Asparagus africanus Lam. is a plant used traditionally for natal care. This study evaluates the oestrogenic activities of aqueous root extract and screens for possible bioactive phytochemicals. Oestrogenicity of A. africanus was evaluated in ovariectomised rats treated with 50, 200, and 800 mg/kgBW doses twice daily for three days. Ethinyl estradiol (EE)1 mg/kg was used as positive control, and hormonal analysis and gene expression were carried out. The findings demonstrated that the extract produced a dose-dependent increase in the oestrogen levels with a significant increase compared to untreated rats. Pre-treatment with oestrogen receptor antagonist (ORA) prior to A. africanus treatment reversed the trend. Gene expression analysis on rats treated with 200 mg/kgBW A. africanus showed significant (p < 0.005) upregulation of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), while pre-treating animals with (ORA) significantly (p < 0.005) increased the expression of calbindin 3 (Calb3) in the EE group as compared to the untreated rats. The GC/MS results showed the presence of steroidal saponins such as stigmasterol and sarsasapogenin. These might be the bioactive constituents that exhibited these activities. The oestrogenic properties of A. africanus revealed in this study could contribute to the antifertility properties of the plant. However, further pharmacological studies are required to confirm the antifertility effect.
Asparagus africanus Lam. is a plant used traditionally to treat different ailments. Currently, scanty information is available on its safety. The aim of this study is to determine the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract on vital organs and its associated biochemical parameters. Fifteen female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups. Group I served as normal control, groups II, III, IV, and V were orally administered single dose of crude extract dissolved in distilled water at 5 mg/kg BW, 50 mg/kg BW, 300 mg/kg BW and 2,000 mg/kg BW. Rats were observed for 14 days and body weights were recorded. On day 15, the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for biochemical and haematological analyses, while the liver and kidneys were sampled for histopathological examination. Body weight and haematology parameters results showed significance difference (p < 0.05) among means of HGB, RDW, RBC, and MCHC; likewise, (p < 0.001) for WBC and platelet among treated groups. Histopathology result showed that kidneys appeared normal while livers were congested with mildly swollen hepatocytes and occasional binucleation. Focal lobular hepatitis was observed in all treated animals. However, hepatic enzymes were not significantly affected and no histopathological harmful effects were observed in kidney. In conclusion, methanolic extracts of A. africanus are safe up to 2,000 mg/kg BW. The obtained results could be used as a justification for the traditional application of the plant for treatment of various ailments.
Electrolytes, urea and creatinine are major factor in the determining a healthy kidney performance. Renal impairment is one of the kidney stages that can alter the concentration of these electrolytes. This study was carried out in order to access the biochemical concentrations of urea, electrolytes and creatinine in patients with renal impairment attending Yobe state specialist hospital Damaturu. One hundred (100) blood samples were collected randomly from the patients. Automated chemistry analyzer (Selectra proS) was used for determination of urea and creatinine. For the determination of concentration of electrolytes in blood samples, electrolytes analyzer known as Ion selective electrolyte (ISE) was used. Electrolytes determined and compare with normal values includes: bicarbonate (HCO3-) 20-30 mmol/l, potassium (K+) 2.5-5.0 mmol/l, chloride (Cl-) 95-110 mmol/l, and sodium (Na+) 135-145 mmol/l. The results obtained was distributed into three (3) groups depending on the age categories; group 1 (1-30years), group 2 (31-60 years), and group 3(60-90 years). The gender ratio male to female patients examined was 52:48. Generally, the obtained result showed that females age 31-60 years are the most affected by the renal impairment, and this called for Government intervention in order to solve the causes of kidney impairment in the society.
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