Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Root Extract of Pepper Fruit (Dennetia Tripetala), and It's Potential for the Inhibition of Lipid Peroxidation

Background

The antioxidant properties of ethanolic root extract of pepper fruit (Donnetia tripetala), and its effect on lipid peroxidation of some fresh beef tissues during frozen storage were investigated.

Materials and Methods

The antioxidant parameters were assessed using standard methods, while malondialdehyde levels of different fresh beef tissue sections treated with the extract prior to freezing, were estimated in a colorimetric reaction with thiobarbituric acid.

Results

The H₂O₂-scavenging ability of the extract was similar to that of ascorbic acid, with a maximum scavenging power of 55.61 ±4.98%, and an IC₅₀ value of 86µg/ml. The extract exhibited a concentration-dependent ferric ion-reducing power, although this was significantly lower relative to that of the ascorbic acid (p < 0.05). The total phenolic content was 212.5 ± 0.002 mg/g, while the nitric oxide-scavenging ability was 64.33 ± 0.2% after 150 min. The capacity of the extract to inhibit lipid peroxidation in frozen heart muscle slices was significantly higher than that of vitamin C (p < 0 .05), but comparable to vitamins C and E in frozen testes and kidney slices.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the root extract of D. tripetala is rich in antioxidants which can be applied to meat preservation during refrigerated storage.     

The significance of antibodies to poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) and ds-DNA binding activity have been measured in thirty-nine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, nineteen rheumatoid arthritis sera, fourteen sera from non-SLE rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases and in ten normal sera. Antibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) were found only in the SLE and in three SLE-like rheumatic diseases. Anti-DNA antibodies, on the other hand, were found not only in the SLE and SLE-like diseases, but also in rheumatoid arthritis and chronic active hepatitis. Estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding was, therefore, more specific for, and more discriminatory of SLE from other diseases, than the estimation of ds-DNA binding. The results indicate that the estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding in serum may be more useful in the diagnosis of SLE than the presently employed estimation of DNA binding using the Amersham kit. DNA-anti-DNA immune complexes are detected in some of the SLE sera after deoxyribonuclease I digestion, confirming earlier reports of the existence of circulating DNA-anti-DNA complexes in SLE patients. Snake venom phosphodiesterase treatment of some of the SLE sera also resulted in increased poly(ADP-ribose) binding activity, suggesting the existence of poly(ADP-ribose)-anti-poly(ADP-ribose) immune complexes in the circulation of SLE patients. This observation raises the possiblity that poly(ADP-ribose) immune complexes may play some part in the pathogenesis of some cases of SLE.     

Studies on autoantibodies to poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) in SLE and other autoimmune diseases.

Sera from 41 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 87 controls with various diseases, and 30 normal subjects were examined for poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) and ds DNA binding. Elevated levels of poly (ADP-ribose) binding were found in 73% of the SLE patients compared with 58% who had raised ds DNA binding. In a further study of 160 sera from 27 patients with SLE, levels of antipoly (ADP-ribose) antibodies were shown to correlate with clinical activity better than either anti-ds DNA or ss DNA antibodies.     

Effects of sub-chronic oral cyanide on endothelial function in rabbit aortic rings

We have investigated how the endothelium affects vascular responses following sub-chronic low dose cyanide administration. Cyanide exists in low levels in cassava foods, which are widely consumed in tropical Africa. Adult rabbits were administered 0.38 mg/kg per day KCN po for 25 days, and responses of the isolated aortic rings to noradrenaline (NA), calcium chloride (Ca2+) and acetylcholine (ACh) were measured in vitro in the presence and absence of the endothelium. In order to establish that the dose was not toxic, animal weight, some haematological indices, plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. Results show that endothelium denudation significantly (P <0.05) attenuates NA-induced contraction in rings from cyanide-treated rabbits. There was a similar reduction in response in Ca2+-depleted NA-precontracted endothelium-denuded aortic rings from cyanide-treated rabbits. Endothelium-denuded rings from cyanide-treated rabbits showed significantly (P <0.05) enhanced relaxation to ACh. In rings from control animals, the responses to NA and Ca2+ were not significantly altered, whether in the presence or absence of the endothelium. There were no significant changes in the studied toxicological indices. We conclude that endothelial compromise is necessary for low-dose sub-chronic cyanide-induced to alter vascular reactivity to NA and ACh.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In-vitro</Emphasis> evaluation of antioxidant potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">rauwolfia vomitoria</Emphasis> root extract and its inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation as indication of aphrodisiac properties

