Margaret O. Sofidiya

Phenolic contents, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Hymenocardia acida.

This study investigates the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of aqueous and methanolic extracts from Hymenocardia acida Tul. (Hymenocardiaceae). The inhibition values of the extracts and quercetin were found to be very close, with no significant differences at a concentration of 0.05 mg mL−1 in their ability to inhibit 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Total proanthocyanidins for both water and methanol extracts were 20.2 ± 0.01 and 30.6 ± 0.51 mg g−1 (catechin equivalent) while the total phenol contents were 20.0 ± 0.52 and 35.6 ± 1.42 mg mL−1 (tannic acid equivalent), respectively. Positive correlations R 2 = 0.85, R 2 = 0.94, R 2 = 0.97 for DPPH, reducing power and 2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo thiazoline)6-sulphonic acid (ABTS). Linear regression analysis also produced a high correlation coefficient with total proanthocyanidins (DPPH, R 2 = 0.69; ABTS, R 2 = 0.94). H. acida extracts showed low antibacterial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value ≥5.0 mg mL−1) against gram negative bacteria but significantly (MIC value ≤2.5 mg mL−1) inhibited the growth of the gram positive strains tested. Qualitative TLC of the extract was positive for flavonoids, phenols, steroids and triterpenoids. The results of this study support the use of H. acida in traditional Nigerian medicine and show that the alcoholic extract of the leaves can be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidant and can be of assistance in some dermatological problems.

Medicinal Potential of the Root of Arctotis arctotoides

Abstract The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the acetone, methanol, and water extracts from the root of Arctotis arctotoides. (L.f.) O. Hoffm (Asteraceae) were assessed in an effort to validate the medicinal potential of the subterranean part of the herb. The antioxidant activities of acetone and methanol extracts as determined by the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP methods were higher than that of water extracts. The extracts showed significant activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The strongest activity was found in the acetone extract on Bacillus cereus., Staphylococcus aureus., Micrococcus kristinae., and Streptococcus pyrogens. with an MIC of 0.1 mg/mL. Although not completely fungicidal, these extracts showed significant growth inhibition against all the fungi tested. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the extracts were strongly correlated with total phenols and to a lesser extent with their flavonoids and proanthocyanidins contents. This study has validated the medicinal potential of the underground part of A. arctotoides..

Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of the Aqueous Extract of Acacia karroo Stem Bark in Experimental Animals

The aqueous extract of the stem bark of Acacia karroo Hayne was investigated for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in animal models. The extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg reduced significantly the formation of oedema induced by carrageenan and histamine. In the acetic acid-induced writhing model, the extract showed a good analgesic effect characterized by a significant reduction in the number of writhes with two doses (100 and 200 mg/kg) used when compared to the untreated control group. In the tail immersion test, the extract at the doses used (100 and 200 mg/kg) increased reaction time to pain after 30 min. of oral administration of the extract. Indomethacin at 10 mg/kg served as reference drug in all these tests. The results gave a scientific basis to the traditional uses of Acacia karroo mainly for wound poultices, eye treatments and cold remedies.

Dose and time-dependent sub-chronic toxicity study of hydroethanolic leaf extract of Flabellaria paniculata Cav. (Malpighiaceae) in rodents

Flabellaria paniculata Cav. (Malpighiaceae) is a climbing shrub, the preparations of which are used in the treatment of wounds and ulcers in Nigeria and Ghana. This study investigated the sub-chronic toxicity profile of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of F. paniculata (HLE-FP). HLE-FP was administered p.o. (20, 100, and 500 mg/kg) for 30 and 60 days to different groups of rats. Control animals received 10 ml/kg distilled water. In the group of animals for reversibility study, HLE-FP administration ceased on the 60th day and animals were monitored for a further 15 days. Results showed that oral treatment with HLE-FP for 30 days caused significant (p < 0.05) reductions in weight gain pattern compared to control. These changes were sustained with 60 days treatment. However, no significant (p > 0.05) differences in relative organ weights between control and treatment groups were observed. HLE-FP-treated rats showed significant (p < 0.05) increases in Hb, PCV and RBC on day 30 and significant (p < 0.05) increases in MCV and MCH indices on day 60 compared to control. There were significant (p < 0.05) elevations in serum K+, urea and creatinine compared to control. The liver function tests showed slight but non-significant alterations in relevant parameters when compared to control. Biochemical findings were supported by histopathological observations of vital organs including the kidney and liver. Toxicities observed in respect of kidney function were irreversible at 15 days of stoppage of treatment. In the acute toxicity study, HLE-FP given p.o. caused no lethality at 5000 mg/kg but behavioral manifestations like restlessness, generalized body tremor, feed, and water refusal were observed. The i.p. LD50 was estimated to be 2951.2 mg/kg. Findings in this study showed that HLE-FP is relatively non-toxic on acute exposure and generally safe on sub-chronic administration, but could be deleterious on the kidneys on prolonged oral exposure at a high dose. Thus, caution should be exercised with its long-term usage.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the methanol extract of Malva parviflora Linn (Malvaceae) in rats

