Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The management of diabetes over the years has involved the use of herbal plants, which are now attracting interest. We assessed the antidiabetic properties of aqueous extract of C. purpureus shoots (AECPS) and the mechanism of action on pancreatic ß-cell dysfunction.Methods: This study was conducted using Thirty-six 36) male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into six equal groups (n = 6) and treatment was performed over 14 days. To induce diabetes in the rats, a single dose of 65 mg/kg body weight of alloxan was administered intraperitoneal along with 5% glucose. HPLC analysis was carried out to identified potential compounds in the extract. In vitro tests α-amylase, and α-glucosidase were analyzed. Body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured. Biochemical parameters, such as serum insulin, liver glycogen, hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F-1,6-BP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB), were analyzed. Additionally, mRNA expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were each evaluated.Results: This in vitro study showed inhibitory potency of Cenchrus purpureus extract (AECPS) as compared with the positive controls. AECPS showed a gradual decrease in alloxan-induced increases in FBG, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL-c), G6P, F-1,6-BP, malondialdehyde (MDA), IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-ĸB and increased alloxan-induced decreases in liver glycogen, hexokinase, and high density lipoprotein (HDL-c). The diabetic control group exhibited pancreatic dysfunction as evidenced by the reduction in serum insulin, homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function (HOMA-β), expressions of PI3K/AKT, Bcl-2, and PCNA combined with an elevation in homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed 3-O-rutinoside, ellagic acid, catechin, rutin, and kaempferol in AECPS.Conclusion: AECPS showed efficient ameliorative actions against alloxan-induced pancreatic dysfunction, oxidative stress suppression as well as, inflammation, and apoptosis via the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

Obesity is a metabolic dysfunction triggered by refined carbohydrate and high-fat-rich foods, as well as sedentary lifestyle. It can also be as a result of increased calorie intake and reduced calorie expenditure mediated through environmental, genetic, epigenetic and neuropsychological factors (Castro et al., 2017;Leisegang et al., 2019). It is usually characterised by increased visceral adiposity (Agarwal et al., 2018). Obesity has become an epidemic in recent decades, with millions of people worldwide suffering from the disease. Recent data from the World Health Organization showed that over 1.9 billion adults are either overweight or obese, with 650 million adults typically obese (World Health Organization, 2018).

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Objectives: Epilepsy is the most common non-infectious neurologic disease in developing African countries following stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Most conventional antiepileptic drugs, due to their centrally acting potentials have been implicated in the deregulation of reproductive hormones. This study assessed the effect of the single and combined administration of vigabatrin (VIG) and carbamazepine (CBZ) on the pituitary-gonadal axis of male Wistar rats.Methods: Fifty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10). The animals were administered with distilled water (0.1 ml/kg/day), VIG (200 mg/kg/day), CBZ (200 mg/kg/day), VIG-CBZ combination (100 mg/kg/day each) and VIG-CBZ combination (200 mg/kg/day each) for 8 weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last dose, 5 rats from each group were sacrificed, while the remaining 5 eventually sacrificed after another 8 week of drug withdrawal. The level of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone were determined from the serum. The weight of the reproductive organs and sperm indices were assayed, while the testicular tissue were examined for signs of histological alteration. Results:The results showed significant decrease in the levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, testosterone and sperm physiological indices. Morphological alteration was noticed in the testes of all the treated rats. However, there was restoration of these parameters sequelae to 8 weeks cessation of treatment. Conclusion:Single and combined administration of VIG and CBZ resulted into pituitary-gonadal axis hormonal deregulation and alterations in the sperm profile which were however reversible upon cessation of treatment.

Background Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is pathogenically characterized with hyperandrogenism and metabolic alterations, which often result in ovarian changes and infertility in women of reproductive age. Epigenetic changes have been linked to the development of PCOS. However, the involvement of epigenetic regulator, histone deacetylase (HDAC) in PCOS-driven ovarian dysfunction is not clear. Howbeit, the present study hypothesized that acetate, an HDAC inhibitor (HDACi) would protect against ovarian dysfunction in experimentally induced PCOS. Materials and methods Female Wistar rats weighing 120–150 g were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6). The groups received vehicle, sodium acetate (200 mg/kg), letrozole (1 mg/kg) and letrozole with acetate by oral gavage respectively. The administrations were done daily for 21 days. Results The rat model of PCOS had increased body weight and ovarian weight, 1-hr postload glucose and plasma insulin, testosterone and LH/FSH ratio as well as reduced insulin sensitivity and plasma 17-β estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin. This model of PCOS in addition showed a significant increase in plasma and ovarian triglyceride, total cholesterol, TNF-α and HDAC, and ovarian malondialdehyde as well as a significant reduction in ovarian glutathione peroxidase/reduced glutathione and NrF2 with the histology of ovarian tissues showing disrupted morphology with significant increase in the number of degenerated follicles compared with control group. These alterations were however attenuated when treated with HDACi, acetate. Conclusion Altogether, the present results suggest that acetate protects ovarian function with evidence of normal growing follicles and enhanced circulating 17-β estradiol by inhibition of HDAC.