Grace Ukpo

Antioxidant Activity of Some Nigerian Medicinal Plants Used in Malaria Treatment

Free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously produced by an organism’s normal use of oxygen. There are ample evidence that an imbalance between formation and removal of these free radicals can lead to a pathological condition called oxidative stress resulting in many physiological processes like aging and chronic diseases, such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and liver injury. However, the human body employs molecules known as antioxidants to counteract these free radicals thus repairing free radical damage by initiating cell regeneration or cell repair. 3 This has led to keen interest and widespread researches in the investigation of plant materials with antioxidant activity that can protect against these reactive oxygen species such as superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, peroxyl radical, and nitric oxide radical and thus may play a role in disease prevention. 5 In recent times, studies have shown that free radicals associated with oxidative stress play crucial role in the development of complication caused by malaria. Plants contain high concentrations of antioxidants, including polyphenols, tocopherols, tocotrienols, ascorbic acid, glutathione, carotenoids, which are believed to be the effective nutrients in the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases. 8 A number of traditional herbs including the leaves of Mangifera indica, Artemisia annua, Carica papaya, Azadirachta indica,, Melissa officinalis, Alafia

Evaluation of the Antihyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Properties of the Aqueous Leaf Extract of Camellia sinensis in Oil-induced Hyperlipidemic Rats

Hyperlipidemia, one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is associated with risks of ischemic stroke, atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. It is characterized by abnormally high levels of triglycerides, cholesterol and reduced highdensity lipoproteins in the blood. In 2007, World Health 4 listed high level of cholesterol as one of the top five leading causes of global mortality and it is believed that by the year 2020, CVDs will become the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. 6 Although several factors have been reported to cause hyperlipidemia, changes in lifestyle especially consumption of diets rich in saturated fat greater than 10 % of total daily calories and cholesterol intake greater than 300 mg per day are main contributors to high level of lipid in the blood. Lipid-lowering therapy is important in the prevention and/or lowering the risk of CVDs and stroke. The treatment may involve reducing lipid levels through lifestyle measures or by the use of drugs such as statins (HMG CoA inhibitors) to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol and fibrates, which enhances the clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein. The high cost of these drugs, their recorded side effects and at times scarcity have increased the quest for herbal products that possess lipid-lowering potential, with minimal or no side effect thus making herbal formulations to attain widespread acceptability as therapeutic agents in many developing Countries.

Evaluation of Moxifloxacin-induced Biochemical Changes in Mice

The aim of the present study was to investigate the toxicological effects of moxifloxacin in mice to determine the toxicological implications. Forty mice of both sexes were divided into four groups of 10 mice each, designated as A, B, C and D. Group A served as the control and received 2 ml of distilled water, while Groups B, C and D were orally administered 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight of moxifloxacin once daily for 7 days, respectively. The weights of the mice were recorded before and throughout the duration of drug administration. Blood samples were collected for serum analysis. Total blood protein, cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, activities of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase, levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol were assayed. There were significant (P≤0.05) differences in the concentrations of serum creatinine, urea, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase, levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, cholesterol and triglyceride of mice administered moxifloxacin. Serum level of total bilirubin in low dose treated animals was not significantly different from that of the control group animals, but there were significant dose dependent decrease in the animals treated with 25 mg/kg as well as 50 mg/kg. Data of the study indicate there was a dose dependent reduction in the protein metabolites, lipid profile and liver enzyme activities of mice administered moxifloxacin.