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Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken leaves are employed as food and as traditional medicines. This study investigates the antioxidant activity (reducing power, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, H 2 O 2 scavenging ability and metal ion chelating), carbohydrate digesting enzymes activity and inhibitory activity of cholinergic enzyme of aqueous extract and fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, residual aqueous fraction) of B. pinnatum leaves were investigated. Results showed that aqueous extract of B. pinnatum exhibited DPPH radical scavenging abilities, iron chelation, hydrogen peroxide scavenging abilities and reducing power (Fe 3+ -Fe 2+ ). B. pinnatum aqueous extract also had considerably α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC 50 values 149.20 ± 14.44 µg/mL and 126.15 ± 9.76 µg/mL respectively. Our findings indicated that ethyl acetate fraction contained a considerably higher (p < 0.05) amount of total phenolic, flavonoids, total antioxidant, FRAP, metal ion, ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity than other solvent fractions. Furthermore, the ethyl acetate fraction elicited a significantly higher (p < 0.05) inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase (IC 50 = 70.90 ± 1.23 μg/ml), α-amylase (IC 50 = 62.45 ± 1.22 μg/ml), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (IC 50 = 66.75 µg/mL) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) (IC 50 = 62.97 µg/mL) activities than other fractions. Hence, B. pinnatum leaves were rich in biologically active components; thus, could be employed to formulate new plant-based pharmaceutical and nutraceutical drugs to improve human health.

The present study aims to evaluate the protective effect of methanolic leaf extract and flavonoid-rich leaf extract of Synsepalum dulcificum on lead-acetate-induced toxicity in Wistar albino rats. Forty-five animals were distributed into nine groups with five animals apiece. Group 1 served as the control and was given only distilled water throughout the course of the study. Group 2 served as the lead-induced group and was administered 50 mg/kg lead-acetate. Groups 3-8 were co-administered 50 mg/kg lead-acetate and various doses of the extracts. Group 9 was administered 40 mg/kg vitamin C in addition to 50 mg/kg lead-acetate. The study lasted for 14 days. Standard procedures were used to evaluate the hematological indices, serum total protein, urea, creatinine, as well as marker enzymes in liver and kidney of the animals. Malondialdehyde levels, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-s-transferase activities were also estimated in the tissues. The results showed that the extracts, especially the high doses, significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated the harmful effects of lead administration in the liver and kidney as well as in the hematological indices. The extract could, therefore, be considered as having protective effect on lead-induced toxicity in Wistar albino rats.

The aim: The use of synthetic compounds to treat many diseases must be strictly controlled due to their potential health hazards. Hence, there is a need to search for natural products to serve as safe alternatives to synthetic products. This study investigated the antinociceptive effects and anti-inflammatory activities of Treculia africana seed lectin. Materials and methods: Lectins were purified from Treculia africana seeds using ion exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. The antinociceptive activity of the lectin was assessed in Wistar rats using abdominal writhing and paw-licking tests induced by acetic acid and formalin, respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using carrageenan-induced paw oedema. Results: Treculia africana seed lectins at 10 mg/kg (p.o.) produced sedation, reduced ambulation, reduced response to touch, analgesia, and decreased defecation in experimental animals. Administration of Treculia africana seed lectin (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) in experimental animals significantly reduced (P < 0.05) acetic acid-induced muscular writhing in a dose-dependent manner with 23.88 and 36.80 per cent inhibition, respectively. Both early and late phases of formalin-induced nociception were significantly inhibited (P < 0.001) by the lectin at all doses (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg/kg), comparably with the standard drug, diclofenac sodium. At 10 mg/kg, T. africana lectin caused a 69.12 % and 65.55 % reduction in both early and late phases of formalin-induced paw licking. Treculia africana lectin also significantly brought about a reduction (P < 0.05) in inflammation induced by sub-plantar injection of carrageenan as measured by a decrease in paw swollenness. Conclusion: The study showed that Treculia africana lectin possesses antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties and can potentially be employed therapeutics to ameliorate pain and inflammation

Introduction: Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) has been implicated in a wide variety of diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. Crassocephalum rubens is a leafy vegetable consumed in different parts of Africa for the management of symptoms of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, malaria, and blood pressure. The present study evaluated the modulatory effects of aqueous leaf extract of C. rubens (ACR) and gliclazide on MPTP in the pancreas of Wistar albino rats in vitro. Methods: Pancreatic mitochondria were isolated from experimental animals using standard protocols. Furthermore, MPTP was induced using various concentrations (15, 22.5, 30, and 37.5 mmol/L) of glucose and CaCl2 (3 µM). Alterations in MPTP and ameliorative potential of different concentrations of ACR (8, 24, 40, 56 μg/mL) and gliclazide (0.054 mg/mL) were monitored spectrophotometrically via changes in absorbance at 540 nm for 12 minutes, under sodium succinate energized condition. Results: It was observed that 30 mmol/L, 37.5 mmol/L D-glucose, and Ca2+ significantly induced MPTP opening by 0.635, 5.10, and 9.95 folds, respectively, an effect that was reversed by gliclazide and ACR, in a none-dose dependent manner. In addition, ACR at 56 μg/mL in conjunction with Ca2+ opened the MPTP. Conclusion: Data from this study suggest that gliclazide and ACR, especially at the lower concentrations, possess significant inhibitory effects against MPTP opening in the pancreas of male Wistar albino rats and, therefore, could be useful in protecting beta-cell death usually associated with diabetes mellitus, as well as other conditions in which MPTP opening is implicated.