Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences最新文献

Cadmium (Cd) is known to affect reproductive functions adversely. Carpolobia lutea is a protective herbal derivative due to its antioxidant potential. This study investigates the steroidogenic activities of methanol extract of Carpolobia lutea root on cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats. Carpolobia lutea root was obtained in Ijare via Akure. The plant was authenticated at the herbarium of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan, Nigeria, with FHI number 109784. The methanol extract Carpolobia lutea root (MCL) was obtained by Soxhlet extraction. Thirty male Wistar rats (150-170g) were used in this study (n=5) and treated as follows: Control, Cd (2 mg/kg), Cd+MCL (2 mg/kg+100 mg/kg), Cd+MCL (2 mg/kg+200 mg/kg), MCL (100 mg/kg), and MCL (200 mg/kg). The extract was administered orally for eight weeks, and a single dose of 2 mg/kg Cd was given intraperitoneally. Serum Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone levels, testicular hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs) activities and Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein (StAR) expression were evaluated. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysed using ANOVA at p<0.05. Serum FSH, LH, testosterone levels, 3β-HSD, 17β-HSD activities and StAR expression were significantly reduced (p<0.05) in Cd group. The co-administration of Cd with MCL (200mg/kg) significantly increased (p<0.05) serum FSH, LH, testosterone levels, 3β-HSD, 17β-HSD activities and StAR expression when compared with Cd group. Carpolobia lutea root extract improved steroidogenic activity in male Wistar rats exposed to cadmium.

The root bark of Salacia nitida L.benth (celastraceae) is used as remedy for malaria and typhoid fever in Southern part of Nigeria. This study is designed to evaluate the effect of treatment with ethanolic extract from root bark of S. nitida on lipid peroxidation, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly in Plasmodium berghei-malaria infected mice. Thirty malaria-infected and six uninfected mice were used for the study. 280, 430, and 580 mg kg-1 body weight day-1 of ethanolic extract and 4 mg kg-1 body weight day-1 of artesunate were administered orally to infected mice in groups B, C, D, and E, while 4 ml kg-1 body weight day-1 of physiological saline was given to infected untreated mice in group A and the uninfected untreated mice in group F. Treatments were done for five days. Levels of malondialdehyde were measured as means of assessing lipid peroxidation in the experimental animals. Weights of experimental animals, liver, and spleen, and the length of spleen from experimental animals were also measured. Animal's liver and spleen-body weight ratios were determined. Results from the study showed significant decrease (P < 0.05) in levels of malondialdehyde, and significant increase (P < 0.05) in body weights. Also, significant decreases (P < 0.05) were seen in the weights of liver and spleen, lengths of spleen, and organ-body weight ratios of malaria-infected treated mice. Therefore, this study confirmed that ethanolic extract from root bark of S. nitida is effective in the treatment of malaria, as it is seen in its ability to attenuate lipid peroxidation and hepatosplenomegaly in mice, thus corroborating its traditional use for the treatment of malaria.

This study tested the hypothesis that the hypotensive effect of the aqueous calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) occurs through autonomic mechanisms that may be associated with a reduction in the double product (DP) of the heart. Experiments were performed in accordance with the Principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Following ethical approval and informed consent, the Harvard step test (HST) was performed in healthy subjects (n=14) to activate the autonomic nervous system before and after the oral administration of 15mg/kg HS. The blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses were measured and DPs and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) were calculated. Results were expressed as mean ±SEM. Paired t-test and one way ANOVA with a posthoc Bonferoni test were used for statistical analyses. P<0.05 was considered significant. HST without HS resulted in a significant rise in MAP, HR and DP (112.6±2.7mmHg, 97.7±2.5/min and 12630.0±642 mmHg.bpm) from the basal values (98.5±2.3mmHg, 76.5±2.0/min and 8730.7±354.9 mmHg.bpm, P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.001 respectively). In the presence of HS, HST-induced changes (∆MAP=7.8±1.6mmHg; ∆HR=8.1±1.6/min; ∆DP= 1113.6±103.4 mmHg.bpm) were significantly dampened compared to its absence (∆MAP= 13.3±2.6mmHg; ∆HR=17.0±3.7/min; ∆DP= 3899.3±287.2 mmHg.bpm; P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.0001 respectively). The HST-induced increase in BP, HR and DP suggest sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) withdrawal associated with an increased cardiac O2 consumption and workload. These were dampened by HS suggesting that its hypotensive effect occurs through the inhibition of SNS activation, PNS withdrawal and an associated reduction in cardiac O2 demand and workload.

Corchorus olitorius is a vegetable plant/shrub and the leaves are very nutritious and rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers. The study was carried out to identify the effects two extracts of this plant on the reproductive indices of male Wistar rats Forty-five adult male rats of about 12 weeks old, each weighing about 120g were used for this study, kept in a cage and fed with commercial rat pellets and water was given at ad-libitum. They were randomly divided into groups A, B and C of 15 rats per group. 250mg/kg of the leaf extract was administered orogastrically using once daily for 21 days. Group A and B were treated with methanol and aqueous leaves of Corchorus extract respectively and Group C was given distilled water and served as the control. The weekly sacrifice of five rats per group was done following treatments. In this study, it was observed at the first-week post -treatment that there was significant (p≤0.05) decrease in the PCV and haemoglobin values of group A rats compared to the control group but the values later increased at the second week and third-week post-treatments. There was also a significant decrease in spermatozoa motility in the treated groups A and B compared to the control group C at the first, second- and third-week post treatments. Also, with the results of the serum testosterone level of group A and B compared to group C. The value was higher in group A followed by group B whereas, at the second week and third week, there was no significant difference in the values of the serum testosterone levels compared to the control groups. It is therefore concluded that the methanol and aqueous extract of Corchorus olitorius leaves significantly decreased sperm motility in male albino rats hence could decrease male fertility.

Diabetes mellitus has become increasingly prevalent over the years. The chronic hyperglycaemia of diabetes is associated with long-term damage, dysfunctions, and failure of different organs suggesting that the most effective tool to prevent complications is the effective control of hyperglycaemia itself. The study is set to determine the effect of glycemic control on plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), soluble thrombomodulin (STM) alongside fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among type 2 diabetic subjects. One hundred diabetic subjects accessing care at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Calabar and 100 non -diabetics that served as controls were enrolled. Blood samples from participants were analyzed for FPG, HbA1c, PAI-1 and STM by standard methods. The result shows 74% of the diabetic to be females. Half of the diabetics were managed on only oral anti-diabetic drugs while the remaining half were either on insulin injection or a combination of oral and insulin injection.  Poor glycemic control was observed in 56% of the studied subjects. The mean age of 54.69 ± 9.94 years for the diabetics was comparable to the age-matched controls (p=.097). Diabetics showed significantly higher FPG, HbA1c, PAI-1and STM (P=0.001) compared to control values. Correlations between STM, PAI 1 and glycated hemoglobin (figures 2 p=0.001, p =0.001) and STM, PAI-1 and FPG revealed significantly robust association (p=0.001, p=0.001).  The study concludes that there is poor glycemic control among the treated diabetic subjects with PAI-1 and STM showing a very strong positive correlation with HbA1c than FPG.