Effect of Aqueous Stem Bark Extract of Khaya senegalensis on Some Biochemical, Haematological, and Histopathological Parameters of Rats

An Ethnobotanical Survey and Pharmacological and Toxicity Review of Medicinal Plants Used in the Management of Obesity in the North Central Zone of Nigeria

Introduction: Obesity is increasing worldwide. Due to the unavailability of affordable obesity drugs in most parts of Nigeria, many overweight and obese people rely on medicinal plants to manage obesity. Thus, the aim of this study is to document medicinal plants traditionally used in the treatment and management of obesity in the North Central Zone of Nigeria, determine the plants to which pharmacological assessment of their use in obesity management has not been reported, and assess their toxicity based on the literature. Methods: Semistructured questionnaires and interviews were used to assess sociodemographic information of the 700 herb sellers/practitioners (100 for each state) who consented to participate in the study. Information gathered on plants that are traditionally used in the management of obesity included administration/dosage, method of preparation, plant part used, method of growth, and plant type. The field study was conducted over a one-year period, from March 2018 to March 2019. Reports of pharmacological activity pertaining to obesity as well as toxicity of the plants were obtained from the literature via scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, AJOL, PubChem, and other web sources) after the field survey. Results: A total of 39 families and 70 plant species were used to treat or manage obesity. The majority of plant species used resulted in the family Leguminosae. The relative frequency of citation (RFC) and percentage values for the five most frequently used plants were as follows: Citrus aurantifolia (0.0500; 3.56%), Citrus limon (0.0457; 3.26%), Garcinia kola (0.0429; 3.05%), Zingiber officinale (0.0429; 3.05%), and Allium sativum (0.0414; 2.95%). The majority of the medications were prepared as decoctions (50.5%), and cultivated plants (62.86%) were in the majority of plants used. Results showed that 23 plants have no pharmacological report for antiobesity activities while among the five frequently used plants, only Garcinia kola was reported toxic in preclinical models. Conclusions: This paper provides a valuable compilation of the plants used in obesity treatment in the study area by indigenous healers, highlights plants with no reported pharmacological activity pertaining to obesity, and indicates the toxicity profile of used plants. However, further studies on the mechanism of action are warranted, especially where no reports were obtained.

Effect of single and combination therapy on methanol extracts of Khaya senegalensis stem bark, Vernonia amygdalina leaves and Garcinia kola seed in Leptospira interrogans-infected mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pastoralists in Nigeria mix Garcinia kola seed (GK), Khaya senegalensis stem bark (KS), and Vernonia amygdalina leaves (VA) to treat leptospirosis.

AIM

To determine the in vitro and in vivo effect on single and combination therapy on Leptospira interrogans-infected mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Evaluation of in vitro assay for anti-leptospiral motility of the extracts was carried out in triplicates. For the in vivo assessment, 40 adult male mice inoculated with Leptospira were randomly allocated into 8 groups of 5 mice each. Groups IV-IX were treated with 800 mg/kg b.w. of KS, GK, VA, KS + GK, KS + VA, GK + VA for 5 days. Group I was negative control, II was model control, and III was treated with penicillin (3.7 mg/kg b.w.) intramuscularly.

RESULTS

In vitro, at 90 min, all the extracts at 800, 400, and 200 mg/ml showed complete cessation of motility which was significantly (p < 0.05) different when compared to the negative control. A significant (p < 0.05) IC50 of 0.18 mg/ml was recorded with GK when compared to KS (0.40 mg/ml), VA (0.25 mg/ml), and procaine penicillin (0.31 mg/ml). Mean packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in all infected groups and returned to almost pre-infection values. However, significant leucocytosis (p < 0.05) was observed in group II. AST and ALP showed a significant increase (p < 0.001). Histopathological evaluation showed the extracts to prevent the distortion of normal architecture of the selected organs.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the significant potential of Garcinia kola, Khaya senegalensis, and Vernonia amygdalina extracts singly and in combination to combat leptospirosis.

