The study was conducted to assess the effects of sweet potato leaves, roselle calyces and beetroot tubers on body weight, selected hematological and biochemical parameters in broiler chickens. Eighty four (84) broiler chickens aged four weeks were randomly assigned into six groups of 14 chickens each. The first group (G0) remained as untreated control while the other groups were the treated groups which received 25% of ground sweet potato leaves (G1), rosella calyces (G2), beetroot tubers (G3) and their mixtures (G4 and G5) for 28 days. Following inclusion of these different vegetables, blood samples were collected and analyzed for selected hematological and biochemical parameters on day 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Results showed that consumption of the three vegetables caused significant decreases (p < 0.05) in body weight, serum glucose and cholesterol. On the other hand, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume (PCV) and total white blood cell (WBC) counts were shown to increase significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. It is concluded that the hypoglycemic and hypocholesteremic effects in chickens following consumption of the three vegetables together with their positive effects on PCV and WBC counts are important qualities which can be utilized in the management of conditions such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis and coronary disease) in humans. Further studies in other animals are recommended.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a form of hyperglycemia due to carbohydrate intolerance that begins during pregnancy. This may be due to insulin resistance or impairment of insulin secretion during the pregnancy. Several causes of GDM have been identified which include oxidative stress (OS), however the association of heat stress and GDM development during pregnancy is limited. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the association between heat stress and GDM in rats. Pregnant and non-pregnant Wistar rats were maintained at 41 - 42°C for 21 days. On day 1, 8, 15 and 21 of the experiment, animals were humanely sacrificed. Blood samples for glucose, insulin, malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) analyses were collected from the heart. Pancreatic tissues were fixed in neutral buffered formalin, and processed for histopathological studies. The findings demonstrated that, in pregnant rats, heat stress induced a significant increase in glucose linked with a drop in insulin levels than non-pregnant rats (P <0 .05). Also heat treatment was accompanied by an increase in MDA and a drop in GPx levels. Histological examinations of the pancreas revealed damaged β-cells on day 15 and reduction in the number of β-cells by day 21 of the experiment in the pregnant rats. These results suggest that heat stress raises the levels of OS in pregnant rats than non-pregnant rats and increases the chance of GDM as it is associated with β-cell defects in the pancreas.
This study assessed toxicity of the crude ethanolic pod extracts of Swartzia madagascariensis Desv in Wistar rats. Forty (40) Wistar rats aged 8–10 weeks were orally administered with crude extracts from pods of S. madagascariensis. Chemical analysis of serum and histopathology of liver and kidney from test animals were performed to determine the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and creatinine in serum. In addition, serum albumin levels were also determined. The levels of ALT, AST and creatinine were found to be high in groups treated with crude extracts compared to the control group, suggesting some damage in liver cells and kidney of treated groups of Wistar rats. The albumin levels in serum samples of crude extract treated groups were found to be low compared to control group, suggesting some leakage to the urine due to damage in the kidney. Histopathological analyses revealed damages in the liver and kidney treated with 1000 mg/kg of crude ethanolic pod extracts of Swartzia madagascariensis (CEPES) at days 2 and 14, corresponding to what was observed in the biochemical variables. The findings revealed that Swartzia madagascariensis pods are toxic once taken in large quantities (1000 mg/kg). Keywords: Toxicity, Wistar rats, Histopathology, biochemical parameters
Wound healing is a complex multicellular process involving many cell types which include; inflammatory cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and keratinocytes. The process involves an orderly sequence of events with four overlapping phases namely; haemostasis, inflammatory, proliferation and remodeling phases. The process can be facilitated by the use of wound healing agents including herbal remedies from plants. In this study the main objective was to evaluate the in vitro wound healing activity of the resin obtained from Commiphora swynnertonii (C.swynnertonii). First the NIH -3T3 cells viability were evaluated using (3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. Then the wound scratch assay model was used to evaluate cellular proliferation, closure of the wound and release of matrix metalloproteinase enzymes. Results indicate differences in mean cell viability between different concentrations within 24 hours of incubation. The highest viability was recorded at the concentration of 1% (v/v). The in-vitro wound scratch assay showed positive NIH - 3T3 cells proliferation on the wound area and cells migration when compared with control group (without treatment) at 0 and 24 hours. In addition, C. swynnertonii was able to stimulate secretion of MMP-2 release from NIH - 3T3 cells. MMP-2 is an important enzyme for extracellular matrix remodeling during wound healing suggesting that C. swynnertonii promotes wound healing by stimulating cell proliferation and production of MMP-2 in a mechanism that is currently not known.
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