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Objective: Plants and their derived products have served as veritable sources of foods and medicines for humans and animals from the outset, and the emergency of polyherbs (plants-derived products) in recent years has received the widest publicity and patronage by the Nigerian population as alternative medicines. It is not over statement to say many of them lack empirical data or validation to support the upsurge and prevalence in their usage as folk medicines, and little or no scientific data exist on their potential side effects. This study therefore investigates "the effects of some of these polyherbal drugs on hepatic antioxidants in experimental rats". Methods: Eight of the nine groups containing five animals each used for this study were administered eight different polyherbal drugs following different manufacturer's recommended dosage, while the ninth group served as control with no polyherb treatment. The study lasted for seven weeks i.e. forty-nine days, and on the 50th day, the animals were sacrificed after 12 h of previous overnight fasting, and their livers were excised for antioxidant assays. Results: Fidson bitters and Asheitu Adams blood purifier (ABP) significantly decreased superoxide oxidase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), while Yoyo bitter and Asheitu Adams formula for diabetes (AD) mostly decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) in a non-significant manner at (p<0.05). Conclusion: All polyherbal medicines caused depletion of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GST), which is an indication of oxidative stress condition, but some of them improved non-enzymatic antioxidants like malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin C.

Aim: The concept of glycemic index (GI) was introduced to classify carbohydrates and carbohydrate-rich diets, which are major staple foods in Nigeria. This study evaluates the glycemic index and glycemic load (GL) of local pounded yam and four instant pounded yam flours consumed with Telfairia occidentalis soup in test human subjects. The blood glucose levels were determined at 30 min interval for 2 h, and were used to determine the incremental areas under the curves (IUACs) for the various meals, which in turn were used to determine their GIs, while GLs were calculated from GIs. Results:The GIs and GLs (46.00 ± 2.08%; 23.33 ± 1.20%), (48.67 ± 0.88; 25.00 ± 0.58) and (50.33 ± 1.45%; 26.00 ± 0.58%) of APYTOS, IPYTOS and EPYTOS respectively were significantly lesser than the GI and GL of the other meals.Conclusion: APYTOS, IPYTOS and EPYTOS are low GI foods with high GL values, while LPY is a moderate GI food with high GL also although, its' GL is higher.

Background: The continuous increase in mortality of breast cancer and other forms of cancer due to the failure of current drugs, resistance, and associated side effects calls for the development of novel and potent drug candidates. Methods: In this study, we used the QSAR and extreme learning machine models in predicting the bioactivities of some 2-alkoxycarbonylallyl esters as potentials drug candidates against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer. The lead candidates were docked at the active site of a carbonic anhydrase target. Results: The QSAR model of choice satisfied the recommended values and was statistically significant. The R2pred (0.6572) was credence to the predictability of the model. The extreme learning machine ELM-Sig model showed excellent performance superiority over other models against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer. Compound 22 with a docking score of 4.67 kcal mol-1 displayed better inhibition of the carbonic anhydrase protein, interacting through its carbonyl bonds. Conclusion: The extreme learning machine’s ELM-Sig model showed excellent performance superiority over other models and should be exploited in the search for novel anticancer drugs.

Background: Fruits are known as excellent source of mineral and vitamins and may be used to increase rural population food quality. Consuming fruits and vegetables may usually aid in the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases. Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the chemical composition of velvet tamarind (D. guineense wild) fruit and its nutraceutical potential. Methodology: The fruit of velvet tamarind was purchased from “Oja-Oba” market in Ibadan, Nigeria. The fruits were sun-dried, the coat and seed were removed by mechanical means. The pulp was ground using a pestle and mortar, and were transferred into an electric blender (Moulinex) for further grinding. After grinding, the powder was sieved into a finer particle and was used to determine the proximate, phytochemical, vitamin and mineral compositions of velvet tamarind fruit. Results: Velvet tamarind fruit contains high concentration of carbohydrate (79.78%) but very low concentration of fat (0.43%). The phytochemical composition of the fruit has flavonoid (33.78 mg) and phytate (0.07mg) as the highest and lowest phytochemicals respectively. Velvet tamarind pulp was observed to be rich in vitamins with vitamin C (28.82 mg/100g) and vitamin B1 (0.84) having the highest and lowest concentrations respectively. Velvet tamarind pulp contained 5.85 mg/100g of potassium and 0.38 mg/100g of phosphorus as the highest and lowest minerals respectively. Conclusion: The composition of velvet tamarind fruit obtained in this study revealed that it is a good source of nutrient, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. It should be incorporated as food supplement to reduce malnutrition. It is a fruit with promising nutraceutical potential, thus it is a useful tool for further drug development from the natural plant products.