https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/365946.pdf

The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: pharmacological and toxicological considerations.

Oxidative stress and protein glycation are closely related processes that may contribute to the development of complications in diabetes mellitus. Treatment with antioxidants could protect against these processes at a biochemical level, and we have therefore investigated the effects of ascorbate and desferrioxamine treatment in the streptozotocin diabetic rat. Diabetic animals were given ascorbate 1 g/l in drinking water or desferrioxamine 6 mg/kg/day by subcutaneous injection and were killed after 6 weeks. In diabetic animals, oxidative stress was increased as shown by increased levels of conjugated dienes (CD) in plasma and malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma, erythrocyte membranes, and urine. In addition, there was depletion of the nutritional antioxidants ascorbate, alpha-tocopherol, and retinol. Insulin treatment returned all of these parameters to normal. Ascorbate supplementation or desferrioxamine treatment alone failed to reduce oxidative stress, but a combination of both interventions restored MDA, CD, and antioxidant vitamins to control values. Both ascorbate and desferrioxamine also reduced HbA1c and glycated albumin levels. Treatment with antioxidants can reduce both oxidative stress and protein glycation and may help to reduce the risk of developing diabetic complications. However, ascorbate can have both prooxidant and antioxidant effects in vivo, and its use in pharmacological doses should be approached with caution.

The effects of desferrioxamine and ascorbate on oxidative stress in the strept-ozotocin diabetic rat.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major health prob- lems in Africa. The conventional oral synthetic antidiabetic drugs available to manage the dis- ease are costly and not readily affordable to the majority of the affected population. Interestingly, the continent is endowed with a tremendous number of medicinal plants that have been ex- plored for their folkloric treatment of diabetes mellitus. Scientific investigations have validated the antidiabetic potentials of a number of these medicinal plants but there is no repository with information on these scientifically investigated plants as a guide for future research. In this re- view article, all of the in vivo antidiabetic studies

/pdf/african-medicinal-plants-with-antidiabetic-potentials-a-31u9vsephi.pdf

African Medicinal Plants with Antidiabetic Potentials: A Review

Recent trends in phytochemistry, ethnobotany and pharmacological significance of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Muell. Arg.

https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/files/488227/Manuscript%20Plants%20Gabon.pdf

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and toxicology.

The study investigated the anti-diabetic and haematological effects of n-butanol fraction of Alchornea cordifolia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats In this work, thirty six adult strain of albino wistar rats were used, which included six normal, diabetic untreated and twenty four diabetic treated rats Diabetes mellitus was induced by single intraperitoneally injection of 60 mg/kg body weight dose of streptozotocin dissolved in 01 ml fresh cold citrate buffer pH 45 into 16 h-fasted rats Diabetic rats were randomly divided as follows: Group I served as normal control, Group II served as diabetic untreated rats, while Group III to Group VI received 200, 400 and 800mg/kg b w of the extract and glibenclamide 10mg/kg b w respectively by orally by gavages for a period of 28 days The animals were weighed weekly to determine the change in body weight Fasting blood glucose was measured after every seven days After the last day of treatment, blood samples were collected from the animals from each group on the 29 th day by cardiac puncture in 16 hours fasted animals for the determination of haematological parameters The results obtained in this present study showed that the blood glucose level was significantly (p<005) decreased in the animals administered with 200mg/kg b w of the extract, with a higher decrease (p < 001) observed in the group that received 400 and 800mg/kg b w extract respectively when compared to the diabetic control group However, there was a significantly increased (p<005) body weight of diabetic animals that received all doses of the extract after 14 th , 21 st and 28 th day when compared to diabetic control group There was a statistically significant increase (p<005) in packed cell volume, red cell count, haemoglobin concentration and total protein in the extract treated diabetic animals The total white blood cell count and lymphocyte revealed a significantly (p<005) increased the levels after treatment with the extract after 28 th days In conclusion, the plant extract showed a significant hypoglycemic as well as erythropoetic effects in the diabetic animals, justifying its use traditionally in the management of diabetes mellitus

/pdf/anti-diabetic-and-haematological-effects-of-n-butanol-120npdkuym.pdf

Anti-diabetic and haematological effects of n-butanol fraction of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats.

Hearing is one of thefive senses; it is a complex process of picking up sound and attaching meaningto it. Exposure to loud noise can lead to hearing impairment. Personal audioelectronics such as MP3 players, iPods and other music devices today can producesounds up to 120 decibels, equivalent to a sound level at a rock concert. Thisstudy was designed to investigate the effects of headphones on the hearingacuity of students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. To achieve thisaim, male and female students of the university within the ages of 19-31 wereused. A total of 96 students both male and female were divided into two groups,A and B, each group comprising of 48 subjects. Group A (study group), comprisedof students who are users of headphones, while group B (control group)comprised of students who are non-users of headphones. Questionnaires wereadministered to check indices such as their age, sex, history of hearingimpairment, frequency and duration of usage of head phones and so on. The resultsobtained from this study showed that there was a significant increase(p<0.05) in the hearing threshold in the left ear of 18.75 ± 5.58 whencompared to control group (8.19 ± 3.19). There was also a significant increase(p<0.05) in the hearing threshold in the right ear of 20.26 ± 5.47 in thestudy group when compared to control group (8.45 ± 3.33). It can be concludedthat there was a decrease in the hearing acuity of users of headphones. It istherefore advisable to avoid or minimize the duration of exposure to directnoise source which may to lead to early onset of hearing impairment.

Effects of headphones on hearing acuity of students of Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria, Nigeria

The study investigated the hypolipidemic and hepato-protectiveeffects of n-butanol fraction of Alchorneacordifolia leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. To achievethis set objective, 16 hours fasted rats were made diabetic by singleintraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg body weight dose of streptozotocindissolved in 0.1 ml fresh cold citrate buffer pH 4.5. After this, the diabeticanimals were randomly divided into the following groups: Group I served as thenormal control, Group II served as diabetic control, while Group III to GroupVI were treated with 200, 400 and 800mg/kg b w of the plant extract fractionand glibenclamide 10mg/kg b w respectively by oral gavage for a period of 4weeks. At the end of treatment period all animals from each group wereeuthanized and blood samples collected by cardiac puncture. There was astatistically significant (p< 0.05) reduction in blood glucose level in all  groups treated with 200, 400 and 800mg/kg b wof the extract after day 7, 14, 21 and 28 when compared to the diabetic controlgroup. The study also revealed a significantly decreased (p<0.05) serumtotal cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein and significantlyelevated (p<0.05) serum levels  especially in the groups treated with 400 and 800 mg/kg b w of the extractwhen compared to the diabetic control group. There was also a significantly reduced(p<0.05) serum liver enzymes, AST, ALT and ALP as well as total and directconjugated bilirubin levels in all groups that received various doses of theplant extract when compared to the diabetic control group. It can be concludedthat the plant possesses anti-diabetic property suggesting that the plant maybe useful in the management of dyslipidemia, a secondary complication thatusually occur in diabetic condition.

E.D. Eze

Papers

Anti-diabetic and haematological effects of n-butanol fraction of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats.

Effects of headphones on hearing acuity of students of Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria, Nigeria

Hypolipidemic and hepato-protective effects of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats