This study was designed to assess the blood levels of cadmium and lead in some occupationally exposed individuals and compare the values with non-exposed individuals, with the aim of increasing the awareness of health risk caused by these heavy metals. A total of 120 subjects (64 occupationally exposed and 56 non-exposed subjects) with the age range of 15–40 years were studied in cross-sectional study conducted between September 2012 and February 2013 in Gwagwalada area of Abuja, Nigeria. Blood cadmium and lead were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The respective mean blood levels of cadmium and lead were 11.63±1.73 μg/dl and 45.43±6.93 μg/dl in occupationally-exposed subjects, while in non-exposed subjects 2.03±0.55 μg/dl and 12.08±2.87 μg/dl. The results show that occupational exposure increases the blood level of cadmium and lead, which consequently increases the health risk of the exposed individuals.

Background:The problem of resistance of malarial parasites to available antimalarial drugs makes the development of new drugs imperative, with natural plant products providing an alternative source for discovering new drugs.Aim:To evaluate the antimalarial activity of eluted fractions of Acacia nilotica root extract and determine the phytochemicals responsible for its antimalarial activity.Materials and Methods:The extract was eluted successively in gradients of solvent mixture (hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol) in multiples of 100 ml, and each fraction was collected separately. Eluates that showed similar thin layer chromatographic profiles and Rf values were combined to produce 4 main fractions (F-1, F-2, F-3, and F-4), which were tested separately for antimalarial activity using the curative test. Changes in body weight, temperature, and packed cell volume (PCV) were also recorded.Results:Fraction F-1 of A. nilotica at 50 and 100 mg/kg b/w produced significant and dose-dependent reduction in parasite count in Plasmodium berghei infected mice compared to the control, and also significantly increased the survival time of the mice compared to the control group. This fraction also ameliorated the malaria-induced anemia by improving PCV in treated mice.Conclusion:Antimalarial activity of extract of A. nilotica root is probably localized in the F-1 fraction of the extract, which was found to be rich in alkaloids and phenolics. Further study will provide information on the chemical properties of the active metabolites in this fraction.

The haematological changes observed with commercially available haematinics (Fagon 9 ® and Chemiron ®) were compared with those of a local haematinic referred to as African Herbal Formula (AHF). Results showed that AHF produced effects in haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) levels which are reasonably comparable with the reference commercial and chemically defined haematinics.

Acacia nilotica is a widely used plant in traditional medical practice in Northern Nigeria and many African countries. The aim of this study was to determine the toxicological effects of a single dose (acute) and of repeated doses (sub-acute) administration of aqueous extract of A. nilotica root in rodents, following our earlier study on antiplasmodial activity. In the acute toxicity test, three groups of Swiss albino mice were orally administered aqueous extract of A. nilotica (50, 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight) and signs of toxicity were observed daily for 14 days. In the sub-acute toxicity study, four groups of 12 rats (6 male and 6 female) were used. Group 1 received 10 ml/kg b.w distilled water (control), while groups 2, 3 and 4 received 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w of the extract, respectively, for 28 consecutive days by oral gavage. Signs of toxicity/mortality, food and water intake and body weight changes were observed. Biochemical parameters were analysed in both plasma and liver homogenate. In the acute and sub-acute toxicity studies, the extract did not cause mortality. A significant reduction in the activity of lactate dehydrogenase was observed at 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w, while alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly higher than control values at 500 mg/kg b.w. The aqueous extract of A. nilotica was found to be safe in single dose administration in mice but repeated administration of doses higher than 250 mg/kg b.w of the extract for 28 days in rats may cause hepatotoxicity.

Introduction: Nigeria has the largest burden of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) with estimated 100,000 new born affected annually. SCD is a Hemoglobin (Hb) disorder with the major form resulting from the substitution of a polar glutamate (Glu) by non-polar Valine (Val) in an invariant region of Hbβ chain-subunit. Species of Hb found in the sickle cell trait are HbA and HbS in a 60:40 proportion, in SCD only HbS, in the HbC disease only HbC, and in the SC disease it's HbS and HbC in a 50:50 equal proportion. Objective: This paper reviews herbal medicines usage in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) to ameliorate the crisis associated with SCD. The model Hb tetramer suggests a higher membrane affinity of HbS and HbC, promoting dehydration of RBCs, with concomitant in vivo crystallization. Some drawbacks using these herbal drugs include; poor bioavailability and the lack of proper pharmacovigilance monitoring procedures arising from weak governance structure combined with under reporting of herbal usage to physicians were discussed. Probable epigenetic loci that could be targeted using phytomedicines for effective SCD management were also discussed. Methods: Using search engines, several databases including Google scholar, PubMed, Academic Resource Index were utilized as a source for relevant publications/ literature. The protein coordinates for the Hb tetramer were obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Conclusion: Manipulation of epigenetics to achieve better SCD management involves careful thinking. Herein, we discuss some epigenetic interactions that could be putatively tweaked with a view of enhancing soluble bioactive small molecular components with the potential to reactivate γ -globin genes, thereby boosting immune response in patient with SCD.