Background Omega-3 fatty acids’ inclusion as feed supplement in the diets of both human and animals has been found to play a significant role in body metabolism. The aim of this present study was to evaluate the effects of graded doses of omega-3 fatty acids on haematology and body weight of adult male and female Rattus norvegicus (Wistar albino rats) as a model animal. Methods A total of seventy-two adult male and female albino rats were randomly assigned into two experimental units. Each unit was grouped into three and received different treatment diets. Blood erythrocytes and weight were sampled on days 0, 14 and 28 to evaluate haematological parameters and body weight. Results Results showed concentration- and time-dependent significant increases (p < 0.05) in the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), white blood cells (WBCs), mean cell volume (MCV) and mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and non-significant change (p > 0.05) in the red blood cells (RBCs) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in male rats after day 0. In female rats, significant increases (p < 0.05) were recorded in the PCV, Hb, MCV and MCH, whereas no significant increase was observed in the RBCs. Activities of WBCs and MCHC showed mixed trend in female rats. The results of the body weight recorded non-significant increases (p > 0.05) in both experimental units. Conclusion Our findings depict that the use of omega-3 fatty acids in the diets of both male and female rats produced a dose-dependent effect on blood formation while its role in controlling weight gain was observed. Hence, its intake in both animal and human diets should be rightly prescribed.

Phytochemical screening of the methanolic fruit extract of Solanum macrocarpon was performed using standard method. Eighteen male albino mice, assigned into six groups (n=3) were used to determine the acute toxicity (LD 50) of the extract. Haematological effect of the extract was determined using forty eight adult male rats assigned into four groups (A-D; n=12). The treatment groups received daily oral administration of the extract at doses of 400, 800 and 1600 mg/kg of body weight (bw) respectively for 21 days. The phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, phenols, phytates, tannins, cyanides and terpenoids. The extract showed no mortality even at the dose of 5000 mg/kg bw. The highest treatment dose (1600 mg/kg) showed significant reduction in the white blood cell (WBC) count compared to rest of the treatment groups. There were no significant difference (p<0.05) in red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) levels of the treatment groups compared to control. Similarly, the mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) results showed no significant difference from days 0 to 21 in all the treatment groups. Findings from this study suggest that except for the fact that the high dose of the extract antagonizes immunity; it has no serious adverse effect on the various haematological parameters, especially as it improves haemoglobin levels on prolonged administration.

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complex plays an important role in maintaining chromosome integrity, in which the SMC5/6 complex occupies a central position by facilitating mitotic and meiotic processes as well as DNA repair. NSE-4 Kleisin is critical for both the organization and function of the SMC5/6 complex, bridging NSE1 and NSE3 (MAGE related) with the head domains of the SMC5 and SMC6 proteins. Despite the conservation in protein sequence, no functional relevance of the NSE-4 homologous protein (NSE-4) in Caenorhabditis elegans has been reported. Here, we demonstrated the essential role of C. elegans NSE-4 in genome maintenance and DNA repair. Our results showed that NSE-4 is essential for the maintenance of chromosomal structure and repair of a range of chemically induced DNA damage. Furthermore, NSE-4 is involved in inter-sister repair during meiosis. NSE-4 localizes on the chromosome and is indispensable for the localization of NSE-1. Collectively, our data from this study provide further insight into the evolutionary conservation and diversification of NSE-4 function in the SMC-5/6 complex.

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