Bromelain: A Review on its Potential as a Therapy for the Management of Covid-19

Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a wide-spreading severe viral disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) virus that needs to be urgently eradicated. SARS-COV-2 has infected millions of people worldwide and results in more than three hundred thousand deaths. Several repurposed drugs have failed to successfully eradicate the infection. Multiorgan failure caused by pronounced inflammation and systemic coagulation accounts for severe complications and death associated with diseases. Bromelain appears to be a potential candidate that may be used to inhibit or prevent the symptoms of the diseases. Its anti-inflammatory and anticoagulatory properties make it a potential agent that may slow the progression of the disease. In this review, we highlighted the beneficial effects of bromelain based on both experimental and clinical evidence that make bromelain a good candidate for the treatment of symptoms of CoVID-19 infection.

Cuprizone toxicity and Garcinia kola biflavonoid complex activity on hippocampal morphology and neurobehaviour

Cuprizone-induced neurotoxicity has been employed to study the biology of remyelination in experimental models of multiple sclerosis. This study was aimed at determining the role of kolaviron, a biflavonoid from Garcinia kola, in mitigating the damaging effects of cuprizone on behaviour and the hippocampus. Twenty-four male albino mice aged 6–8 weeks were categorised into 4 equal groups: Group A (Control) received regular diet; Group B received 200 mg/kg/d of kolaviron in addition to their regular diet; Group C received 0.2% cuprizone diet only, while Group D received both kolaviron and cuprizone diet. The treatment lasted for 35 days after which behavioural tests (Morris water maze, Y maze and open field tests) were conducted and brain tissues were processed for histology, histochemistry (Nissl staining), immunohistochemistry (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and biochemistry (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase). Results showed that cuprizone toxicity led to weight loss, impairment in memory and exploratory drive, oxidative stress, chromatolysis and reactive astrocytosis; meanwhile administration of kolaviron prevented cuprizone-induced weight loss, memory decline, oxidative stress and neuromorphological alterations. In conclusion, administration of kolaviron might be useful in limiting the effects of cuprizone toxicity on the morphology and functions of the hippocampus.

A Study of Pain Threshold, Interleukins and NLR in Diabetic Polyneuropathy in a Selected Nigerian Population

Pain serves a protective function and is often lost in chronic conditions such as painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).This has been reported to be associated with ongoing inflammation. This study aims to investigate an association betweenbody immune responses, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and pain perception in DPN patients. Sixty volunteers wererecruited for the study. 30 control and 30 diagnosed DPN patients (used Biothesiometer). All subjects were trained andinformed consents were obtained. The pain threshold was significantly (p<0.05) lower in DPN (23.48±1.19 sec) comparedto control group (30.38±1.9 sec), there was significant lower NLR in DPN (1.27±0.09) compared to control group (1.93±0.1)and the serum level of IL6 (15.31±0.85 pg/ml) in DPN was significantly higher compared to control group (11.9±0.15 pg/ml),likewise the serum level of IL10 (13.26±2.78 pg/ml) in DPN is significantly higher compared to control group (6.59±1.07pg/ml). This study showed that hyperalgesia seen in patients with DPN was independent of increased NLR, and increasedIL6 & IL10 seen in this group of patients indicates need to further explore the role of immunological response in thepathogenesis and progression of DPN.

Resting Serum Concentration of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) in Sportsmen and Untrained Male Adults

There is an inverse relationship between regular physical activity and concentration of serum inflammatory markers, with variations in resting CRP in trained and untrained subjects. The effect of acute and prolonged exercises has been studied on inflammatory markers with dearth of information and controversies on the resting serum values of high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP). Therefore, this study sought to identify and compare variations that occur in serum levels of high sensitivity CRP in groups of sportsmen (6) and physically active untrained subjects. Eighty-one healthy male participants made up of 21 untrained (control), 10 footballers, 10 athletes, 10 karates, 10 volleyballers, 10 basketballers, and 10 baseballers voluntarily participated in the study. Participants rested while in sitting position for about 30 minutes during which blood pressures and heart rates were taken. 5 mls of venous blood was withdrawn from the antecubital vein of the participants (aseptically) between 7:00 and 10:00 am into lithium heparin bottles following an overnight fast. The supernatant was decanted and centrifuged at 3000 rpm, serum was collected and stored at -20ºC prior to biochemical assay which was done with the use of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for hs-CRP. Differences in the means within the sporting groups were analysed using one-way ANOVA while the difference between the trained sportsmen and untrained young adults was analysed using the independent T-test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The Mean ±SEM age, weight, height, and BMI of the participants were 22.0±0.8 years, 64.1±2.2 kg, 1.74±0.3 m, and 20.6±0.2 kg/m2 respectively. The resting concentration of hs-CRP (µg/ml) was 1.0±0.2 in the untrained, 2.6±0.7 in footballers, 3.6±2.1 in track athletes, 2.4±0.5 in basketballers, 2.2±0.5 in volleyballers, 2.4±1.3 in baseballers, and 1.7±0.5 in karate respectively. There was no significant difference in the resting hs-CRP amongst the sporting groups, and in the sportsmen and untrained group. Resting serum levels of hs-CRP falls within normal range, and varies insignificantly in groups of sports, and in sportsmen and untrained young male adults. This may suggest that the types of sporting activities or participation in sports has no impact on the resting serum hs-CRP.