Fetotoxicity and Subacute Toxicity of Some Plants Involved in the Treatment of Infectious Diarrhea in Benin

This study aimed to provide data on the subacute toxicity and fetotoxicity of aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of Daniellia oliveri (Rolfe) Hutch. &amp; Dalziel, Anacardium occidentale L., Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst. ex A. DC., Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss., Ocimum gratissimum L., Vernonia amygdalina Delile, Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir., and Manihot esculenta Crantz used in the treatment of diarrheal diseases in Benin. For subacute toxicity, each male and female Wistar rat received by esophageal gavage a maximum of 1000 mg/kg over 28 days following the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guideline No. 407. Bodyweight changes, biochemical and hematological parameters were assessed. The fetotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated on Dutch Blue hen eggs at 100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg. The hatching rate, biochemical and hematological constants were subsequently determined. The subacute toxicity data did not indicate any mortality or signs of toxicity. Also, no significant difference in the bodyweight of the rats and the hematological parameters was noted. Concerning fetotoxicity, a low hatching rate (varying from 20% to 50%) was observed in the batches treated with the extracts at 300mg/kg compared to the rate obtained in the negative control batch (80%). The batches that received the hydroethanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina and Manihot esculenta at the tested doses had a hatching rate of 0%. When looking at hematological parameters, no significant difference was noted for all batches. However, an increase in the Aspartate Amino-Transferase (ASAT) values was noted in the batches that received the hydroethanolic extract of Khaya senegalensis and the aqueous extract of Diospyros mespiliformis at 100 and 300 mg/kg. These results explicitly show that the hydroethanolic extracts of Manihot esculenta and Vernonia amygdalina are fetotoxic at the tested doses.

Acute, sub-acute, sub-chronic and chronic toxicity studies of four important Nigerian ethnomedicinal plants in rats

Background

Azadirachta indica,Khaya senegalensis,Anogeissus leiocarpusandTamarindus indicaare important ethnomedicinal plants used for health mitigation since the history of mankind. They are used discretionarily in folkloric medicine on the premise that they are natural products devoid of synthetic preservatives. However, nature endows plants with metabolites for warding off potential attacks from animals and the environment. Some of these metabolites are responsible for toxicity of some plants. Furthermore, drug-induced liver injuries and nephrotoxicity are the leading causes of pharmaceutical attrition of promising drug candidates in clinical trials. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the safety of four ethnomedicinal plants in short-, medium- and long-term usage.

Methods

Rats dosed once with 5000 mg/kg extracts of each of these plants served as acute study (AS) while rats dosed daily with 2000 mg/kg for 2, 12 and 14 weeks served as sub-acute (SAS), sub-chronic (SCS) and chronic (CS) studies, respectively. Rats administered distilled water served as the negative control (NC).

Results

A. leiocarpusandT. indicasignificantly reduced percentage weight gain in the SCS compared to the NC.A. leiocarpussignificantly (P< 0.05) increased transaminases and alkaline phosphatase in the AS only; and total protein (TP) in the AS, SAS, SCS and CS compared to the NC.K. senegalensissignificantly (P< 0.05) increased alanine aminotransferase but significantly (P< 0.05) decreased TP in the AS only compared to the NC. However,A. indica and T. indicasignificantly (P< 0.05) increased globulin and aspartate transaminase in the CS only. WhereasA. leiocarpusandK. senegalensissignificantly (P< 0.05) increased urea and creatinine in the AS than SAS, SCS and CS; Na+and K+were significantly higher in the SCS and CS studies compared to the NC. The histological lesions seen ranged from cellular degeneration, congestion, fibrosis to necrosis.

Conclusion

Thus, nonlethal, reversible toxic insults occur in short-term usage (AS); while, insidious lethal toxic effects occur in medium-term (SAS) and long-term usage (SCS and CS). The ability of these plant to maintain adequate hematological parameters, bodyweight and absence of mortality may explain free usage of preparations made from these plants in folkloric medicine.

