Subacute Oral Toxicity Assessment of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach and Thonn) Müll Arg (Euphorbiaceae) Extract in Rats

Purpose: To assess Alchornea cordifolia, a medicinal plant with numerous biological actions and uses in traditional medicine, for possible toxicity in rats.Methods: The probable effect of the ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia (250 - 2000 mg/kg, p.o.) by gavage was evaluated on blood cellular elements and chemistry, as well as on the weight and histology of vital organs of male adult Spraque-Dawley rats.Results: Daily administration of the extract for two weeks did not cause significant changes in most haematological indices and blood chemistry. However, a dose-dependent increase (p < 0.01) in neutrophils was observed. Relative organ weights were comparable in control and treated groups. Histopathological assessment of liver sections of treated-rats showed normal architecture at doses < 1000 mg/kg. However, in animals treated with 1000 and 2000 mg/kg, cloudy swelling of hepatocytes with vacuolar and hydropic degeneration were evident. Kidney architecture at all dose levels was normal.Conclusion: The results of the study show that administration of the ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia to male adult rats by gavage evoked histopathologic changes in the liver at doses > 1000 mg/kg. These findings call for caution in the use of Alchornea cordifolia especially in high doses.Keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, Rats, Subacute oral toxicity, Neutrophils, Hepatocytes, Hydropic denegeratio

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of an Ethanolic Extract of the Aerial Parts of Hilleria latifolia (Lam.) H. Walt. (Phytolaccaceae)

Various parts of the perennial herb Hilleria latifolia (Lam.) H. Walt. (Family: Phytolaccaceae) are used in Ghanaian traditional medicine for the treatment of several inflammatory-related disorders. The present study examined the anti-inflammatory effect of an ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Hilleria latifolia (HLE) in acute and chronic inflammation models. Since free radicals and reactive oxygen species are implicated in inflammatory diseases, the antioxidant potential of HLE was also investigated in in vitro experimental models. HLE (10-300 mg kg-1, p.o.), either preemptively or curatively, significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced foot oedema in 7-day old chicks. Similarly, the NSAID diclofenac (10-100 mg kg-1, i.p.) and the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone (0.3-3 mg kg-1, i.p.) dosedependently reduced the oedema in both pre-emptive and curative treatments. In the Freund’s adjuvant induced-arthritis model in rats, HLE as well as the positive controls, dexamethasone and methotrexate, showed significant anti-arthritic properties when applied to established adjuvant arthritis. HLE (10-300 mg kg-1, p.o.) significantly reduced oedema in the ipsilateral paw of rats but failed to prevent systemic arthritic spread. The DMARD methotrexate (0.1-1 mg kg-1, i.p.) and dexamethasone (0.3-3 mg kg-1, i.p.) reduced significantly the total polyarthritic oedema as well as the spread of the arthritis from the ipsilateral to the contralateral paws of the treated animals. The extract (0.03-1.00 mg ml-1) exhibited Fe3+ reducing activity, scavenged DPPH and prevented lipid peroxidation. These findings suggest that the extract exerts in vivo antiinflammatory activity after oral administration and also has antioxidant properties which may contribute to its activity.Keywords: Carrageenan, chicks, DPPH, Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis, lipid peroxidation, total pheno

Isolation of α-amylase from malted rice (Wita 7) extract using cassava starch column procedure

The current study investigated the production and purification of α-amylase from malted rice (Wita 7) extract. In the course of the study, malting parameters such as germination energy, malt yield as well as malt loss of rice (Wita 7) were estimated. An appraisal of α-amylase production during malting with rice (Wita 7) revealed that, the production level peaked on the 8th day of germination with an estimated activity of 19.436 U/ml. The crude α-amylase from the 8th day malt extract was subsequently purified using starch column procedure. The purified extract recorded an estimated activity of 75.549 U/ml. The project further examined the effects of varying the ratios of starch adsorbent height to column diameter (L/D) during the purification step. For the columns employed (ID = 2.45 cm; 4.15 cm), the 2nd elution fractions from the experiments which were conducted with L/D ratios greater than 0.33 contained the highest amount of α-amylase. In summary, we have revealed that, the 8th day malt was most effective (optimum malting time) for starch hydrolysis. Again, the purification process produced a 4-fold enzyme activity ratio of 19:75. Finally, the greater the L/D ratio, the higher the efficacy for purification.Keywords: Alpha Amylase, Wita 7 rice, Malting, Starch adsorbent, Elution fractionAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(23), pp. 3738-374