Rauwolfia vomitoria (RV) Afzel (Apocynaceae) is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicinal practice for the treatment of hypertension. This research is devoted to phytochemical constituents, in particular, some specific alkaloids present in the RV root extract. The phytochemical evaluation revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids in this extract. The antioxidant activity of the RV root extract was also evaluated in a series of in vitro assays involving free radicals. The extract exhibited significant hydrogen peroxide scavenging effect relative to ascorbic acid (p < 0.05, IC₅₀ = 98 μg/ml), nitric oxide scavenging effect (50.37 ± 0.4% after 150 min), and metal chelating activity (89.08 ± 2.62%). In addition, it exhibited significant ferric reducing power relative to ascorbic acid (p < 0.05). The total content of phenolic substances was 233.3 ± 2.9 mg/g. The extract was also studied for its inhibitory capacity on lipid peroxidation as a possible mechanism of its aphrodisiac effect, by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in various male-cow tissues incubated in a 5% solution of the RV root extract, distilled water, and antioxidant vitamins C and E upon keeping the samples frozen for 35 days. Tissues incubated in the test solution had lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to those in the samples incubated in distilled water. Results obtained from this study indicate that the RV root extract can be a potential source of natural antioxidants.     

Bromate Residues in Some Popular Baked Products in Relation to the Sustained Antibromate Campaign in Nigeria

No abstract available. The online version of the original article can be found at     

Correction to: Population data of 21 autosomal STR loci in the Hausa,Igbo and Yoruba people of Nigeria

International Journal of Legal Medicine - In the original paper author Alani Sulaimon Akanmu was erroneously omitted from the author list. Prof. Akanmu has now been added as 4th author. Prof....     

Liver and kidney lesions and associated enzyme changes induced in rabbits by chronic cyanide exposure.

The effect of prolonged chronic cyanide exposure on liver and kidney integrity, as well as some associated enzyme and metabolite changes, were investigated in New Zealand white rabbits (initial mean weight 1.52 kg) using a combination of colorimetric, spectrophotometric, enzymatic, gravimetric and histological procedures. Two groups of rabbits were fed for 40 weeks on either pure growers' mash or growers' mash containing 702 ppm inorganic cyanide. Results obtained indicate that the cyanide-fed rabbits had significantly decreased liver activities of alkaline phosphatase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase and sorbitol dehydrogenase relative to controls (P<0.05). On the other hand, there were significant increases (P<0.05) in the serum activities of these enzymes in the cyanide-treated group. Kidney alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly decreased (P<0.05), while serum urea and creatinine were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the cyanide group relative to controls. The cyanide treatment led to significant increases in both tissue and serum activities of lactate dehydrogenase. In addition, liver and kidney rhodanese activities were significantly raised in the cyanide-fed group. There were marked degenerative changes in the liver and kidney sections from the cyanide-treated rabbits. These results suggest that chronic cyanide exposure may be deleterious to liver and kidney functions.     

Differential effects of cooking in open cups and in sealed cellophane bags on the residual cyanide content of moi-moi, a processed legume product.

Bean pastes from the black eyed bean (Vigna unguiculata), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and Ife brown (V. unguiculata) were processed into a popular West African snack moi-moi, cooked in open aluminium cups and in sealed, thin, transparent cellophane bags. The residual total, free and bound cyanide levels of moi-moi from both processes were determined using a combination of enzymatic and colorimetric procedures. Results showed that in all cases, cooking of moi-moi in open aluminium cups caused retention of significantly higher (P<0.05) residual free cyanide than cooking in sealed cellophane bags. Loss of bound cyanide was unaffected by cooking procedure. These results suggest that cooking of moi-moi in cellophane bags reduces the risks of cyanide exposure from legumes.