Medicinal plants used in managing diseases of the respiratory system among the Luo community: an appraisal of Kisumu East Sub-County, Kenya

BACKGROUND

Poor access to healthcare in rural communities causes many people to seek herbalists who use medicinal plants for the treatment of various disease conditions. Most knowledge of traditional herbal medicine makes use of indigenous remedies which are often undocumented and are at risk of being lost. The preservation of this knowledge may facilitate scientific inquiry into promising new therapeutic molecules.

METHODS

Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect the sociodemographic information of 30 herbalists in Kisumu East Sub County. The local names of medicinal plants used in managing illnesses of the respiratory system, their habit, active parts, indications, methods of preparation, routes of administration, scientific identity, and conservation status were also recorded. Other reported traditional uses, pharmacological activities, and toxicological data were identified via a literature search.

RESULTS

Most herbalists were female (86.7%), aged between 61 and 70 years (43.3%) with no formal education (56.7%), and had 21-30 years of practice (30%). 44 plant species, belonging to 43 genera and 28 families were identified. Leguminosae and Rutaceae plant families were predominant, leaves were frequently used (33%), and trees were the most common habit (44.4%). Most plants were collected in the wild (79.2%), preparation was mainly by decoction (68.8%), and the administration was mainly orally. The main indication was cough and 79.5% of all documented plant species had previously been reported to have a pharmacological activity relevant to the mitigation of respiratory illnesses. Toxicological data was available for 84.1% of the plant species identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The predominant use of roots, root barks, and root tubers by herbalists in Kisumu East Sub County threatens to negatively impact the ecological survival of some plant species. The preservation of herbalists' knowledge of medicinal plants in the study area is a pressing concern considering their advanced age and little formal education. There is a need to conserve some of the medicinal plants documented in this study. The medicinal claims made by herbalists also warrant scientific scrutiny.

Mitigation of aflatoxin B1- and sodium arsenite-induced cytotoxicities in HUC-PC urinary bladder cells by curcumin and Khaya senegalensis

Background Concomitant exposure to environmental/occupational toxicants such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and arsenic in some regions of the world has been well reported. Therefore, this calls for the assessment of the efficacy of agents such as phytochemicals, which are already known for their ethno-medicinal uses in prophylaxis/remediation. We investigated the possible cytotoxic bio-interactions between AFB1 and sodium arsenite (SA) in urinary bladder cells. We also assessed the cytoprotective effects of curcumin and the ethanol stem bark extract of Khaya senegalensis (K2S). Methods The cells were exposed to graded levels of AFB1, SA, curcumin, and K2S for 24, 48, and 72 h. Subsequently, using optimum toxic concentrations of AFB1 and SA, respectively, the influence of non-toxic levels of curcumin and/or K2S was tested on exposure of the cells to AFB1 and/or SA. Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide staining technique was used to determine the end-points due to cytotoxicity with changes in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels determined using Promega's CellTiter-Glo luminescent assay. Results Co-treatment of the cells with AFB1 and SA resulted in synergy in cytotoxic effects. Cytotoxicity was reduced by 3.5- and 2.9-fold by pre-treatment of the cells with curcumin and K2S before treatment with AFB1, while post-treatment resulted in 1.1- and 2.6-fold reduction, respectively. Pre-exposure of the cells with curcumin and K2S before treatment with SA ameliorated cytotoxicity by 3.8- and 3.0-fold, but post-treatment caused a 1.2- and 1.3-fold reduction, respectively. Conclusions Pre-treatment of the cells with either curcumin or K2S exhibited cytoprotective effects by ameliorating AFB1- and SA-induced cytotoxicity with inferred tendencies to prevent carcinogenesis.

