walnut taken as snacks. The study was not controlled for type of diet and frequency of meals in a day. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) was the primary endpoint for this study. Results The mean LDLc levels of the intervention groups (84.6 mg/dl and 79.7 mg/dl, respectively) were significantly (p < .005) lower than the placebo (137.6 mg/dl). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels of the intervention groups were significantly higher than the placebo. The mean total cholesterol levels of the intervention groups were significantly lower than the placebo group. The intervention groups recorded a significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to the placebo. The supplementation of walnut significantly decreased the apolipoprotein E (APOE), proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9), and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activities relative to the placebo. Conclusion The use of walnut as a statin adjuvant during hypertension treatment reduced LDLc levels within 42.1% and improved HDL levels by 33.6%, and the LDLc decrease related to reduced PCSK9 and APOE activities while the HDLc increase related to reduced CETP activities

<i>Cucumeropsis mannii</i> seed oil protects against bisphenol A-induced hepatotoxicity by mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress in rats

From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2023-10-20, issued 2023-10-20Article version: AMPublication status: PublishedOBJECTIVES This study looked at how CMSO affected male Wistar albino rats' liver damage caused by bisphenol A. METHODS The standard HPLC method was used to assess the CMSO's phenolic content. Then, six (n = 8) groups of forty-eight (48) male Wistar rats (150 20 g) each received either CMSO or olive oil before being exposed to BPA for 42 days. Groups: A (one milliliter of olive oil, regardless of weight), B (BPA 100 mg/kg body weight (BW)), C (CMSO 7.5 mg/kg BW), D (CMSO 7.5 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW), E (CMSO 5.0 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW), and F (CMSO 2.5 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW). KEY FINDINGS A surprising abundance of flavonoids, totaling 17.8006 10.95 g/100 g, were found in the HPLC data. Malondialdehyde, liver enzymes, reactive oxygen species, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin levels were all significantly elevated by BPA (p 0.05). Additionally, nuclear factor-B, interleukin-6, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor, and histological alterations were all considerably (p 0.05) caused by BPA. The altered biochemical markers and histology were, however, noticeably recovered by CMSO to a level that was comparable to the control. CONCLUSION Due to the abundance of flavonoid components in the oil, CMSO protects the liver from BPA-induced hepatotoxicity by lowering oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions

Cucumeropsis mannii seed oil protects against bisphenol A-induced hepatotoxicity by mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress in rats

From Oxford University Press via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2023-07-05, accepted 2023-10-11, epub 2023-10-20, cover 2024-01, collection 2024-01-01, corrected-typeset 2024-03-05Acknowledgements: We appreciate the management of the Department of Biochemistry Institutional Research Ethics Committee, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.Publication status: PublishedObjectives: This study looked at how Cucumeropsis mannii seed oil (CMSO) affected male Wistar albino rats’ liver damage caused by bisphenol A (BPA). Methods: The standard HPLC method was used to assess the CMSO’s phenolic content. Then, six (n = 8) groups of 48 male Wistar rats (150 20 g) each received either CMSO or olive oil before being exposed to BPA for 42 days. Groups: A (1 ml of olive oil, regardless of weight), B (BPA 100 mg/kg body weight (BW)), C (CMSO 7.5 mg/kg BW), D (CMSO 7.5 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW), E (CMSO 5.0 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW), and F (CMSO 2.5 mg/kg BW + BPA 100 mg/kg BW). Key findings: A surprising abundance of flavonoids, totalling 17.8006 10.95 g/100 g, were found in the HPLC data. Malondialdehyde, liver enzymes, reactive oxygen species, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin levels were all significantly elevated by BPA (P = 0.05). Additionally, nuclear factor-B, interleukin-6, interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor, and histological alterations were all considerably (P = 0.05) caused by BPA. The altered biochemical markers and histology were, however, noticeably recovered by CMSO to a level that was comparable to the control. Conclusions: Due to the abundance of flavonoid components in the oil, CMSO protects the liver from BPA-induced hepatotoxicity by lowering oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions