Nutritive value and phytochemical composition of processed Solanum incanum (Bitter garden egg)

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In vitro study on inhibition of glycosylation of methanolic leaf extract of Hibiscus cannabinus

The inhibitory properties of Methanolic leaf extract of Hibiscus cannabinus (Malvaceae family) on glycosylation formation, was investigated in haemoglobin using Gallic acid as Standard. The periodic glycosylation of haemoglobin at varying concentration of glucose shows a decrease in haemoglobin concentration indicating the glycosylation of haemoglobin. While the subsequent administration of Hibiscus cannabinus Methanolic leaf extract inhibit haemoglobin glycosylation, where a concentration of 20 mg/ml of theextract gave a significant inhibition by yielding haemoglobin concentration of 1.877±0.40 ìg/ml for test extract as against 0.032±0.013 ìg/ml for the standard. This suggests that the plant extract inhibits the binding of glucose to hemoglobin, since at higher concentration of glucose the concentration was found to be high

Expression and characterization of recombinant β-glucosidases from Aspergillus nidulans AN2227

Recombinant β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) from Aspergillus nidulans AN2227 was expressed using Buffered Methanol Complex Medium (BMMY). Purification was conducted using ammonium sulphate precipitation and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column. The enzyme was purified 2.58 fold from the crude extract. β-glucosidase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and had a relative molecular weight of 100 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme had an optimum pH and temperature of 6.0 and 40 oC respectively. The most striking characteristics of this enzyme are the dramatically broad pH and temperature profile. The enzyme also had a Km of 0.42 mM for 4-Nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG). The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by HgCl2 and slightly activated by CoCl2, FeCl3, CaCl2, FeCl2 and ZnCl2 suggesting that the enzyme may not be a metalloprotein and therefore does not require metal ions for optimum activity.Keywords: Aspergillus nidulans, Cellulase, β-glucosidase, p-nitrophenol-β-glucopyranoside

Enzyme assay, cloning and sequencing of novel β-glucosidase gene from Aspergillus niger f321 (unidentified Nigerian strain)

β-glucosidase is a cellulase enzyme under intense investigation for its potential role in cellulose degradation for the generation of fermentable sugars used in biofuels production. Ten catalytic sites have been identified that are conserved in β- glucosidases from a range of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. NCBI Primer BLAST was used in this study to design primers that successfully clone a partial β-glucosidase gene from an uncharacterised Nigerian strain of the filamentous fungi Aspergillus niger F321 (A. niger F321). Two β-glucosidase genes from A. niger F321 denoted as ANRA12.6 and ANRA12.9 were amplified from genomic DNA using PCR techniques and the amplicons gave estimated PCR products of 1,190 bp and 1,950 bp respectively. Subsequent cloning into E. coli produced positive results for blue/white screening of transformed colonies while the colony PCR of their pDNA gave estimated sizes of 860 bp and 1,600 bp respectively. DNA sequencing confirmed that the chosen A. niger F321 partial β-glucosidase sequences had been successfully cloned. Bioinformatics studies also suggested that the cloned β-glucosidases share some characteristics with their bacterial counterparts. The findings in this study highlight the increasing need for more information on β-glucosidase structure and function.Keywords: Aspergillus niger, β-glucosidase, cellulase, PCR, sequencing, Bioinformatic

In vitro Inhibitory Studies and Effect of Selected Plant Extracts and Cations on Elastase (EC 3.4.21.11) Activity produced by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus

Elastase is a member of the serine protease enzyme family that hydrolytically degrades elastin, a connective tissue component leading to aging and wrinkling of the skin. In this report, we investigated the in-vitro inhibitory effects of some cations and n-hexane extract of Hibiscus cannabinus, Vernonia amygdalina, Murraya koenigii, and Telfairia occidentalis on the activity of Elastase isolated from Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Elastase was extracted, isolated and partially purified from Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. The data obtained in this study demonstrated that the activity of elastase in Aspergillus flavus was higher compared to that of Aspergillus niger after salting out. The elastase inhibition activities of Hibiscus cannabinus, Vernonia amygdalina, Murraya koenigii, and Telfairia occidentalis reveal that the leaf extract from Murraya koenigii, in Aspergillus flavus had more significant inhibition was obtained compared to that of Aspergillus niger, with inhibitory effect from 40µg/ml. While that of Hibiscus cannabinus showed similar inhibition characteristics to Murraya koenigii. Both Hibiscus cannabinus and Vernonia amygdalina had an effect at 80µg/ml; all the extracts appeared to have more effects on the enzyme obtained from Aspergillus flavus than from the Aspergillus niger. The potential of exploring these plant extract as an anti-aging recipe was discussed. Keywords: Inhibitory studies, Elastase, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Hibiscus cannabinus, Vernonia amygdalina, Murraya koenigii, and Telfairia occidentali

Length-Weight Relationship and Condition Factor of Clarias anguillaris (Family: Claridae) in Kontagora Reservoir, Niger State, Nigeria