Effect of taurine and caffeine on plasma c-reactive protein and calcium in Wistar rats

BACKGROUND

Caffeine is a component of several beverages such as coffee and tea. It has been shown to possess psychoactive properties because it increases alertness, energy and ability to concentrate at moderate doses. Taurine on the other hand, is an amino acid which has the capacity to promote neural development, osmoregulation and neuroprotection. There is paucity of information on the effect of the combined administration of taurine and caffeine on C-reactive protein (CRP)--a marker of inflammation and plasma calcium level in rats.

AIM

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of combined taurine and caffeine on the plasma level of CRP, Ca2+ as well as the effect of nifedipine on calcium level.

METHOD

Fifty four rats weighing 120-140 g were used for these studies. The animals were divided into nine groups consisting of six animals each. Group 1 was treated with 10 m/kg of normal saline, Groups 2 and 3 were given 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of taurine respectively, groups 4 and 5 received 7.5 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg of caffeine respectively while group 6 was administered taurine (200 mg/kg) and caffeine (15 mg/kg), groups 7 and 8 were treated with taurine (200 mg/kg) plus nifedipine (10 mg/kg) and taurine (200 mg/kg)plus furosemide (20 mg/kg) respectively while group 9 was given taurine plu caffeine plus nifdipine plus furosemide. Treatment was done once daily for 21 days and blood was finally collected via cardiac puncture for the assay of CRP and calcium while the animals were under anaesthesia.

RESULTS

The results showed that CRP was significantly decreased in five of the treated groups compared with the control with the exception of the group treated with taurine alone (Group 2), and that treated with combined taurine and caffeine (Group 6). The Ca2+ level of groups treated with caffeine (11.70 ± 0.29 mg/dL) and taurine with caffeine (11.64 ± 0.15 mg/dL) were significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared with the control (10.70 ± 0.29 mg/dL). However, treatment with taurine and nifedipine (Group 7) led to significant (p < 0.05) reduction in plasma Ca2+ level.

CONCLUSION

The results have shown that combined caffeine and taurine can boost plasma calcium level and decrease plasma CRP level. Moreover, taurine combined with nifedipine but not furosemide can act synergistically to lower both plasma Ca2+ and CRP levels, a result which may have implication for the treatment of hypertension.

Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanolic extract of Lagenaria breviflora whole fruit in rat and mice

The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of an ethanol extract of whole fruit of Lagenaria breviflora (LB) in rat and mice. Analgesic activity was measured by hot plate, formalin-induced paw licking, and acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing tests, while anti-inflammatory activity was determined by inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw oedema. Extract-treated animals exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher pain threshold, lower number of licking of paws in response to formalin-induced irritation and writhing movements in response to acetic acid-induced writhing movement. There was significant (P<0.05) inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats pre-treated with the extract (50, 100, 200mg/kg) by 6.4%, 27.5%, 55.9% respectively. Analgesic effect of the extract (50, 100, 200mg/kg) in hot plate test was observable within 30 minutes of administration with maximum effect obtainable 90 minutes post-administration. Also, the effect of the extract (50, 100 and 200mg/kg) was dose dependent in both the early (88.17±6.21, 80.33±3.49 and 72.33±5.16) and late (72.50±3.95, 53.83±3.96 and 35.83±3.78) phases of formalin-induced paw licking, and in acetic acid-induced writhing with inhibition of 26.8%, 48.1% and 58.1% respectively. Its effect was comparable especially at 200mg/kg body weight to those of diclofenac, indomethacin and ibuprofen. It could be suggested from the findings of this experiment that the extract may be mediating its action as a central analgesic agent but the peripheral analgesic effect was preponderant based on its outcome from the pain models.

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of the ethanol extract of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves in rats

The leaves of Acalypha wilkesiana are commonly used for the treatment of pain, fever and ulcer by traditional medical practitioners without any scientific data to evaluate the appropriateness of some of the practices. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine whether the ethanol extract of Acalypha wilkesiana has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic as well as anti-ulcer effects. The hot plate latency assay and formalin- induced paw licking models were used to evaluate analgesic effects. Animals were divided into groups comprising of five rats each. There were control (administered saline) and reference (administered indomethacin) groups. Also there were three extract groups administered 25, 50 or 100 mg/Kg body weight of extracts. Ulcer was induced using absolute ethanol followed by pylorus ligation in all animals; inflammation was induced using carrageenan while pyrexia was induced by injecting brewer's yeast intramuscularly into the dorsal part of the abdominal cavities of the rats. Different sets of rats were used for the anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic studies although animal grouping for extract administration were as in analgesic studies. The results show that the extract produced dose-dependent and significant (p<0.05) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The extract also significantly protected against ethanol induced ulcer. Likewise, the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced the pyretic states of the animals. This study has therefore further provides evidences that may support the ethnomedicinal uses of the ethanolic extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves.

Haematological evaluation of ethanolic extract of Allium ascalonicum in male albino rats

The haematological effect of ethanolic extract of Allium ascalonicum was evaluated in male albino rats during a 21 day administration at the doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w, orally. Parameters evaluated include the serum lipids, red and white cell indices. The results showed that the extract administered decreased most of the parameters relating to red cell and increased most of those parameters relating to white cells. It also decreased the total cholesterol (TCH), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) with no significant effect on the triglyceride levels.