60. Airaodion AI., et al. "Pharmacotherapeutic effect of methanolic extract of Telfairia occidentalis leaves on glycemic and lipidemic indexes of alloxan-induced diabetic rats".

Introduction: Aspilia africana is a plant commonly used to stop bleeding, heal wound, and manage various stomach complaints. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of A. africana on biochemical (liver function tests, renal function tests, and lipid profile), histopathological (kidney and liver) and haematological parameters of the female Wistar rats. Methods: To study acute toxicity, the median lethal dose (LD50) was determined by oral administration of different doses of the extract to 8 groups of 3 rats each and the animals were observed for 24 hours for signs of toxicity. To evaluate the toxicological effect of the extract, 3 groups of 5 animals each received 0.5 mL normal saline (control), 250 or 500 mg/kg of the extracts for 2 consecutive weeks. Results: Data revealed the LD50 of the extract to be >5000 mg/kg.bw. There was no significant variation in organosomatic indices of the animals fed with aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. africana leaves. In comparison with the control, there were significant increases (p<0.05) in serum liver and kidney biomarkers, high density lipoprotein, and white blood cells while some red cells indices, platelets, some lipid profile levels reduced significantly (p<0.05). A marked alteration in hepatic and renal architectures was also observed. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that the A. africana leaf may not be safe as medicine despite the outcome of LD50 acute toxicity studies. For it to be integrated in folk medicine, we recommend its use at minimal doses.

Background: Emergence of methicillin drug resistance is evident and has become a global challenge. Seeking for alternative antibiotics that are new, natural, plant based, cost effective and less toxic is the recent task for global health. Aim: This study is aimed at assessing the pharmacotherapeutic activity of Allium sativum (Garlic) bulb against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Materials and Methods: Fresh A. sativum bulbs were purchased from a local market in Ibadan, Nigeria and were identified by a botanist. They were cut into small pieces and mashed in a laboratory with a mortar and pestle and the fluid squeezed out of the resultant slurry. The antibacterial activity of the juice was determined by diffusion method. Nutrient agar medium was prepared using standard method. Pure cultures of Coliform bacillus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus viridians, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli were obtained from the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The juices were serially diluted to obtain 1.0%, 0.5%, 0.25% and 0.125% solutions in sterile test tubes. Sterilized 9 mm filter paper disc soaked in the diluted juice were placed on the plate and incubated for 24 hours at room temperature. The plates were examined for clear zones of inhibition. Presence of zones of inhibition indicated activity. Results: The results showed that A. sativum bulb has antibacterial potential against all the bacteria used in this study and also exhibited inhibitory activity against them. Conclusion: The result of this present study showed that A. sativum juice has high range of antibacterial potential against both gram positive (S. epidemidis and S. viridans) and gram negative bacteria (C. bacillus, E. coli and S. typhi). However, the extract has a greater inhibitory activity against gram positive bacteria than gram negative bacteria.

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