Length – weight relationship of Clarias anguillaris (Fam: Claridae) in Kontagora Reservoir, Niger State, Nigeria, was studied from January, 2007 - December, 2007. The fish species was obtained using a fleet of graded gill nets comprising of nine multi filament gill nets mesh sizes. The parameters a and b of the Length – weight relationship of the form W = aLb and Condition factor C.F. = W 100 / L3 are presented for the fish species. The mean monthly condition factor values were high during the rainy season than the dry season, and the b value obtained was 3.477. The b value indicates positive allometric relationship, with the weight of the fish increasing as the fish grow in length. The high mean monthly condition factor of the fish species indicating their well being, shows that Kontagora Reservoir has favourable environment for the survival and growth of the species.Keywords: Length – weight relationship, Condition factor, Clarias anguillaris, Kontagora ReservoirNigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Science (2011), 19(2): 299-30

Biochemical response of normal albino rats to the addition of aqueous leaves extract of Hibiscus cannabinus and Murraya koenigii in rats drinking water

Experiments were conducted to determine the biochemical effect of Hibiscus cannabinus and Murraya koenigii extracts on normal albino rats  using standard methods. Analyses carried out indicated that the aqueousleaf extract of H. cannabinus and M. koenigii exhibited significant  hypolipideamic activity in normal rats. Results of phytochemical studies showed that flavonoids and glycosides are the major chemical constituent of the leaf extract. Overall results indicate a significant (P<0.05) reduction of serum cholesterol, triglycerol at both concentration of 5 and 10 mg/Kg b.wt. No significant effect is seen in the hematological indices, serum glucose,  Aspartate transaminase (AST) and Alanine transaminase (ALT). The  significance of this study is thus discussed.Key words: Hibiscus cannabinus, Murraya koenigii, flavonoid, Hypolipidemi

Shared Molecular Genetic Mechanisms Underlie Endometriosis and Migraine Comorbidity

Observational epidemiological studies indicate that endometriosis and migraine co-occur within individuals more than expected by chance. However, the aetiology and biological mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain unknown. Here we examined the relationship between endometriosis and migraine using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effect concordance analysis found a significant concordance of SNP risk effects across endometriosis and migraine GWAS. Linkage disequilibrium score regression analysis found a positive and highly significant genetic correlation (rG = 0.38, P = 2.30 × 10−25) between endometriosis and migraine. A meta-analysis of endometriosis and migraine GWAS data did not reveal novel genome-wide significant SNPs, and Mendelian randomisation analysis found no evidence for a causal relationship between the two traits. However, gene-based analyses identified two novel loci for migraine. Also, we found significant enrichment of genes nominally associated (Pgene 0.05) with both traits (Pbinomial-test = 9.83 × 10−6). Combining gene-based p-values across endometriosis and migraine, three genes, two (TRIM32 and SLC35G6) of which are at novel loci, were genome-wide significant. Genes having Pgene 0.1 for both endometriosis and migraine (Pbinomial-test = 1.85 ×10−°3) were significantly enriched for biological pathways, including interleukin-1 receptor binding, focal adhesion-PI3K-Akt-mTOR-signaling, MAPK and TNF-α signalling. Our findings further confirm the comorbidity of endometriosis and migraine and indicate a non-causal relationship between the two traits, with shared genetically-controlled biological mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of the two disorders

Farmers’ Perception of the Effects of Climate Change and Coping Strategies in Three Agro-Ecological Zones of Nigeria

The study assessed farmers perception of the effects of climate change and coping strategies in three agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. Three agro-ecological zones namely Middle-Belt, North-Central and North–East were purposively selected and one LGA where NAERLS extension model village is located was purposively selected from each of the 3 agro-ecological zones. One village was randomly selected in addition to the NAERLS model village. Twenty five farmers were randomly selected from each village. One hundred and fifty (150) validated structured questionnaires were used to elicit information from respondents. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Farmers were fully aware of the effect of climate change and possible coping strategies such as the need for agricultural insurance, planting of drought and flood tolerant varieties and reduction of water loss through practices such as mulching and rearing of heat tolerant livestock. General perception was that climate change increases the rate of sickness/infection, reduces family income and that frequency of flood and that drought has increased. Chi-square analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between perception of climate change and agro-ecology (X2 =23.52;

Farmers’ Perception of the Effects of Climate Change and Coping Strategies in Three Agro-Ecological Zones of Nigeria

The study assessed farmers perception of the effects of climate change and coping strategies in three agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. Three agro-ecological zones namely Middle-Belt, North-Central and North–East were purposively selected and one LGA where NAERLS extension model village is located was purposively selected from each of the 3 agro-ecological zones. One village was randomly selected in addition to the NAERLS model village. Twenty five farmers were randomly selected from each village. One hundred and fifty (150) validated structured questionnaires were used to elicit information from respondents. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Farmers were fully aware of the effect of climate change and possible coping strategies such as the need for agricultural insurance, planting of drought and flood tolerant varieties and reduction of water loss through practices such as mulching and rearing of heat tolerant livestock. General perception was that climate change increases the rate of sickness/infection, reduces family income and that frequency of flood and that drought has increased. Chi-square analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between perception of climate change and agro-ecology (X2 =23.52;