Toxicity studies in rats fed nature cure bitters

Graded doses of Nature Cure Bitters (NCB) were administered daily (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o) to rats for 28 days and the effects on body weight, organ weight, clinical signs, gross pathology, haematology, histology and serum biochemical parameters were evaluated. The relative weights of the heart, liver and testes of treated rats were unaffected in contrast to a significant increase in the relative weights of the lungs, kidneys and spleen. The packed cell volume and haemoglobin concentrations were significantly reduced whereas total leucocyte counts and glucose levels were remarkably increased. A significant decrease in alkaline phosphatase occurred in all the groups but alanine aminotransferase and albumin levels were significantly elevated. NCB elicited hypo-cholesterolaemic effects in addition to lowering urea, uric acid, BUN and total protein concentrations. Histological findings did not reveal any treatment-related effects. The calculated therapeutic index was >37.5. These preliminary results suggest that NCB was not likely to produce severe toxicological effects on organ weights, haematological and biochemical indices when given at normal therapeutic doses. Key Words: Nature Cure Bitters, organ weight; pathology, haematology; serum biochemistry. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.4(1) 2005: 72-7

Status of national research bioethics committees in the WHO African region

BACKGROUND: The Regional Committee for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001 expressed concern that some health-related studies undertaken in the Region were not subjected to any form of ethics review. In 2003, the study reported in this paper was conducted to determine which Member country did not have a national research ethics committee (REC) with a view to guiding the WHO Regional Office in developing practical strategies for supporting those countries. METHODS: This is a descriptive study. The questionnaire was prepared and sent by diplomatic pouch to all the 46 Member States in the WHO African Region, through the WHO country representatives, for facilitation and follow up. The data were entered in Excel spreadsheet and subsequently exported to STATA for analysis. A Chi-Squared test (χ(2)) for independence was undertaken to test the relationship between presence/absence of Research Ethics Committee (REC) and selected individual socioeconomic and health variables. RESULTS: The main findings were as follows: the response rate was 61% (28/46); 64% (18/28) confirmed the existence of RECs; 36% (10/28) of the respondent countries did not have a REC (although 80% of them reported that they had in place an ad hoc ethical review mechanism); 85% (22/26) of the countries that responded to this question indicated that ethical approval of research proposals was, in principle, required; and although 59% of the countries that had a REC expected it to meet every month, only 44% of them reported that the REC actually met on a monthly basis. In the Chi-Squared test, only the average population in the group of countries with a REC was statistically different (at 5% level of significance) from that of the group of countries without a REC. CONCLUSION: In the current era of globalized biomedical research, good ethics stewardship demands that every country, irrespective of its level of economic development, should have in place a functional research ethics review system in order to protect the dignity, integrity and safety of its citizens who participate in research

Status of national health research systems in ten countries of the WHO African Region

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, in 1998, passed a resolution (AFR/RC48/R4) which urged its Member States in the Region to develop national research policies and strategies and to build national health research capacities, particularly through resource allocation, training of senior officials, strengthening of research institutions and establishment of coordination mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to take stock of some aspects of national resources for health research in the countries of the Region; identify current constraints facing national health research systems; and propose the way forward. METHODS: A questionnaire was prepared and sent by pouch to all the 46 Member States in the WHO African Region through the WHO Country Representatives for facilitation and follow up. The health research focal person in each of the countries Ministry of Health (in consultation with other relevant health research bodies in the country) bore the responsibility for completing the questionnaire. The data were entered and analysed in Excel spreadsheet. RESULTS: The key findings were as follows: the response rate was 21.7% (10/46); three countries had a health research policy; one country reported that it had a law relating to health research; two countries had a strategic health research plan; three countries reported that they had a functional national health research system (NHRS); two countries confirmed the existence of a functional national health research management forum (NHRMF); six countries had a functional ethical review committee (ERC); five countries had a scientific review committee (SRC); five countries reported the existence of health institutions with institutional review committees (IRC); two countries had a health research programme; and three countries had a national health research institute (NHRI) and a faculty of health sciences in the national university that conducted health research. Four out of the ten countries reported that they had a budget line for health research in the Ministry of Health budget document. CONCLUSION: Governments of countries of the African Region, with the support of development partners, private sector and civil society, urgently need to improve the research policy environment by developing health research policies, strategic plans, legislations, programmes and rolling plans with the involvement of all stakeholders, e.g., relevant sectors, research organizations, communities, industry and donors. In a nutshell, development of high-performing national health research systems in the countries of the WHO African Region, though optional, is an imperative. It may be the only way of breaking free from the current vicious cycle of ill-health and poverty