Malva parviflora Linn Malvaceae is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of wounds and other related ailments by the Xhosa people of South Africa. The anti-inflammatory activity of the stem extract of this plant was assessed using carrageenan-induced paw oedema and histamine-induced paw oedema. The analgesic effect was determined using the acetic acid writhing method as well as formalin test. The extract at 100 and 200 mgkg-1 body weight reduced significantly, the formation of oedema induced by carrageenan and histamine. In the acetic acid-induced writhing model, the extract showed a good analgesic effect characterized by reduction in the number of writhes when compared to the control. The extract caused dose-dependent decrease of licking time and licking frequency in rats injected with 2.5% formalin, signifying its analgesic effect. These results were also comparable to those of indomethacin, the reference drug used in this study. Since the plant extract reduced significantly the formation of oedema induced by carrageenan and histamine as well as reduced the number of writhes in acetic acidinduced writhing models and dose-dependent decrease of licking time and licking frequency in rats injected with 2.5% formalin, it is concluded that the use of M. parviflora for the treatment of inflammed purulent wounds, swellings, bruises and broken limbs may have been justified.

Nutritional composition and antioxidant activities of Curculigo pilosa (Hypoxidaceae) rhizome

Curculigo pilosa (CP) rhizome traditionally used in the manufacture of infant food and sorghum beer in West Africa was assessed for its nutritional composition, mineral content as well as antioxidant activities. Results from the proximate analysis showed that the rhizome contains crude fibre (34.76%), carbohydrate (34.09%) and moderate energy value (188.77 Kcal/100 g). Crude protein, crude fat, ash and moisture constituted 11.01, 0.93, 5.16 and 12.28%, respectively of the rhizome weight. Among the minerals, Fe content (36.14±0.04) was the most abundant. The 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydracyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activities were found to be high when compared to rutin and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Moderate inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) radicals and reductive capability in phosphomolybdenum assay was also recorded. Phenolic, flavonoids and proanthocyanidin contents were 65.17, 23.17 and 4.23 mg/g of dry plant material, respectively. The study suggests that rhizome of CP may be a good dietary source of nutrients and natural antioxidant. Key words: Curculigo pilosa, proximate composition, mineral contents, antioxidant activity.

Investigation of the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Hymenocardia acida Tul. ( Hymenocardiaceae )

Medicinal plants are important elements of indigenous medical system that have persisted in developing countries. Many of the pharmacological principles currently used as anticancer agents were first isolated from plants. However, some important anticancer agents are still extracted from plants because they cannot be synthesized chemically on a commercial scale due to their complex structures that often contain several chiral centers. The aim of this study was to test different extracts from the leaves of Moringa or drumstick tree ( Moringa oleifera ) for activity against leukemia and hepatocarcinoma cells in vitro . The extracts could kill majority (70 - 86%) of the abnormal cells among primary cells harvested from 10 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 15 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as a culture of hepatocarcinoma cells (75% death), but most significantly by the hot water and ethanol extracts. In conclusion, M. oleifera may have potential for use as source of natural treatment for diseases such as cancer.

Antioxidant, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Andrographis paniculata in some laboratory animals.

