M. Ayoola, A. C. Adebajo, E. Obuotor, T. Oladapo, T. C. Fleischer
Leaves of Olax subscorpioidea, Hoslundia opposita, Cleistopholis patens, Plumbago zeylanica and Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii that are used as anti-diabetics were evaluated for hyperglycaemic-lowering and antioxidant activities to justify their Nigerian ethnomedicinal usage. Leaf methanolic extracts (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) were assayed in normal, glucose- and alloxan-induced diabetic rats, while 1,1,-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, total antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and hydroxyl radical scavenging tests were used for their antioxidant activity. Effects of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate and aqueous partition fractions of the three most active anti-hyperglycaemic extracts were also tested in glucose-loaded rats. In normoglycaemic rats, all extracts generally lacked activity, while with glucose-loaded rats, only O. subscorpioidea (200mg/kg) and C. patens (400 mg/kg) at 1 h and O. subscorpioidea (200, 400 mg/kg) and C. patens (400 mg/kg) at 2-4 hours gave lowered (p < 0.05) blood glucose levels than glibenclamide (5 mg/kg), while activity of H. opposita and P. zeylanica (200 mg/kg) were only comparable to glibenclamide. When daily fed for fourteen days to alloxan-induced diabetic rats, all extracts, at their most active doses, gave significantly higher activity than glibenclamide. Olax subscorpioidea leaf extract had the highest hyperglycaemic-lowering and least antioxidant activities. Highest antioxidant activity of H. opposita may suggest some contribution of antioxidant property to its hyperglycaemic-lowering activity. The glucose-lowering and insulinotropic constituents of O. subscorpioidea, H. opposita and C. patens should be concentrated in their aqueous, aqueous and dichloromethane fractions, respectively. Anti-hyperglycaemic ethnomedicinal use of these plants was justified and H. opposita has additional antioxidant property. Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Diabetes mellitus; Nigerian anti-diabetic plants
{"title":"Anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-oxidant activities of five Nigerian antidiabetic plants","authors":"M. Ayoola, A. C. Adebajo, E. Obuotor, T. Oladapo, T. C. Fleischer","doi":"10.4314/JUST.V37I2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/JUST.V37I2","url":null,"abstract":"Leaves of Olax subscorpioidea, Hoslundia opposita, Cleistopholis patens, Plumbago zeylanica and Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii that are used as anti-diabetics were evaluated for hyperglycaemic-lowering and antioxidant activities to justify their Nigerian ethnomedicinal usage. Leaf methanolic extracts (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) were assayed in normal, glucose- and alloxan-induced diabetic rats, while 1,1,-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, total antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and hydroxyl radical scavenging tests were used for their antioxidant activity. Effects of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate and aqueous partition fractions of the three most active anti-hyperglycaemic extracts were also tested in glucose-loaded rats. In normoglycaemic rats, all extracts generally lacked activity, while with glucose-loaded rats, only O. subscorpioidea (200mg/kg) and C. patens (400 mg/kg) at 1 h and O. subscorpioidea (200, 400 mg/kg) and C. patens (400 mg/kg) at 2-4 hours gave lowered (p < 0.05) blood glucose levels than glibenclamide (5 mg/kg), while activity of H. opposita and P. zeylanica (200 mg/kg) were only comparable to glibenclamide. When daily fed for fourteen days to alloxan-induced diabetic rats, all extracts, at their most active doses, gave significantly higher activity than glibenclamide. Olax subscorpioidea leaf extract had the highest hyperglycaemic-lowering and least antioxidant activities. Highest antioxidant activity of H. opposita may suggest some contribution of antioxidant property to its hyperglycaemic-lowering activity. The glucose-lowering and insulinotropic constituents of O. subscorpioidea, H. opposita and C. patens should be concentrated in their aqueous, aqueous and dichloromethane fractions, respectively. Anti-hyperglycaemic ethnomedicinal use of these plants was justified and H. opposita has additional antioxidant property. Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Diabetes mellitus; Nigerian anti-diabetic plants ","PeriodicalId":288279,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana)","volume":"60 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116645535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francis Kofi Nimo Nunoo, D. Mensah, E. Boahen, I. Nunoo
Textbooks are known to influence the behaviours and worldview of children. Apart from imparting critical knowledge to pupils, textbooks also encourage pupils to form certain perceptions and stereotypes, including the ‘appropriate’ gender-specific roles in society. This paper examined gender stereotypes in the content and design of the Pupil’s English textbook at the Basic Level in Ghana using content analysis. The study revealed that, as teaching materials, the English Pupil’s Books 1, 2 and 3 displayed gross gender bias that reinforces the stereotypical roles of males and females in Ghanaian society. This does not reflect the development of society towards equality between men and women since there was no equality in how both genders are represented in the textbooks.Keywords: Gender; stereotype; gender stereotype; textbooks
{"title":"Analysis of gender representation in basic level English textbooks in Ghana","authors":"Francis Kofi Nimo Nunoo, D. Mensah, E. Boahen, I. Nunoo","doi":"10.4314/JUST.V37I2.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/JUST.V37I2.8","url":null,"abstract":"Textbooks are known to influence the behaviours and worldview of children. Apart from imparting critical knowledge to pupils, textbooks also encourage pupils to form certain perceptions and stereotypes, including the ‘appropriate’ gender-specific roles in society. This paper examined gender stereotypes in the content and design of the Pupil’s English textbook at the Basic Level in Ghana using content analysis. The study revealed that, as teaching materials, the English Pupil’s Books 1, 2 and 3 displayed gross gender bias that reinforces the stereotypical roles of males and females in Ghanaian society. This does not reflect the development of society towards equality between men and women since there was no equality in how both genders are represented in the textbooks.Keywords: Gender; stereotype; gender stereotype; textbooks ","PeriodicalId":288279,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana)","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115811952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}