Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences

Antitrypanosomial activities and cytotoxic effects of Garcinia kola (bitter kola) aqueous seed extract and Berenil in abino Wister rats

M.O. Abiodun — 2025-01-03

Trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as (sleeping sickness) is a major disease of economic and public health importance caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambianse parasite that affects humans. In 2014, WHO stated that 300,000 cases were reported diagnosed and treated, while others died or live with disability based on the none- availability of novel drugs, high toxicity of exciting drugs and development of resistance to the available drugs by the parasite. Therefore the use of plant extract is fast becoming the choice method for the treatment of the disease. This study investigated trypanosomal activity and cytotoxicity of Garcinia kola aqueous seed extract and diminazene aceturate drug on the liver of typanosomiasis- infected albino Wister rat. The extract was obtained through maceration with distilled water and phytochemical analysis was performed using various standard methods. In vitro activity of the extract and diminazene aceturate was determined using rapid matching techniques at 3 hours post incubation with different doses of the extract and 3.5 mg/kg.bw of standard drug. In vivo study was carried out using sixty two (62) Wister rats divided into 10 groups. Group A (normal control), was non infected and non-treated but received 10 mL of distilled water; Groups (B-H), were infected by intraperitoneal inoculation of 1 mL of parasitized blood containing 1.0105/ml of T. brucei gambianse parasites, and treated with different doses of Garcinia kola seed extract (200, 400 – 1400 mg/kg.bw); Group I was: infected and treated with standard drug dose (Standard control); Group J was infected and untreated (Pathological control). The treatment lasted for 21 days at 3 days intervals. Biochemical analysis of the liver function was performed by colorimetric method. Histological analysis was carried out using standard tissue processing and staining with Haematoxilin and Eosin stains. Data were analyzed statistically using Anova Turkey’s post hoc SPSS version 2.0 software and at 0.01 significant difference. Results revealed the phytochemical components of the seed as flavonoids, steroids, tannin, saponin, anthraquinones, glycoside and carbohydrate. Various biochemical effects on the liver functions were observed in all the extract- treated and control groups. Garcinia kola seed extract exhibited trypanosostatic effect at doses <400 mg and trypanocidal activity at doses > 400 mg both in vitro and in vitro and in vivo, compared with trypanocidal activity of the standard drug at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg.bw. Garcinia kola seed extract proved to be highly toxic to the liver at high doses >200 mg /kg.bw due to various pathological lesions observed in the liver histology of the extract- treated groups when compared with standard drug which also produced similar organ toxicity effect at standard dose This result of the study shows that Garcinia kola aqueous seed extract may be used to design drug for the treatment of trypanosomiasis at lower concentrations and the use of Berenil in human treatment should be discontinued due to its high toxicity in animal model.

Effect of sun drying and shade drying on phytochemical constituents and elemental composition of methanolic extract of scent leaves Ocimum gratissimum

I. U. Maryam — 2025-01-03

Ocimum gratissimum is an aromatic plant used as spice in food and for medicinal purposes. There are various processes by which medicinal leaves are prepared for consumption which may affect the phytochemistry of the end product. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of different drying methods (shade-drying and sun-drying). The plant leaves were collected, washed, dried, mashed and sieved. Qualitative analysis using standard procedures and quantitative methods was carried out on the fresh, shade- dried and sun-dried samples for the presence of phytochemicals. Elemental analysis was also carried out on the fresh, shade-dried and sun-dried samples. The compositions of nutrients and the metals present in the medicinal plants were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Model PinAAcle 900H, PerkinElmer). In all the samples, flavonoids, saponin, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids and steroids were present, while anthraquinones were absent. Shade- dried leaves were found to contain significantly higher amounts of flavonoid (380 mg/g), saponin (220 mg/g) and tannins (24 mg/g), compared to the sun- dried sample which contained flavonoids (180 mg/g), saponin (80 mg/g) and tannins (22 mg/g). The elemental analysis showed the presence of Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Pb, Zn, and Cd in the medicinal plants with some of the values, above the tolerant level, which could be dangerous to health. Drying techniques were found to have a significant impact on the values of the phytochemicals. Shade-drying was found to be the most appropriate method for the preparations of Ocimum gratissimum for high phytochemical constituents that are beneficial to humans on consumption, and the most effective method for preserving the phytochemicals present in medicinal plants.