Guidelines for evaluation of safety and efficacy of African traditional medicines

Meeting: Methodology Workshop on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, 5-7 December, 2005, Nairobi, K

Keynote address policies and directions for traditional medicine and medicinal plants: the way forward In the next decade

Keynote address on Policies and directions for traditional medicine and medicinal plants: the way forward in the next decade. Prof. Charles Wambebe, President, International biomedical research institute (IBRI), Abuja, Nigeria. At the 15th meeting of the Inter-African Expert Committee onAfrican Traditional Medicine and Medicinal Plants Arusha,tanzania: 15-17 January 2002 2001-2010: oau decade on African Traditional Medicin

Phytochemical Analysis of Polyphenols in Leaf Extract from <i>Vernonia amygdalina</i> Delile Plant Growing in Uganda

Due to the presence of phytochemicals, plants have been known to be used in the treatment and management of various diseases. Vernonia amygdalina, belonging to the Asteraceae family, is a plant known for its many applications in traditional medicine for various purposes. Previous studies on the methanolic leaf extract of this plant have proved the antibacterial, cytotoxic, anticancer and antioxidant effects indicative of promising therapeutic potentials. In this work, chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques along with high-performance liquid chromatography quantitative analysis were adopted to isolate, identify and quantify polyphenolic compounds in V. amygdalina leaf extract. UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS and UHPLC-DAD methods were adopted for qualitative and quantitative analysis, respectively. In the case of polyphenol separation, some reference substances were isolated by preparative HPLC. Seven polyphenols were identified and quantified in this study: 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, luteolin hexoside, 3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 1,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and luteolin dihexoside, with 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid being isolated in the highest quantity of 27.49 mg g−1 extract

ANTIFUNGAL PRINCIPLE FROM THE STEM BARK OF BERLINA GRANDIFLORA

Lup-20(29)-en-3b-ol [lupeol] was isolated from the hexane fraction of the stem bark of Berlina grandiflora. The compound showed significant antifungal activity against Cladosporium cucumerinium. Key Words: Berlina grandiflora, antifungal activity, lupeol and Cladosporium cucumerinium [Nig. J. Nat. Prod. and Med. Vol.6 2002: 48-49

Behavioural Effect of \u3cem\u3ePavetta crassipes\u3c/em\u3e Extract on Rodents

The effects of the ethanol extract of Pavetta crassipes on the central nervous system (CNS) and on actions of some selected centrally acting drugs were studied in mice and rats. These studies were carried out using the spontaneous motor activity (SMA), amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and stereotyped behaviour,pentobarbital-induced hypnosis and exploratory activity, apomorphine-induced climbing and haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats. The results demonstrated that the extract of P. crassipes dose-dependently decreased SMA in mice and attenuated amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and the different episodes of stereotypic behavioural patterns induced by amphetamine. In addition, the extract decreased the number of head dips in the exploratory activity test and potentiated pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in rats. Furthermore, the extract inhibited apomorphine-induced climbing in mice and potentiated haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats. Our results suggest that the extract of P. crassipes contains biologically active substance(s) that might be acting centrally through the inhibition of dopaminergic pathway or a system linked to this pathway to mediate the observed pharmacological effects