Abstract Background: The study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant properties of Andrographis paniculata leaf extracts in laboratory animals. Methods: The dried and powdered leaves of the plant were subjected to phytochemical and proximate analyses. Its mineral content was also determined. Acute toxicity experiments were first performed to determine a safe dose level. The plant material was extracted using water and ethanol as solvents. These extracts were then used to test for the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant properties of the plant. The anti-inflammatory tests included carrageenan-induced and histamine-induced paw oedema. The analgesic tests conducted were formalin paw lick test and acetic acid writhing test. The antioxidant activities of the extracts of A. paniculata were determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total polyphenol (TP) and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) using ascorbic acid as standard for both DPPH and FRAP, and gallic acid as a standard for both TP and ABTS. Results: The acute toxicity experiment demonstrated that the plant is safe at high doses even at 1600 mg/kg. It was observed that the ethanolic extract of A. paniculata had higher antioxidant activity than the aqueous extract. The experiments using both extracts may suggest that the extracts of A. paniculata leaves possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant properties, although the ethanolic extract seemed to have higher biological properties than the aqueous extract. Conclusions: The results from this study may have justified the plant’s folkloric use for medicinal purpose.

Hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Byrsocarpus coccineus Schumach. & Thonn. (Connaraceae)

AIM Diabetes Mellitus is associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The need for enhanced efficacy and safety, and cheaper and more readily available new drugs has increased the search for new antidiabetic drugs from plants. This study was conducted to investigate the antidiabetic activity of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of B. coccineus in rats. METHODS The effect of B. coccineus extract (100-800 mg · kg(-1), p.o.) on blood glucose levels in normal and glucose loaded rats, and alloxan-induced diabetic rats was determined. After 10 days of treatment, blood samples were collected from rats for lipid and insulin profiling. Animals were thereafter sacrificed and the kidneys, heart, and liver were harvested for antioxidant indices assay. RESULTS In normal rats, B. coccineus did not cause significant reduction in blood glucose. At the dose of 800 mg · kg(-1), significant increase in blood glucose level was not observed 30 min. after glucose load. B. coccineus administered acutely did not generally produce significant reduction in blood glucose level in diabetic rats. Administered subacutely, the extract significantly reduced blood glucose level in diabetic rats from the 3(rd) day with peak effect observed at the dose of 800 mg · kg(-1) on the 10(th) day. The extract generally preserved in vivo antioxidant levels in the kidneys, heart, and liver, increased the level of high density lipoprotein and insulin, and reduced the level of triglycerides and low density lipoprotein compared to diabetic control. CONCLUSION The findings in this study suggest that the hydroethanolic leaf extract Byrsocarpus coccineus possesses antidiabetic activity possibly mediated through inhibition of intestinal glucose absorption, in vivo antioxidant activity, and enhancement of regeneration of beta cells of the pancreas and insulin secretion.

Effect of Flabellaria paniculata Cav. extracts on gastric ulcer in rats

BackgroundThe leaves and root of Flabellaria paniculata (Malpighiaceae) are frequently used in the treatment of wounds and ulcers in Nigerian folk medicine. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of ethanolic extracts from the leaves (FPL) and root (FPR) of F. paniculata on gastric ulcers in rats.MethodsThe effect of FPL and FPR (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was evaluated in ethanol and indomethacin gastric ulcer models. Control groups for FPL and FPR were orally treated with 3% Tween 20 and distilled water respectively. FPL was further investigated in pylorus ligation model. Misoprostol and cimetidine were used as reference.ResultsFPL significantly (P < 0.05) reduced gastric lesions by 82.22% and 67.32% in ethanol and indomethacin induced ulcer models at 100 mg/kg respectively while FPR (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) did not exert significant effect in the two models. In pylorus ligation model, FPL exerted a significant preventive antiulcer effect as indicated by reduction in gastric volume at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses. Only 400 mg/kg of the extract exerted a significant reduction in ulcer index when compared with the control group. The oral route LD50 of FPL was estimated to be 4570 mg/kg while that of FPR was 2754 mg/kg. The LD50 in intraperitoneal injection was estimated to be 1202.26 and 1380.38 mg/kg for FPL and FPR respectively. The phytochemical investigation showed that both extracts possess triterpenoids and saponin, while the presence of flavonoid was detected only in FPL.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicated that FPL and not FPR is effective against experimentally induced gastric ulcers. The presence of varied phytochemical constituents probably influenced the pharmacological differences between the two extracts.