A mathematical model for the control of cholera outbreak in Nigeria

B.C. Agbata — 2025-01-03

This study focuses on the development of a mathematical model to address the dynamics of cholera transmission in Nigeria, a country frequently plagued by cholera outbreaks due to several socio-environmental factors. The mathematical model incorporates treatment mechanisms and aims to provide a framework for controlling the disease. We obtained the basic reproduction number (R₀ ), which determined the conditions for local and global asymptotic stability of the model. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of various parameters on R₀ , revealing that contact rate between susceptible and infected individuals, as well as the transition from exposed to actively infected population, significantly influenced disease spread. Numerical simulations further support the theoretical findings, demonstrating that reducing contact between susceptible and infected individuals and enhancing the treatment rate for infected persons can effectively mitigate the cholera burden. Based on these findings, recommendations include increasing government commitment to treatment facilities, organizing public awareness campaigns on sanitation, and improving infrastructure related to water treatment, waste management, and flood control. This model provides actionable insights for managing and controlling cholera outbreaks in Nigeria.

A mathematical model for control of Ebola virus disease with vaccination as a control measure and bifurcation analysis

Q.O. Ahman — 2025-01-03

This study presents a mathematical model for the control of Ebola virus disease (EVD) incorporating vaccination as a control measure, alongside a bifurcation analysis to investigate the dynamics of the disease spread and control. The model's disease-free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable (LAS) if the effective reproduction number (E_CR< 1), implying that Ebola can be eliminated from the population over time. Sensitivity analysis reveals that parameters such as the contact rate between susceptible humans and Ebola-infected animals and the rate of immunity loss from vaccination, which have positive sensitivity indices, significantly enhance disease spread. Reducing these parameters is crucial for controlling Ebola. Conversely, parameters like vaccination rate and disease-induced death rate in animals, with negative sensitivity indices, contribute to disease reduction. Numerical simulations showed that effective vaccination leads to a substantial decrease in the number of infected and isolated individuals, demonstrating strong disease control. Furthermore, bifurcation analysis indicates that the model exhibits backward bifurcation when parameters a > 0 and b > b, meaning a stable disease-free equilibrium can coexist with a stable endemic equilibrium, complicating disease eradication efforts. In contrast, forward bifurcation occurs when a < 0 and b < 0, suggesting that controlling Ebola might not depend on initial infection levels, with the disease potentially going extinct quickly if E_CR< 1.

Assessing the physicochemical properties of freeze- dried microencapsulated Xylopia aethiopica herbal fruit extract

N.D. Nnamani — 2025-01-03

Advances in material science have improved processability and release of bioactive plant extracts. Xylopia aethiopica plant extract was microencapsulated with gum-arabic wall-material, and freeze- dried. The drug-material interaction was evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The micromeritics and dissolution properties of the crude and microencapsulated extracts were determined. The FTIR analysis showed similarities in the spectra of the extracts, and additional peaks for the microencapsulated extract that were not detected in the crude extract. The SEM result for crude extract revealed two distinct, irregularly shaped and ≈10 μm- sized particles, whereas the microencapsulated form revealed numerous minute, warped, threadlike and ≈15 μm sized particles. The EDX result of the microencapsulated form showed more diverse range of elements. These microencapsulated drug-material interaction results infer non-complex structural, morphological and compositional changes to the crude extract. The angle of repose, Carrs’ index and Hausner ratio for microencapsulated extract were 28.61°, 11.50 % and 1.13 respectively, compared to 32.00°, 12.35 % and 1.14 respectively for the crude form. These micromeritics results indicate improved flow properties for microencapsulated extract. Dissolution test showed improvement in the dissolution of the microencapsulated form, with its absorbance peaking at 0.079 at 45 minutes, compared to 0.021 absorbance for the crude extract. This study suggests that microencapsulation and freeze- drying enhanced processability and release of Xylopia aethiopica extract. There is a need to conduct biological assay to explore the therapeutic potentials of this microencapsulated extract.