Central nervous system depressant effect of the fruits of Piper guineense

The central nervous system depressant effect of the butanol extract of the fruits of Piper guineense was pharmacologically screened by measuring the prolongation of barbiturate sleeping time. Nine rats (n=9) were used and assigned into three groups, with each group comprising of three rats (n=3). Group A served as the Control, while Groups B and C served as tests. Thiopentone sodium (40 mg/kg body weight) was administered subcutaneously to the rats in Group A, 2 mg/kg of the butanolic extract of the fruits of Piper guineense was administered subcutaneously to the rats in Test Group B, 30 minutes before administering same dose of thiopentone sodium, while rats in Group C received 4 mg/kg of the butanolic extract 30 minutes before administering same dose of thiopentone sodium. The sleeping time was recorded. Student-t-test at 5% significance level was used to analyze the results obtained. The mean barbiturate sleeping time prolongation of 53.67 minutes was produced by 2 mg/kg of the extract while a dose of 4 mg/kg produced mean barbiturate sleeping time prolongation of 103.67 minutes. This study suggests that the fruits of Piper guineense have central nervous system depressant effect.Keywords: Piper guineense, fruits, glycosidic constituents, central nervous system, depressantBiokemistri 28(1): 34–3

Prevalence of antibody against rabies among confined, free-roaming and stray dogs in a transit city of Nigeria

The prevalence of anti-glycoprotein antibodies against rabies virus is studied in the sera of confined, free-roaming and stray dogs in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State, Nigeria. A quantitative indirect enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (i-ELISA) was used to detect rabies virus anti-glycoprotein antibodies in sera from 116 confined, 61 free-roaming, and 13 stray dogs. The sera were collected between June and December 2008 from apparently healthy dogs. Of these 190 dogs, 81 (42.6%), consisting of 57 confined (49.1%), 23 free-roaming (37.7%) and 1 stray (7.7%), had antibody titres that exceeded the positive threshold of 0.5 equivalent units (eu)/ml against rabies, while 109 (57.4%) presented titres that were below the threshold. Prevalence of rabies anti-glycoprotein antibody was higher in the confined dogs compared to free-roaming and stray dogs. Our results indicated low anti-rabies sero-prevalence (42.6%) in the dog population of Ilorin, a transit city that lies between northern and southern Nigeria. This is the first community-based prevalence report on the anti-rabies serological profile of dogs in Nigeria. The need for primary and booster mass vaccination of dogs and the impact of these findings on rabies control in Nigeria are discussed