This study evaluated the toxicological effect of oral administration of Phoenix dactylifera seed essential oil (PDEO) in Wistar rats. PDEO was extracted through a steam-distillation technique. Acute toxicity study evaluated administration of a single dose of the oil in a group (n = 5) of rats followed by 24 h observation, for sub-acute toxicity evaluation, the animals were randomly divided into five groups (n = 3). Group 1 to 4 rats, respectively, received 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg bw of PDEO for fourteen days, while the fifth group served as control. At the termination of the study, blood samples were obtained for biochemical and hematological analyses, while vital organs were histopathologically examined. Results from this study revealed no mortality or abnormal behavioral changes in the animals. A dose-related increase in bodyweight and hematological parameters was observed across the treated groups (p < 0.05). At a dosage of 500 mg/kg bw, PDEO caused slight elevation in biochemical marker levels and mild changes in histological architecture of liver and kidney of the test rats. This study revealed that PDEO exhibited significant hematopoietic attributes with no adverse effect on the experimental rats’ vital organs at concentrations below 500 mg/kg bw.

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Aims: Several studies have documented Staphylococcus aureus as a leading pathogen implicated in wound infections with a remarkable potential for antibiotics resistance. This study determined the susceptibility patterns of S. aureus isolated from wound infections to conventional antibiotics and assessed the plasmid profile of selected multidrug resistant isolates. Study Design: This study was designed to determine the antibiotics susceptibility patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from wound infections.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the initiation and progression of a plethora of diseases including atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Due to the toxic and mutagenic side effects of some synthetic antioxidant compounds, intense interest is recently converged on natural antioxidants. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the antioxidant potential of essential oil extracted from Phoenix dactylifera seed. Phoenix dactylifera seed essential oil (PDEO) was extracted via steam-distillation technique. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was assessed by radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation and reduction power assays. From the results obtained in this study, P. dactylifera essential oil showed significant concentration dependent antioxidant potential with maximum activity at 500 µg/ml viz: DPPH radical scavenging (76.24 ± 0.12 %), ABTS radical scavenging (68.97 ± 0.36 %), Nitric oxide radical scavenging (67.86 ± 0.16 %), Hydroxyl radical scavenging (68.70 ± 0.26 %), Fe2+ chelating ability (66.74 ± 0.25 %), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (262.29 ± 0.253 mMol FeSO4/g) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation (67.78 ± 0.29 %). Findings from this study revealed that essential oil from Phoenix dactylifera seed elicits substantial antioxidant activity and may serve as a veritable pharmacological candidate towards prevention of free radical related pathological damages.