Scopoletin has been isolated and identified in gari, a cassava food consumed in Nigeria (West Africa). Its levels in gari and cassava flour is not altered by post processing treatments such as sundrying, refrigeration and storage. Scopoletin has also been identified as an active principle in the traditional herbal infusion of the fruit of Tetrapleura tetraptera TAUB used in the ethnopharmacology of West Africa. It is a potent hypotensive and non-specific spasmolytic agent. These pharmacological effects of Scopoletin are probably the underlying factors in the slowly developing tropical neuropathy characterised by optic atrophy, nerve deafness and ataxia endemic among populations subsisting on cassava diets such as gari. Hitherto, these toxicities were attributed to cyanogenic glucosides (cyanide) present in cassava.
In this study, soil physical properties were evaluated in the top 40 cm of cleared forestland that had been subjected to continuous cultivation for 7 years to ascertain selected crop or crop combinations that influenced the soil physical properties the most. There was no significant effect of crop treatment on particle-size distributions over 6 years of cultivation. In year 7, clay values were significantly (p 5 0.05) greater in plots grown with solely cassava (SC) and solely maize (SM) than in the plots grown with solely pigeon pea (SP). The soil depth effects over the 7 years were significant on the clay content. The mean values of bulk density, pore-size distribution, and hydraulic conductivity obtained from each plot fluctuated over the years. The bulk density values in 1998 ranged from 1.29 to 1.43 g cm 3 , but from 1999 to 2004, the range was from 1.12 to 1.40 g cm 3 . Thus, bulk density generally decreased when compared with their respective values in 1998. The greatest decrease of < 22% was in 2000. More than 70% of the macroporosity values were significantly less than their respective values in 1998. The greatest decease of 72% was obtained from SM plots in 2001. All the microporosity were significantly more than the 1998 values. All the increases were .100% of the original values. These increases were reflected in the variations of total and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) values. However, in 2004, Ks values decreased in the plots grown to C + P, SP, and SM. Generally, the C + M + P mixture appeared to be the most consistent in improving micro-and total porosities and Ks among the crop treatments.
A comparative study of the in vitro effects of the coumarin compounds, scopoletin and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), on bovine (Bos indicus) hepatic mitochondrial respiration was carried out polarographically, using isocitrate -NAD+ (3 - site), succinate (2- site), and reduced cytochrome c (1 - site), as respiratory substrates. Both scopoletin and AFB1 elicited a substrate - dependent stimulation or inhibition of the mitochondrial states 4 and 3 respiration. The results suggest that AFB1 has a higher tendency to inhibit the mitochondrial respiration than scopoletin. while scopoletin showed higher uncoupling effects than AFB1. The effects of scopoletin and AFB1 on mitochondria were more pronounced on the electron transport than on phosphorylation reaction. The extent (3-35% ) of AFB1 induced inhibition of bovine mitochondrial respiration observed in this study, was appreciably lower than the values indicated in other animal species (rats and guinea fowls) reported in previous studies using equivalent concentrations of the toxin. These results were discussed in terms of the susceptibility of the animal species to the toxic effects of scopoletin and AFB1
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.