Samuel Babafemi Olaleye

Testicular toxicity and sperm quality following cadmium exposure in rats: Ameliorative potentials of Allium cepa

AIMS: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Allium cepa crude extract on cadmium-induced testicular toxicity in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups (n = 6). Group 1 was used as control, group 2 was administered 0.3 mg/kgBW of cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) intraperitoneally for 3 days, group 3 was pretreated with 1 ml/100 g BW of Allium cepa (AcE) for 8 weeks followed by intraperitoneal administration of 0.3 mg/kgBW of CdSO4 in the last 3 days of experiment, and group 4 was administered 1 ml/100 g BW of AcE throughout the experiment. Testicular weight and semen analysis revealing the sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology was carried out. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities, and lipid peroxidation status were also carried out in testes. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that Allium cepa ameliorated CdSO4–induced alteration in testicular weight, sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. It also showed that Allium cepa attenuated the derangement of lipid peroxidation profile in testicular tissues caused by CdSO4 exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in the study showed that pre-treatment of rat model with Allium cepa extract prevented CdSO4–induced reproductive toxicity by improving sperm quality and enhancing testicular lipid peroxidation status.

Seeds of Buchholzia coriacea in Diet Mitigate Ischemic Reperfusion–Induced Gastric Ulceration in Experimental Rats

ABSTRACT Buchholzia coriacea (B. coriacea) seeds, in folk medicine, have been documented to prevent gastric ulceration though the mechanism is not fully elucidated. To clarify this, the gastro-healing activities were investigated using graded incorporation of B. coriacea seeds in the diet. Male Wistar rats (150–200 g) were divided into 7 groups (n = 15): unulcerated untreated control, ulcerated untreated control, unulcerated B. coriacea low (10%), ulcerated B. coriacea low (10%), nulcerated B. coriacea high (25%), ulcerated B. coriacea high (25%), and ulcerated omeprazole-treated groups. Rats were fed with B. coriacea diets for 7 weeks; thereafter, ulcer was induced by ischemic reperfusion method. Daily body weight, gastric acid secretion, hematological parameters, stomach ulcer score, and biochemical and histological analyses were evaluated on days 0, 3, and 7 post–ulcer induction. Results were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM); p ≤.05 was considered significant. Significant decreases were observed in mean body weight of B. coriacea–fed compared with control and omeprazole-treated groups from week 7. Ulcerated B. coriacea–fed showed significant decrease in gastric acid secretion by days 3 and 7 compared with ulcerated control groups. Malondialdehyde content was significantly decreased in ulcerated B. coriacea–fed compared with control and omeprazole–treated groups. Significant increases in hematological variables (notably platelet count), superoxide dismutase, catalase, and nitric oxide levels of B. coriacea–fed compared with control and omeprazole-treated groups by days 0 and 3 were observed. Histological evaluations further confirmed these observations. B. coriacea diet enhanced gastric healing activities on ischemic reperfused gastric ulcer. Increased platelet count and nitric oxide levels may play significant roles in this process.

Kolaviron modulates intestinal motility and secretion in experimentally altered gut functions of Wistar rats

Aim: The effect of kolaviron, a complex of Garcinia kola (GK) naturally rich in bioflavonoid, was investigated on intestinal motility and secretion in altered gut functions of rats. Methods: Four experiments were carried out using Male Wistar rats, (189.1 ± 3.5 g). The first was for intestinal transit with charcoal meal, and rats were grouped into 4 (n=5/group in all experiment): Control (DMSO); Atropine (5 mg/kg), 100 mg/kg (KV100) and 200 mg/kg (KV200) kolaviron groups respectively. Experiments 2 and 3 were to assess diarrhea and enteropooling respectively; the animals were grouped into 6: negative control (DMSO), positive control (castor oil), Atropine (5 mg/kg), Loperamide (3 mg/kg), KV100 and KV200 respectively. Experiment 4 was to determine colonic motility and it consist of 5 groups, negative control (DMSO), and positive control (Serotonin, 5 mg/kg, ip), Atropine (5 mg/kg), KV100 and KV200 in turn. Results: Kolaviron significantly decrease intestinal transit in similar way to atropine group, KV200 (27.3%), KV100 (25.7%) compared with control. The onset of diarrhea was prolonged significantly while episodes of loose stool and purging index decreased significantly with loperamide (111.0 min, 0.4 ± 0.2, 0.1) and KV200 (128.8 min, 2.6 ± 0.7, 2.0) compared with control (52.6 min, 6.6 ± 1.0, 15.6), respectively. Kolaviron significantly reduced luminal fluid in KV100 (1.04 ± 0.17 mL) and KV200 (0.62 ± 0.21 mL) compared with control (1.70 ± 0.18 mL). Colonic motility was delayed in KV200 (182 ±18.7 sec) compared with control (139 ± 8.72 sec). Conclusion: Kolaviron exhibits potent anti-motility and -secretory activities on destabilized gut homeostasis and could be the major compound of Garcinia kola responsible for previously reported antidiarrheal effect.

Kolaviron attenuates ischemia/reperfusion injury in the stomach of rats

Kolaviron (KV), an active complex of at least 3 compounds in Garcinia kola seed, which is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, was investigated for its gastro-protective effect in the stomach of rats subjected to ischemia/reperfusion-induced gastric ulceration. Male adult Wistar rats (180-210 g) were randomized into 6 groups (n = 15) as follows: (i) control, (ii) ulcerated untreated (UU), (iii) KV alone (KVA), (iv) KV + ulcer (KVU), (v) ulcer + KV (UKV), and (vi) ulcer + omeprazole (20 mg/kg). Ulcer was induced through ischemia/reperfusion method after 2 weeks of daily oral KV (100 mg/kg). Rats were weighed daily, and gastric acid secretion, ulcer scores, hematological, biochemical, and histological variables were assessed 1 h after induction at 3 and 7 days post-ulceration. Body weight decreased in KVA (179.1 ± 1.6 g), and KVU (170.1 ± 2.2 g) compared with UU (199.0 ± 1.4 g). Gastric acid secretion decreased significantly in KVU after 1 h and 3 days post-ulceration (0.27 ± 0.03 mEq/L; 0.49 ± 0.02 mEq/L) compared with UU (0.60 ± 0.06 mEq/L; 0.85 ± 0.29 mEq/L), respectively. There was significant reduction in neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of KVA (0.29 ± 0.06) and KVU (0.35 ± 0.02) compared with UU (0.54 ± 0.04). Malondialdehyde level decreased significantly with concomitant increase in anti-oxidative activities and nitric oxide level in the KV treated groups (KVA, KVU, UKV) compared with UU. In conclusion, treatment with KV protects the stomach by reducing gastric acid secretion, promoting antioxidant activity and suppressing action of reactive oxygen species.