Trichilia monadelpha Bark Extracts Inhibit Carrageenan-Induced Foot-Oedema in the 7-Day Old Chick and the Oedema Associated with Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis in Rats

Trichilia monadelpha (Thonn) JJ De Wilde (Meliaceae) bark extract is used in African traditional medicine for the management of various disease conditions including inflammatory disorders such as arthritis. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of aqueous (TWE), alcoholic (TAE) and petroleum ether extract (TPEE) of T. monadelpha using the 7-day old chick-carrageenan footpad oedema (acute inflammation) and the adjuvant-induced arthritis model in rats (chronic inflammation). TWE and TPEE significantly inhibited the chick-carrageenan footpad oedema with maximal inhibitions of 57.79±3.92 and 63.83±12 respectively, but TAE did not. The reference anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac and dexamethasone) inhibited the chick-carrageenan-induced footpad oedema, with maximal inhibitions of 64.92±2.03 and 71.85±15.34 respectively. Furthermore, all the extracts and the reference anti-inflammatory agents (diclofenac, dexamethasone, methotrexate) inhibited the inflammatory oedema associated with adjuvant arthritis with maximal inhibitions of 64.41±5.56, 57.04±8.57, 62.18±2.56%, for TWE, TAE and TPEE respectively and 80.28±5.79, 85.75±2.96, 74.68±3.03% for diclofenac, dexamethasone and methotrexate respectively. Phytochemical screening of the plant bark confirmed the presence of a large array of plant constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids, all of which may be potential sources of phyto-antiinflammatory agents. In conclusion, our work suggests that T. monadelpha is a potential source of antiinflammatory agents.Keywords: Antiinflammatory, Arthritis, Trichilia monadelpha, chick-carrageenan, phyto-antiinflammatory

Antidepressant-like properties of Antiaris toxicaria aqueous extract

Background: Depression is a global burden whose therapy is plagued with inconsistent efficacy. Hence, the need for the discovery of newer therapies.Methods: In this study, Antiaris toxicaria extract (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg, p.o.), was evaluated for antidepressant activity using behavioral tests battery particularly the forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). In order to investigate its mechanism of action, animals groups were pretreated with α-methyldopa (α-MD), para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), reserpine, D-serine and 5-hydroxytryptophan.Results: It increased the mobility periods and decreased immobility periods significantly in both the FST and the TST when compared to the control group. But the TST showed more promising effect than the FST. Pre-treatment with α-MD reversed the antidepressant property of A. toxicaria aqueous extract as did PCPA, reserpine and reserpine combined with α-MD. The extract increased the number of head twitches produced by 5-hydroxytryptophan confirming the involvement of serotonin in the antidepressant property and inhibited carbachol-induced contractions on the isolated rat uterus, which was non-competitively antagonized by propranolol.Treatment with D-serine produced no significant increase in the immobility time produced by the extract at the doses studied. This excludes the involvement of N-methyl-d-aspartate in the possible mechanisms of action.Conclusion: A. toxicaria possesses antidepressant-like action in rodents

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the root extract of Carissa edulis (forsk.) Vahl (apocynaceae)

Root extracts of Carissa edulis (Forsk.) Vahl (Apocynaceae) are used for the treatment several pathological states including inflammatory disorders. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of an alcoholic extract of C. edulis (CEE) on carrageenan-induced foot oedema in chicks. Also since free radicals and reactive oxygen species are implicated in inflammatory diseases, the anti-oxidant potential of extract was investigated in in vitro experimental models. Oral administration of CEE (30- 300 mg kg-1 p.o.) significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced foot oedemas with a maximal inhibition of 53.8±8.2%. Similarly, the NSAID diclofenac (10-100 mg kg-1, i.p.) and the steroidal anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone (0.3-3 mg kg-1, i.p ) reduced the total oedema with a maximal inhibition of 62.7±9.1% and 66.4±7.8% respectively. The extract also scavenged DPPH and prevented lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates. These results suggest that alcoholic extract of C. edulis exerts in vivo antiinflammatory activity after oral administration and also has antioxidant properties which may contribute to its activity.Journal of Science & Technology (Ghana) Vol. 27 (2) 2007: pp. 6-1

