Oil was extracted from Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) seeds collected from Enugu, South-East Nigeria and evaluate its physico-chemical and antioxidant properties in comparism to palm oil. M. oleifera seeds gave oil yield of 41.47%. Refractive index, melting point ( C) and acid value (mg KOH g ) of o -1

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BackgroundTo our knowledge, there is no prior randomized study on the utility of Syferol-IHP (blend of virgin coconut oil and Ocimum sanctum oil) when coadministered with a triple therapy schedule.AimThis study determined the efficacy and safety of Syferol-IHP as adjunct to conventional triple therapy for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease (PUD).MethodsA pilot double-blind randomized trial was conducted in patients with confirmed diagnosis (endoscopy-guided biopsy) of PUD. Eligible patients were randomized to Pylorest (a three-in-one tablet containing rabeprazole 20 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and clarithromycin 500 mg) and Syferol-IHP for 2 weeks, followed by rabeprazole and Syferol-IHP for 2 weeks or Pylorest and placebo for 2 weeks, followed by rabeprazole and placebo for 2 weeks. Repeat endoscopy-guided biopsy and histology were done 4 weeks posttherapy. Primary outcome measures were the healing of ulcer and eradication of Helicobacter pylori. Secondary outcome measures were the disappearance of epigastric pain, gastritis, and duodenitis. Analysis was by intention-to-treat.ResultsOf the 63 patients enrolled, 60 patients had complete evaluation, with 37 patients receiving Pylorest and Syferol-IHP and 23 patients receiving Pylorest and Placebo. Healing of the PUD in favor of Pylorest and Syferol-IHP was significantly higher for gastric ulcer (RR=0.000, 95% CI=undefined, P=0.048) but not for duodenal ulcer (RR=0.400, 95% CI=0.07–2.37, P=0.241). H. pylori eradication was 100% with Syferol-IHP vs 50% with placebo (P=0.066). Epigastric pain (reduction to 16.2% vs 43.5%; P=0.021), gastritis (reduction to 13.5% vs 39.1%; P = 0.024), and duodenitis (reduction to 0% vs 8.7%; P=0.327) were observed in the Syferol-IHP and Pylorest vs placebo and Pylorest groups, respectively. Adverse events (RR=0.971, 95% CI=0.46–2.04, P=0.937) and laboratory parameters were not significantly different pre- and posttherapies (P>0.05, for both groups).ConclusionAlthough both treatment arms were equally safe, co-administration of Syferol-IHP and triple therapy is more efficacious than triple therapy alone for treating PUD. Pan African Clinical trial registry identifier number is PACTR201606001665364.

Aim: The role of nutrition in lipid metabolism continues to generate a lot of research interest, especially as dyslipidaemia is implicated in a host of diseases. The work investigated the effect of ethanol extract of  Curcubita pepo leaves on the lipid profile of Wister rats. Methodology: A total of 18 rats divided into three groups of 6 rats each were employed in the investigation. The first group (baseline) was sacrificed after purchase; second group (control) was fed rat chow, and the third group (test) was fed a composite feed containing rat chow and 10% extract of C. pepo leaves.  Results: The lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL and VLDL) of the rats was assayed after 18 days of feeding and the result showed no significant difference (P>0.05) between the test group and control for the lipids assayed. However, there was a marked increase in the HDL level of the test group (0.500±0.057 mmol/L) compared to the control (0.268±0.043 mmol/L), it was nonetheless statistically non-significant (P=0.068).  The HDL increasing effect observed may stem from the rich phytochemistry of the leaves, as preliminary phytochemical investigation showed the leaves to contain saponin, tannin, alkaloids, flavonoids and glycosides. Conclusion: We conclude that the leaves of C. pepo may play a medicinal role in maintaining lipid homeostasis.

