Anti-obesity potentials of aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. Leaves in high-fat diet fed rats

Background: Obesity is currently a global epidemic. Conventional treatments have not been very satisfactory to patients, warranting a search for alternative therapeutic options that are natural, safe and affordable. This study therefore investigated the anti-obesity potentials of aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del (AEVA and MEVA respectively) in a rat model in which obesity was induced using a high-fat diet.Materials and Methods: Forty two Wistar rats were randomised into 7 groups of 6 rats each. One group served as the Normal Control group and obesity was induced in the other 6 groups. One of the 6 groups each served as Positive Control and Negative Control while the 4 test groups were designated AEVA100, AEVA500, MEVA50 and MEVA200, respectively. The study lasted for 12 weeks after which standard protocols were followed for all analyses and determinations.Results: The results show that both AEVA and MEVA at the tested concentrations resulted in significant (P < 0.05) weight loss (without affecting internal organs negatively), and significant (P < 0.05) improvement in some metabolic markers of obesity in the test rats compared to the negative control rats. MEVA 200 had the greatest anti-obesity effect while MEVA 50 was the least effective. All the test extracts compared well with Orlistat used as the positive control drug on all counts.Conclusion: The observed weight-loss benefits of AEVA and MEVA are attributable to the rich milieu of phytochemicals found in Vernonia amygdalina Del. Further studies to unlock the mechanisms through which the observed weight loss is mediated are warranted.Key words: High-fat diet, Obesity, Phytochemicals, Vernonia amygdalina extracts, Weight los

The relationship of female physical attractiveness to body fatness

Funding This work was supported by NSFC grant 91431102 from the National Science Foundation of China. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Acknowledgements We are grateful to all the participants from all the countries and all the members of Molecular Energetics Group for their help on the investigation and discussion of the results.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Therapeutic effects of Azadirachta indica A.Juss. leaves in malaria-induced male Wistar rats

Context: Azadirachta indica has long been used in herbal or folk medicine as a remedy for the treatment of malaria and the administration of herbal preparations has raised concerns on their toxicity. Aims: To determine the phytochemical content of A. indica and its therapeutic effect on indices of clinical importance in malaria-induced male Wistar rats. Methods: Plant material was extracted with ethanol, and the lethal dose (LD50) on the rats was determined before the study. Normal and Plasmodium berghei infected rats were divided into eight groups of five rats each with groups 1 and 2 serving as normal and disease control respectively. Lumartem was administered twice daily at oral therapeutic doses of artemether/lumefantrine (2/12 mg/kg) and plant extract at 300 and 500 mg/kg body weight. After 5 days of treatment, all the animals were sacrificed according to their groups for the experimental analysis. Results: The plant extract was considered safe with LD50 > 5000 mg/kg body weight. Quantitative phytochemical studies showed a high concentration of alkaloids, tannin, and terpenoids. Treatment with both extracts of A. indica and lumartem in malaria-infected rats showed a slight reduction in triglycerides while total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL levels increased significantly (p < 0.05). Increase in body weight of rats treated with A. indica was dependent on the concentration of extract administered. Treatment of malaria with the extract and lumartem resulted in a slight restoration of the hematological values. Conclusions: This study shows that both Azadirachta indica and lumartem was practically safe and well tolerated