Varicella-zoster virus induces apoptosis in cell culture

peer reviewedaudience: researcherApoptosis is an active mechanism of cell death which can be initiated in response to various stimuli including virus infections. In this work, we demonstrate that lytic infection by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a human herpesvirus, is characterized by nuclear fragmentation of DNA into oligonucleosomal fragments and by chromatin condensation. In vitro, VZV-induced cell death is actually mediated by apoptosis. The mechanisms developed by cells to protect themselves against apoptosis could be one of the parameters allowing the establishment of virus latency. In the case of VZV, which can remain latent in sensory ganglia, we have not yet identified a cellular or viral protein which could play this protective role, since the observed apoptosis mechanism seems to be independent from Bcl-2, the most frequently described inhibitor of apoptosis

TRICHILIA MONADELPHA BARK EXTRACTS INHIBIT CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED FOOT-OEDEMA IN THE 7-DAY OLD CHICK AND THE OEDEMA ASSOCIATED WITH ADJUVANT-INDUCED ARTHRITIS IN RATS

Trichilia monadelpha (Thonn) JJ De Wilde (Meliaceae) bark extract is used in African traditional medicine for the management of various disease conditions including inflammatory disorders such as arthritis. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of aqueous (TWE), alcoholic (TAE) and petroleum ether extract (TPEE) of T. monadelpha using the 7-day old chick-carrageenan footpad oedema (acute inflammation) and the adjuvant-induced arthritis model in rats (chronic inflammation). TWE and TPEE significantly inhibited the chick-carrageenan footpad oedema with maximal inhibitions of 57.79±3.92 and 63.83±12 respectively, but TAE did not. The reference anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac and dexamethasone) inhibited the chick-carrageenan-induced footpad oedema, with maximal inhibitions of 64.92±2.03 and 71.85±15.34 respectively. Furthermore, all the extracts and the reference anti-inflammatory agents (diclofenac, dexamethasone, methotrexate) inhibited the inflammatory oedema associated with adjuvant arthritis with maximal inhibitions of 64.41±5.56, 57.04±8.57, 62.18±2.56%, for TWE, TAE and TPEE respectively and 80.28±5.79, 85.75±2.96, 74.68±3.03% for diclofenac, dexamethasone and methotrexate respectively. Phytochemical screening of the plant bark confirmed the presence of a large array of plant constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids, all of which may be potential sources of phyto-antiinflammatory agents. In conclusion, our work suggests that T. monadelpha is a potential source of antiinflammatory agents

The need to address fragmentation and silos in mortality information systems: the case of Ghana and Peru

Objectives: We aimed to understand the information architecture and degree of integration of mortality surveillance systems in Ghana and Peru. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a combination of document review and unstructured interviews to describe and analyse the sub-systems collecting mortality data. Results: We identified 18 and 16 information subsystems with independent databases capturing death events in Peru and Ghana respectively. The mortality information architecture was highly fragmented with a multiplicity of unconnected data silos and with formal and informal data collection systems. Conclusion: Reliable and timely information about who dies where and from what underlying cause is essential to reporting progress on Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring policies are responding to population health dynamics, and understanding the impact of threats and events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating systems hosted in different parts of government remains a challenge for countries and limits the ability of statistics systems to produce accurate and timely information. Our study exposes multiple opportunities to improve the design of mortality surveillance systems by integrating existing subsystems currently operating in silos

The Curative and Prophylactic Effects of Xylopic Acid on Plasmodium berghei

Efforts have been intensified to search for more effective antimalarial agents because of the observed failure of some artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatments of malaria in Ghana. Xylopic acid, a pure compound isolated from the fruits of the Xylopia aethiopica, was investigated to establish its attributable prophylactic, curative antimalarial, and antipyretic properties. The antimalarial properties were determined by employing xylopic acid (10–100 mg/kg) in ICR mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Xylopic acid exerted significant (P<0.05) effects on P. berghei infection similar to artemether/lumefantrine, the standard drug. Furthermore, it significantly (P<0.05) reduced the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced fever in Sprague-Dawley rats similar to prednisolone. Xylopic acid therefore possesses prophylactic and curative antimalarial as well as antipyretic properties which makes it an ideal antimalarial agent