Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences最新文献

The Physiological Society of Nigeria mourns the loss, in the first half of the year 2024, of five distinguished members who left indelible marks and footprints in the sand of time. The contributions of Professors Chikodi Anigbogu (23 December 1953 - 2 January 2024); David Oyebola (1 October 1945-13 February 2024); Anthony Ebeigbe (22 August 1950 - 30 May 2024); Vincent Iyawe (14 April 1953 - 8 June 2024) and Olusoga Solofa (24 January 1947 - 10 June 2024) to the establishment and growth of the Physiological Society of Nigeria are well appreciated.

Thematic Lecture presented to the Physiological Society of Nigeria at its 41st Annual Scientific Meeting held at the Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State from February 11 - 17, 2024.

Abstracts of papers presented at the XLIST ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NIGERIA held between 13th and 16th February 2024 at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, and PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with pathophysiological and psychological disturbances including cognitive decline, depression, anxiety and motor imbalance. Conventional drugs for managing AD do not address associated non-neurocognitive co-morbidities, hence the need to investigate alternative therapies especially from plants. The neuroprotective benefits of bromelain have been identified, but its impacts on scopolamine-induced neurotoxicity is yet to be elucidated. Twenty-Five male rats were separated randomly into 5 groups: Control (normal saline; 1ml/kg); Scopolamine (i.p; 1mg/kg); Bromelain (50mg/kg); Scopolamine + Bromelain; Scopolamine + Donepezil (reference drug, 1mg/kg). Neurobehavioral paradigms (novel object recognition, elevated plus maze, forced swimming and open field tests were assessed, followed by biochemical (MDA, SOD, AChE, NO, Total protein & IL-1b) assay in the PFC. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (Tukey's posthoc.). Values with p<0.05 were considered significant. Scopolamine reduced memory index (P<0.01) (cognitive function), ambulatory & rearing activities (P<0.05) (motor behavior), open arm duration (P<0.001) (anxiety-like behavior) & increased immobility time (P<0.05) (depressive-like behavior). Exposure to scopolamine also led to significant reduction in the prefrontal cortical levels of SOD (P<0.05) while increasing MDA (P<0.05), acetylcholinesterase (P<0.01) and IL-1β (P<0.05). However, levels of NO and total protein were not significantly altered. In contrast, intervention with bromelain or donepezil significantly reversed most of the behavioral and biochemical alterations induced by scopolamine. Bromelain compared favorably with donepezil in improving memory decline and other non-cognitive dysfunctions associated with scopolamine exposure. This could have resulted from modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation and cholinergic transmission. Key words: Bromelain; Scopolamine; Oxidative stress; Neurotoxicity; Neuro-inflammation; Behavior.

Despite the wide range of advantages of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, their abuse can have a deleterious impact on the hepatorenal system. This study evaluated the histopathological and molecular effects of NSAIDs-induced hepatorenal toxicity on the expression of TGFβ and Nrf2 in the liver and kidneys of adult male Wistar rats treated with methanolic leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass). Twenty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. The first group were the unexposed control rats administered with distilled water only, while the test groups (II-IV) were orally administered with diclofenac at a standard dosage of 5mg/kg/BW. The rats in groups III and IV were administered with methanolic extract of Cymbopogon citratus at 100mg/kg/BW and 200mg/kg/BW respectively. After 28 days, the rats were euthanized by cervical dislocation, and the liver and kidneys were histologically processed. mRNA expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) was then analyzed. The results revealed significant pathological alterations in the histoarchitecture of the livers and kidneys of the untreated NSAIDs-exposed rats with the administration of Cymbopogon citratus effectively reducing oxidative damage by modulating the expression of Nrf-2 and TGF-β while also ameliorating the histological derangement observed in the studied organs. Cymbopogon citratus modulates the expression of TGF-β and Nrf-2 in the liver and kidneys of the experimental animals consequently mitigating diclofenac-induced oxidative damage in the studied organs.

Globally, Nigeria has the highest incidence of twin births. However, within the country, there are variations in twinning rates. Information on the twinning rate in Kogi State, north-central Nigeria, is scarce. Herein, a 30-year retrospective study of the incidence of twin births between 1991 and 2020 in Kogi State, north-central Nigeria was conducted. Data were obtained from six different hospitals in the state: Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, General Hospital Mopa-Muro, Zonal Hospital Kabba, Specialist Hospital Obangede, General Hospital Okene, and Prince Abubakar Audu University Teaching Hospital Anyigba. The data were analyzed monthly, quarterly, and yearly for twinning frequency using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. There were 1783 twin deliveries during the study period, accounting for 2.60% of all deliveries. The annual incidence of twinning ranged from 20.9‰ at the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja to 28.5‰ at the Zonal Hospital Okene resulting in 25.1‰ as the average frequency of twin births for the study period in Kogi State. There is no significant difference (p>0.05) between the variations in the twinning rate. The fluctuation in the frequency of twinning in Kogi State could be due to an increase in the use of oral contraceptives, urbanization, socioeconomic factors, and a decrease in family size and reproductive age.