The blood glucose- lowering potentials of ethanol leaf extract of Annona muricata were studied. Thirty wistar albino rats were divided into six groups of five rats per group. Group 1 served as “Normal control” animals and received normal rat pellets and water. Diabetes mellitus was induced in Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (130 mg/kg). Group 6 rats were administered with 400 mg/kg daily of the extract without induction; group 3 rats were treated with glibenclamide (5 mg/kg body weight), groups 4 and 5 received 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg body weight of A. muricata leaf extract daily respectively throughout the duration of the experiment of 14 days. Group 2 rats were induced but not treated with any drug, thus it served as the “Negative control” group. Quantitative phytochemical analysis of the leaf extract was carried out using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methods. Acute toxicity test of the leaf extract of A. muricata was determined using 12 rats by Lorke’s toxicity testing method. The blood glucose levels of the animals in each group were determined using Accu-chek test strip method. The weights of the animals were determined using a standard electronic weighing balance. The result of the quantitative phytochemical analysis of the leaf showed that the ethanol leaf extract contains the following: phenols (74 mg/100 g), flavonoids (3.70 mg/100 g), tannins (2.95 mg/100 g), oxalate (6.48 mg/100 g), terpenoid (13.88 mg/100 g), phytates (130 mg/100 g), saponins (6800 mg/100 g), alkaloids (570 mg/100 g), cardiac glycoside (1690 mg/100g). Acute toxicity studies showed that LD50 was 3807.89 mg/kg body weight. The results of the average blood glucose levels (mg/dl) of the rats in each group were group 1, 82.6071±7.7524, group 2, 309.3571±163.6923, group 3, 226.7143±132.8182, group 4, 146.5000±140.1465, group 5, 150.4783±81.8340, and group 6, 83.4643±12.5329 for each group respectively. The average body weights of the rats in each group were group 1, 192.8571±22.5844, group 2, 185.7143±33.6759, group 3, 177.1429±36.67500, group 4, 219.2857±21.2908, group 5, 119.5455±23.5993, and group 6, 191.7857±25.2475. The findings from this study suggest that ethanolic leaf extract of A. muricata has notable effect in lowering blood glucose levels in diabetic rats and is a more potent drug in the treatment and management of diabetes mellitus and oxidative stress- related diseases.

Lipase activity in para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed was measured by monitoring the release of free fatty acid by lipolysis of the endogenous lipid in a crushed sample of seed incubated at 37.5°C for 30 min. Free fatty acid was determined colorimetrically by a modified copper soap method. Fresh seeds showed the highest lipase activity. Drying the seeds at 60°C inactivated the enzyme. Drying of the seed at this temperature may be useful as a pretreatment for extraction of oil from the seed.

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Hyperlipidemia has remained a major risk factor in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases and research efforts have been geared toward proffering remedies through diet and nutrition inherent in potent herbaceous plants. This study therefore investigated the effect of ethanol extract of the leaves of Colocasia esculenta on the serum lipid profile of male Albino rats as well as phytochemicals of ethnomedicinal importance. A total of 18 rats divided into three groups of 6 rats each were engaged in the investigation. The first group (baseline) was sacrificed after purchase; second group (control) was fed rat chow, and the third group (test) was fed a composite feed containing rat chow and 5% extract of C. esculenta leaves. The lipid profile total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerols (TAG), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) of the rats were assayed after 21 days of feeding and the result showed a significant difference (p<0.05) between the test and control groups for the lipids assayed. The extracts of C. esculenta reduced TC and LDL levels significantly (p<0.05) from 4.01±2.28 in control to 0.31±0.25mmol/L in the test for TC and then from 1.53±1.19 in the control to 0.07±0.04mmol/L in the test for LDL. This indicates that the leaves of this plant have a very high tendency to be protective against cardiovascular diseases. However, there was a marked increase in the TAG level of the test group (2.37±0.84mmol/L) compared to the control group (0.22±0.18mmol/L). This was nevertheless found to be not significant (p>0.05) but indicates the possibility for enhancement of TAG synthesis by the leaves of C. esculenta. Phytochemical screening showed a rich array of plant metabolites including flavonoids, saponins, tannins and alkaloids which may contribute to the hypolipidemic effects of ethanol extract of the plant. Further investigations may require identifying and characterizing the phytochemicals responsible for the overall role of the plant in folklore medicine.