This study was designed to evaluate the effect of hydro-methanol leaf extract of Eugenia uniflora on lead-induced reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats. The male rats used for the study were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each. Group I was the negative control group which received no treatment. Group II was the positive control which received 5 mg/kg BW Lead daily, while Group III received 5 mg/kg BW of Lead and 200mg/kg BW of extract., Group IV received 5 mg/kg BW of Lead and 400mg/kg BW of extract and group V received 5 mg/kg BW of Lead and 800mg/kg BW of extract. The administration was by oral gavage once daily for 30 days. At the end, animals were sacrificed under light chloroform anesthesia. Blood samples were collected into plain bottles for hormonal assay. The epidydimis was located with a small incision on the abdomen and semen sample was collected for analysis of sperm parameters. The data was analysed by applying one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the SPSS version 23 software. Results of this study showed that extract of Eugenia uniflora significantly increased the level of serum testosterone and the percentages of viable sperm cells, sperm cells with normal morphology and actively motile sperm cells as well as, sperm count. The extract ameliorated lead induced reproductive toxicity. The result therefore, show that the extract improves sperm quality and quantity and protects the male reproductive function from the hazardous effect of environmental toxicants such as lead.

This study was carried out on an adult population in Semi urban communities of Rivers State, Nigeria. The aim of the study is to determine if any relationship exist between blood glucose level and basal metabolic index. The subjects were randomly selected among the population and those who met the inclusion criteria were recruited and used for the study. They were apparently healthy subjects with no known history of a metabolic or any other form of chronic diseases. The sample size included a total of 168 subjects [108 males and 60 females] aged between 18 to 55 years. Clinical history and clinical examination methods were employed for sample/data collection. The height (m) and weight (kg) were measured using a stadiometer. The basal metabolic index (BMI) was calculated using the formula: (weight (kg) / height (m2). Random blood glucose (mg/dl) was obtained using a glucometer. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21.0) was used for the analysis. The significance of differences between and among group means was tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple group means were compared using the post hoc test. To determine the link between variables, Pearson correlation analysis was used. Statistical significance was defined as a P- value of less than 0.05. In females, there was non-significant very low positive correlation between the blood glucose and the BMI. In addition, the mean level of glucose in blood for the different BMI categories did not show any significant difference when compared to normal BMI. In males, the mean blood glucose levels for all groups including overweight and obesed were not statistically significant when compared to the normal BMI. A Pearson correlation between blood glucose level and BMI indicated a non-significant markedly low positive correlation. In conclusion, it was discovered that there was a positive correlation between BMI and blood glucose levels in adult males and females in this study.

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effects of ethanolic stem bark extract of Persea americana on some reproductive parameters of female Wistar rats. In this study, female Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three (3) groups of 5 rats each. The control group (Group 1) was given distilled water. Group 2 received 200mg/kg of the extract and group 3 received 400mg/kg of the extract daily for a period of 21 days following acclimatization. The female rats were cohabited with males in the ratio 2:1 (M:F) for 10 days. Blood samples were collected and some tissues harvested at sacrifice. The statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare groups followed by post-hoc testing to determine whether there were significant differences between the control and treatment groups. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant and result presented as Mean±SEM. The result showed that the extract of Persea americana caused stimulatory effect on anterior pituitary synthesis of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and may have also caused changes in the gonads leading to decreased gonadal hormone synthesis (estrogen and progesterone). The percentage fertility of the female Wistar rats was significantly reduced suggesting that the stem bark extract of Persea americana possess antifertility effects.

Laurus nobilis is one of the most popular species belonging to the lauraceae family and it has been reported to possess many physiological properties such as antimicrobial, antifungal and wound healing effects. In this study, effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Laurus nobilis on some oxidative stress markers and liver function parameters of female Wistar rats were investigated. Five rats were randomly assigned into each of groups 1-4, of which group one (1) served as control and received distilled water. Groups 2-4 were treated with 100mg/kg bw, 200mg/kg bw and 400mg/kg bw of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of Laurus nobilis respectively, for a period of 14 days. The results obtained indicated that the superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities as well as, gluthathione reductase and peroxidase activities were not significantly affected. The malondialdehyde level did not change significantly after two weeks of extract administration. The extract caused no significant (P<0.05) alteration in the enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as serum concentrations of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB) and total bilirubin. This study have shown that extract of Laurus nobilis neither altered hepatic function parameters nor promoted toxic stress in the female Wistar rats.

Hibiscus sabdariffa is a yearly shrub that is widely grown in some Asian and African countries including Nigeria where it is commonly prepared as a hot or cold beverage and also used as medicine. It is applied in folklore remedies in the treatment of some ailments. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of the aqueous calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa on some biochemical parameters of diabetic male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into four (4) groups of five (5) rats each. Group one (1) which served as non diabetic (negative) control received distilled water only. Group 2 served as diabetic control and received distilled water after alloxan-induced diabetes. Group three (3) and group four (4) were diabetic rats that received 250mg/kg bw and 500mg/kg bw of the aqueous calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa respectively, for a period of four (4) weeks. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21.0) was used for the analysis. Differences between group means was tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and compared using the post hoc test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results obtained showed that the higher dose of the extract caused a significant decrease in blood glucose level in 4 weeks of the study. The changes observed in the plasma concentrations of electrolytes indicated that the extract significantly improved diabetes induced decrease in Cl- level while changes in Na+, K+ and HCO3- were not statistically significant. It also significantly improved lipid profile and reduced oxidative stress in diabetic male Wistar rats. This study revealed that, the calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa demonstrated anti-hyperglycemic effects in diabetic Wistar rats.