In this study, attempt is made to establish changes in serum and liver lipoprotein cholesterols accompanying Plasmodium berghei malarial infection in mice treated with aqueous extract of Ganoderma lucidum at 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg body weight in comparison with 15 mg/kg chloroquine (CQ). Significant increases in all the lipoprotein fractions were observed in infected untreated mice compared with normal control mice. Treatment with 100 and 250 mg/kg G. lucidum extract produced significant reduction in serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density cholesterol (LDL-C) contents compared with 500 mg/kg G. lucidum and CQ. Treatment with CQ, however, produced significant reduction in hepatic TC and LDL-C compared with the extract. A dose-dependent significant increase in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was observed in the G. lucidum treated mice compared with normal control but significantly lower compared with CQ-treated mice. Liver HDL-C level was significantly higher in CQ-treated mice compared with normal control and significantly lower compared with G. lucidum-treated and infected untreated mice. A dose-dependent effect of the extract was observed in both serum and liver very-low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). The implication of these results is discussed with respect to the parasite survival and proliferation in the serum and liver.

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Studies have shown that some drugs impair spermatogenesis, thereby causing infertility. Thus, this study aims at investigating the effect of Persea americana seed extract on the male reproductive system in cyclosporine‐induced rats. Thirty male albino rats were randomly divided into five groups; all groups were induced with cyclosporine except the control group. Group 3 was treated with 10 mg/kg of lisinopril, groups 4 and 5 received 50 and 100 mg/kg of PAE, respectively. The experiment lasted for 7 days. The antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)], and arginase activities were evaluated, nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level of the penile tissue homogenate were determined with serum hormonal (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and testosterone) concentration and sperm quality. This study showed that cyclosporine induction caused a significant (p < .05) decrease in the SOD, CAT, sperm quality, NO, and hormonal level as compared to the control group, with a simultaneous increase in arginase activity and MDA level. However, treatment with PAE and lisinopril significantly (p < .05) increase antioxidant enzyme activities, sperm quality, NO, and serum hormonal level, with a decrease MDA level and arginase activity when compared with cyclosporine‐induced group. This study showed that P. americana seed extract could be useful in the management of hormonal disruption resulting from oxidative stress in male folks. Practical applications Some pharmaco‐agents have been reported to alter spermatogenesis, thereby causing infertility. Plants represent natural resources use in the management of several human diseases from time immemorial. Persea americana seed is a part of the fruit that most people do throw away after consuming the edible portion of the fruit. However, the therapeutic and pharmacological activities of P. americana seed have been reported. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the effects of P. americana seed extract on cyclosporine‐induced reprotoxicity.

Cereal gruels are an important staple food in humid part of Africa, and commonly used as weaning food for children and the convalescents. This study sought to evaluate the effect of sieving; an important step in production of gruel. The cereal were soaked with distilled water for 72 hr, rinsed, and wet-milled, thereafter, portioned into two (sieved and Unsieved), and freeze dried. The nutritional value, mineral content, glycemic index, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory ability of cereal gruels were investigated. The results make known that Unsieved gruel had a higher (p > .05) nutritional value and mineral content than sieved gruel. The sieved gruel had higher free sugar and glycemic index than the Unsieved. Nonetheless, the gruel extract inhibited α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity judging by their IC 50 values in vitro. Based on the results of this study, it can be argued that unsieved gruels had better nutritional contents than sieved gruel. Practical applications Cereal gruels are commonly used as weaning food for children and the convalescence, there are concerns about the nutritional value of the food over the time, and this had led to different ways of enhancing the nutritional value through fortification with other substance but the originality of the food is being eroded. However, exclusion of sieving in the processing step, improves the nutritional value of the gruel.