Journal of Basic and Applied Research in Biomedicine
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Serum Levels of Selected Cytokines in Male Nigerian Farm Workers Exposed to Dichlorvos Organophosphate Pesticide
Get PDFBackground: Dichlorvos Organophosphate Pesticide (DOP) is an occupational and environmental toxicant which has been classified as highly hazardous and carcinogenic. DOP has been associated with a number of immunocompromised effects as it interferes and interacts with the specific immunological functions. However, there is lack of information on the effects of DOP on serum cytokine levels in DOP users, thus, selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were therefore measured in adult male farmer workers exposed to DOP. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty adult male Farm Workers (FW) consisting of 60 Pesticide Applicators (PA) and 60 farmers exposed to DOP for not less than ten years were randomly enrolled into this study. Sixty apparently healthy adult males without occupational exposure to DOP served as controls. Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)] and anti-inflammatory cytokines [interleukins (IL)-4 and IL-10] were determined using ELISA. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Post-Hoc and Pearson correlation coefficient. P-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: The serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were significantly higher in FW compared with the controls while the serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher in PA compared with the farmers. IL-4 had significant positive correlation with IFN-ϒ in farm workers, PA and farmers exposed to DOP but IL-4 had significant positive correlation with TNF-α in farmers only. Conclusion: There is a balanced pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion in farm workers with long term exposure to DOP which regulates the pathogenicity of DOP exposure
Nutritional and Elemental Characterization of Local Forest Spices used among Itsekiri Ethnics, Nigeria
Get PDFAlthough spices are added to food in small quantities for their flavour and aroma, they also have impact on the health of consumers. This study aimed at ascertaining the nutritional and elemental composition of the most preferred forest spices used amongst Itsekiri ethnics in Delta state, Nigeria. The most preferred spices were determined through questionnaire administration to 143 users and sellers. Crude protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture content were analyzed using the standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Elemental analysis was done using PIXE accelerator to detect the heavy metals (Mg, Al, Si, Cr, Fe, Zn, Mn & Cu) in the five most preferred local spices. One way ANOVA was used to separate the means of the elements while mean comparison was done with LSD. The five most preferred spices include Monodora myristica, Xylopiaa ethiopica, Parinari excelsa, Aframomum subsericeum and Ighereje (Itsekiri local name). Xylopiaa ethiopica had the highest Crude protein (16.83%) while Parinari excelsa had the lowest percentage crude protein (11.67%). Monodora myristica had highest moisture content (10.8%) while Xylopia aethiopica had the lowest (6.52%). Elemental analysis revealed magnesium as the highest in concentration for Ighereje (3079.03ppm). Silicon and manganese were found to be higher in Aframomum subsericeum with 1488.2ppm and 148.9ppm respectively. Overall, the spices were found to contain significant nutrients required for good health. However, the concentrations of some elements in the spices per 1 kg samples were higher than the WHO/FAO maximum permissible daily limit which could make the spices not safe for daily consumption. But very little quantity are needed as flavourant (usually below 50g/family NOT individual), therefore consumption of the forest spices may be deemed safe for consumption
Effect of Rosemary Extract and Vitamin E on Lipid Peroxidation and the Quality During Chilling and Frozen Storage of Fried Nile Tilapia Fillets (Oreochromis niloticus)
Get PDFoai:ojs2.www.jbarbiomed.com:article/1Antioxidants are added to fresh and processed meat to prevent lipid oxidation, retard development of off-flavors, and improve color stability. Synthetic antioxidants have been confirmed for their toxicological and carcinogenic effects. Thus, the food industry now chooses natural products over synthetic ones. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Rosemary extract (R.E.) and vitamin E on the quality of fried fillets of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) during chilling and frozen storage. Fillets of Nile tilapia were treated with (R.E.) 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and Vitamin E 0.1% then stored for 5,10 and 15 days at 4±1°C and for three months at -18±2°C. Then chemical tests including Peroxide value (PV), Thio-barbituric acid (TBA), Tri-methylamine-nitrogen (TMA-N) and Total volatile base-nitrogen (TVB-N) were done to evaluate the preservative effect of (R.E.) and vitamin E during storage. The TBA and PV increased in all treatments due to lipid peroxidation. Results showed that TMA-N,TVB-N, value of (R.E.) and vitamin E treated samples were significantly lower than those of the control samples (P<0.05). Results of our investigation revealed that R.E. retarded oxidative changes in chilling and frozen fried fillets of Nile tilapia whereas R.E. 0.1%, 0.2% and vitamin E 0.1% were not as effective as R.E. 0.3% on oxidative stability. Best oxidation inhabitation results on chilling and frozen fried fillets of Nile tilapia was obtained when employing of R.E. The obtained results also showed that there was a significant (p<0.05) enhancement in sensory quality attributes of fried fillets of Nile tilapia; samples treated with R.E. and vitamin E. Conclusion, The tested R.E. had a high effectiveness as antioxidative and antimicrobial should be utilized for extending the shelf-life through retarded the spoilage and enhancing quality attributes of fried fillets of Nile tilapia during chilling and frozen storage