Ganoderma lucidum and Auricularia polytricha Mushrooms Protect against Carbofuran-Induced Toxicity in Rats

The current study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effects of two types of mushrooms, Ganoderma lucidum (GL) and Auricularia polytricha (AP), against carbofuran- (CF) induced toxicity in rats. Male Wistar rats (n = 42) were divided into six equal groups. The rats in the negative control group received oral administration of CF at 1 mg/kg with the normal diet for 28 days. The treatment groups received oral administration of ethanolic extract of GL or AP at 100 mg/kg followed by coadministration of CF at 1 mg/kg with the normal diet for the same experimental period, respectively. In the CF alone treated group, there were significant decreases in the erythrocytic and thrombocytic indices but increases in the concentrations of the total leukocytes, including the agranulocytes. A significant increase in all of the liver function biomarkers except albumin, in lipid profiles except high-density lipoprotein, and in the kidney function markers occurred in the negative control group compared to the rats of the normal control and positive control groups. The coadministration of mushroom extracts significantly ameliorated the toxic effects of the CF. The GL mushroom extract was more efficacious than that of the AP mushroom, possibly due to the presence of high levels of phenolic compounds and other antioxidants in the GL mushroom.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by communities of Northern Kordofan region, Sudan

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The present study provides significant ethnopharmacological information on plant species used in North Kordofan region, western Sudan. The study was undertaken with an aim to document the medicinal uses of the species known to some Northern Kordofan communities.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was conducted between 2012 and 2013. The plants were identified and voucher specimens prepared. Information was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 258 informants (195 men and 63 women). In addition, the use value (UV) of the species was determined and the informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for the medicinal plants researched in the study. Further analysis was carried out to compare results with previous studies from the study area and other regions of Sudan.

RESULTS

A total of 44 plant species representing 24 families were found to be commonly used in the treatment of 73 different human health problems. The families most represented were Leguminosae (18%), Caesalpiniaceae (9%), Malvaceae (9%), Asclepiadaceae (6.8%) and Combretaceae (6.8%). The highest number of plant species are used against digestive system disorders (23 species) followed by microbial infections (21 species) and dermatology (19 species). Among all the plant parts leaves (20%), roots (19%), fruits and bark (14% each) were the most preferred plant parts used by the informants. There was strong agreement among the informants as to the usages of the plants (informant consensus factor 0.63-0.93). The most important plants on the basis of use-value were Acacia nilotica, Acacia seyal, Balanites aegyptiaca, Cassia occidentalis, Cassia senna, Guiera senegalensis and Tamarindus indica.

CONCLUSION

This study has helped to document information that may otherwise be lost to future generations. This is the first ethnobotanical study in which statistical calculations about plants are carried out by means of the ICF and UV methods in the study area. Plants with high ICF and UV values should be subjected for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigation for scientific validation.

Effects of Khaya senegalensis leaves on performance, carcass traits, hemtological and biochemical parameters in rabbits

One of the challenges facing farmers today is to ensure adequate integration of natural resources into animal feeds. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of Khaya senegalensis (KS) leaves on the performance of growing male rabbits, carcass traits and biochemical as well as hematological parameters. Thirty New Zealand White male growing rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups (10 rabbits per group). Group I (control) received standard rabbit diet. Rabbits in group II and group III were fed standard rabbit diet supplemented with 35 % and 65 % KS leaves, respectively. All rabbits were fed daily for 25 days. The performance parameters and carcass criteria, including daily body weight gain, final body weight, and the percentage of dressing, were increased in rabbits fed 35 % KS when compared to the control group. Kidney and liver weight ratios increased significantly in group II but dropped in group III. Furthermore, liver enzymes - alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase and kidney function parameters - urea, and creatinine - increased in both group II (significant P<0.05) and in group III (significant P<0.01) when compared to the control group. Moreover, KS leaves induced a significant increase (P<0.05) in the total white blood cell count, the percentage of granulocytes and the platelet count; whereas, the percentage of lymphocytes, red blood cell count, hemoglobin content, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were not statistically significantly changed. This study demonstrates that the performance parameters and carcass traits are improved by the replacement of rabbit's diet with KS leaves. However, KS leaves may adversely affect liver and kidney function in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, further studies are required to elucidate the maximum tolerable and toxic, as well as lethal doses, and to isolate the pharmacologically active components from KS leaves.