Status epilepticus, histology, and neurobehavioral parameters of pentylenetetrazole-induced epileptic wistar rats were being investigated following administration of Musa paradisiaca (MP) stem juice. A seizure was induced sixty minutes after the administration of graded doses of Musa paradisiaca stem juice and diazepam, an anticonvulsant drug. A neurobehavioral test was carried out after pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induction. The animals were arbitrarily given five groups, namely: A, B, C, D, and E. Group A animals functioned as the normal control, given rat pellets and distilled water. Group B served as the PTZ control, and the animals were administered 65mg/kg body weight of PTZ intraperitoneally. Group C served as the PTZ + Diazepam (DZP) treated group, and the animals were administered orally 4 mg/kg body weight of diazepam 60 minutes before administration of PTZ intraperitoneally. Group D and E served as the PTZ + MP [Low dose and High dose] pre-treated groups, given 2500 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg body weight of MP stem juice, respectively, for 7 days orally before administration of PTZ intraperitoneally and 1 hour post treatment with MP stem juice. Significant antiepileptic effects on status epilepticus were observed in MP stem juice (2500mg/kg and 5000mg/kg) and the Diazepam group of animals. These antiepileptic effects were clearly seen in the delay recorded in latency of seizure and latency of tonic-clonic seizure, a reduced frequency of myoclonic jerks and a 100% mortality index rate recorded in the MP stem juice pre-treated animals. Histological sections of the hippocampus pre-treated with Musa paradisiaca stem juice and diazepam revealed significant differences in the structural integrity when compared with the epileptic control. The novel object recognition task test carried out showed a positive score for long-term memory as attained by animals in Group D and E when compared to Group B animals that had a negative score for long-term memory. In this study, the administration of Musa paradisiaca stem juice limited the extent of status epilepticus, reduced cytoarchitectural damage caused by epilepsy, and further enhanced long-term recognition memory in the MP stem juice pre-treated epileptic rats.

Reference ranges for blood and serum parameters aid in diagnosing diseases, monitoring health, and distinguishing between normal and abnormal values. There is a lack of available information and research data establishing reference ranges for haematological and serum biochemical parameters in newborn White Fulani calves. We aim to establish reference intervals for haematology and serum biochemistry analytes in apparently healthy White Fulani neonatal calves. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 White Fulani neonate calves under 28 days old from different farms in Ibadan, Nigeria. Blood samples were collected for haematology and serum chemistry. The haematological analysis involved packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red and white blood cell counts, differential leukocyte counts, and platelet counts using standard methods. Serum was analysed for proteins, enzymes, metabolites, electrolytes and lipid profiles using spectrophotometric techniques. Normally distributed data was analysed using 2.5th-97.5th percentiles as 95% reference intervals, with 90% confidence intervals per IFCC recommendations, using SPSS software. Haematological intervals included packed cell volume (30.11-32.29%), haemoglobin (9.26-10.04 g/dL), and white blood cell count (4.61-5.18 x 109/L) among others. Key serum biochemistry intervals were total protein (5.61-6.50 g/dL), glucose (67.12-76.78 mg/dL), cholesterol (49.98-60.52 mg/dL), creatinine (0.52-0.61 mg/dL), and electrolytes like sodium (122.25-143.95 mmol/L). The study establishes haematological and serum biochemical reference intervals for White Fulani neonate calves, suggesting their use for future research and comparisons.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ????-amylase and ????-glucosidase inhibitory potentials of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (2HNQ). The inhibition of these two carbohydrates metabolizing enzyme was done by varying the concentrations of 2HNQ in the presence of α-amylase, α-glucosidase with starch and p-nitrophenylglucopyranoside (pNPG) respectively as their susbtrates. The mode of inhibitions of the two enzymes by 2HNQ was determined using double-reciprocal transformation. The result obtained indicated that 2HNQ inhibited ????-glucosidase activity with an IC50 0.260 mg/mL lowered than acarbose (1.530 mg/mL). Meanwhile, a moderate inhibitory potential of 2HNQ against ????-amylase was observed with an IC50 of 1.757 mg/mL compared with acarbose (IC50 of 3.600 mg/mL). Furthermore, 2HNQ amazingly mops up reactive oxygen species. The observed inhibitions of α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity as well as radical scavenging potentials of 2HNQ suggest that it may be a potential target for the management of diabetes mellitus.

Moringa oleifera (MO) has been recognized for its numerous beneficial properties. This study aimed to evaluate the potential antihypertensive effects of MO seeds in rats subjected to Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) exposure. Fifty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups of 10 rats each for the experiment. Group A served as the control, received normal saline only, Group B received L-NAME (40 mg/kg) only, Group C received L-NAME (40 mg/kg) + 10% MO feed, Group D received L-NAME (40 mg/kg) + 20% MO feed, and Group E received L-NAME (40 mg/kg) + Lisinopril (10 mg/kg). Treatment was daily and covered a period of 5 weeks. Blood pressure and electrocardiographic measurements were obtained using a non-invasive tail cuff blood pressure device and a 6/7 lead computer ECG equipment, respectively. Heart and kidney tissues were analyzed for oxidative stress parameters, and immunohistochemistry and histopathology of the heart and kidney were conducted using standard methods. L-NAME treatment led to a significant increase in diastolic and systolic values compared to the control group. Serum nitric oxide concentration significantly decreased in rats that received L-NAME alone, while co-treatment with MO and Lisinopril showed a significant increase in nitric oxide levels. Co-treatment with MO and Lisinopril significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in the cardiac and renal tissues, whereas L-NAME alone caused a significant increase in MDA concentration. The expressions of cardiac and renal caspase-3 significantly increased in L-NAME alone treated rats, while co-treatments with MO and Lisinopril significantly reduced the expressions of caspase-3. In conclusion, co-treatment with MO effectively reduced arterial pressure and indices of hypertension in rats, mitigated the oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by L-NAME. Therefore, the inclusion of MO seeds in hypertension management may serve as an effective remedy.