Synthesis, Characterization and Screening of Novel 5,6-Dihydroacridine Derivatives as Potent Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Agent
Get PDFAcridine is an important nucleus in heterocyclic compounds which posses a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. In this present work 10-Chloro-5,6-dihydro-12-phenylpyrimido[4,5-a]acridin-2-amine derivatives (PD-1 to PD-5) and 2-Amino-10-chloro-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-12-phenylbenzo-[1,7] phenanthroline derivatives (PD-6 to PD-10) were synthesized from (E)-2-Benzylidene-7-chloro-3,4-dihydro-9-phenylacridin-1(2H)-one with guanidine carbonate and malononitrile. All the synthesized compounds have been characterized by using elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy and further supported by mass spectroscopy. Purity of all the compounds has been checked on thin layer chromatographic plate and HPLC technique. All the synthesized compounds were tested for in vitro anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant activities. These compounds can be further exploited to get the potent lead compounds. The detailed synthesis and the anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant screening of the new compounds are reported
Studies on pea (Pisum sativum L.) growth and productivity under agroforestry system: 2. Yield and seed quality of pea under alley cropping system with two types of trees
Get PDFAlley cropping system can play a significant contribution of the multiple components of yield especially in hot regions. This study was carried out at the Tropical Farm of Kom-Ombo, Aswan, Egypt during 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons to investigate the value of growing pea plants under alley cropping with two tree species; the Egyptian river hemp (Sesbania sesban) and white lead tree (Leucaena leucocephala) and three levels of nitrogen fertilization. Sole pea plants which received the recommended N dose (RD) were considered as control. The results indicated that yield and yield components of pea plants were significantly affected with alley cropping. Moreover, the highest values of seed fresh weight were noticed in pea plants allied with Leucaena+1/2 RD. On the other hand, pea allied with Sesbania+1/2 RD of N gave the best results for seeds dry yield, number of seeds/pod, seeds weight/pod, weight of 100 seeds, fresh weight of pod and pod length and diameter. For seed chemical compositions and quality, it was noticed that the lowest NO3 and NO2 contents were due to growing pea plants with Leucaena or Sesbania trees without any N fertilization. The highest seeds total carbohydrate % was for plants allied with Sesbania. However, pea plants allied with Sesbania+1/2 RD gave the highest seeds protein %. The land equivalent ratio of pea with Sesbania or Leucaena showed that this system had better seed yield performance when compared to sole cropping. Therefore, alley cropping with legume trees can reduce fertilizer requirement for vegetable production. Pea, a cool season crop, can be grown under the hedgerow of trees in hot region like Aswan, Egypt and give more production than sole system
Brine shrimp lethality and phytochemical determination of aqueous extracts of Senna singueana, Musa paradisiaca, and Ziziphus mucronata in Malawi.
Get PDFTraditional medicine is still practiced in different parts of the world; with traditional healers as powerful and important members of the society. Senna singueana, Musa paradisiaca, and Ziziphus mucronata plants are commonly used by traditional healers to treat different ailments in Malawi. There is need to conduct a scientific lethality evaluation of these plants to assess their fitness for human consumption as traditional medicine. The aqueous extraction of leaves and roots of Senna singuenna, Musa paradisiaca, and Ziziphus mucronata mimicking similar environment as provided by traditional healers, afforded dry extracts. Brine shrimp toxicity testing was done following a modified procedure to determine in-vitro cytotoxicity for the herbal extracts. The findings suggest that the leaves and roots tested exhibited concentration dependent toxicity against brine shrimps with the exception of Ziziphus mucronata roots which showed some toxicity to brine shrimps after 48 hours of incubation. Brine shrimp results suggest that the plant extracts were virtually non-toxic on the shrimps save Senna singueana leaves, Ziziphus mucronata roots, which exhibited low toxicity on brine shrimps after 48 hours of incubation. The observed toxic activity for Ziziphus mucronata roots may be due to the presence of well documented cytotoxic compounds such as Swertish and Apigenine glucoside