Evaluation of Antiplasmodial Effect of Methanol Leaf Extract and Fractions of Eucalyptus camadulensis (Denhn) in Albino Wistar Mice

Nigeria is one of the malaria-endemic countries, where the treatment of malaria has relied heavily on natural and traditional medicines. This study was designed to investigate and ascertain the preference of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in treating malaria using three standard models among local herbalists. Extraction was carried out on the leaves of Eucalyptus camadulensis using methanol. The methanol crude extract and other solvent fractions obtained were used for analysis. An acute toxicity test (LD50) was carried out using Lorke’s Method. The extract and its fractions were screened for phytochemical constituents using standard procedures. Different doses of the methanol crude extract (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, and 1000 mg/kg) and other solvent fractions (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg) were assessed for their antiplasmodial property using the Suppressive, Curative, and Prophylactic models on different days. One hundred and eighty grams (18% w/w) of the extract were recovered from 1000 g of powdered leaves. The weight of fractions and their yields calculated from 50 g crude extract are n-hexane fraction (3.45 g, 6.9%), ethylacetate fraction (11.65 g, 23.3%), and butanol (7.84 g, 15.68%). The result of the acute toxicity test showed that the lethal dose of the plant was above 5000 mg/kg. For the crude extract, the 1000 mg/kg dose had the highest percentage of parasitemia suppression of 97.3%, 95.30%, and 75.97% in the curative, suppressive, and prophylactic models, respectively. The fractions exhibited a significant chemosuppressive effect when compared with the negative control, with the butanol fraction (500 mg/kg) showing a higher percentage suppression. The findings in this study justify the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the management of malaria fever and tally with its folkloric use. However, more research is needed to establish the functions of the constituents in relation to antiplasmodial activity.

HIV-1 RNA Viral Load, CD4 Count and Some Haematological Parameters of People Living with HIV in the Enugu Metropolis

Background: It is widely known that the human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) induces biochemical and physiological changes in affected persons. Consequently, the overall aim of this study was to evaluate the HIV-1 RNA viral load, CD4 count, and certain haematological parameters among HIV treatment-na?ve subjects in the Enugu metropolis of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 252 HIV-infected, ART-native subjects (≥18) attending the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) in Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu were recruited for this study and were made up of 157 (62.3%) females and 95 (37.7%) males. A total of 250 HIV-negative subjects were used as control subjects (100 males and 150 females). Blood samples were collected from all the participants and their HIV-1 status was confirmed by an immunoblot confirmatory test. Their haematological parameters and CD4 count were evaluated, while the HIV-1 viral load was only assessed on confirmed HIV-positive subjects. Results: There was female predominance (62.3%) among these HIV-positive subjects. The mean age of HIV-positive subjects was 39.16 ± 10.08 years while the mean age of the control subjects was 34.8 ± 8.6 years. The age group of 31 - 40 years (102/252 (40.5%)) constituted most of the test subjects. The total white blood cells (TWBC) (6.05 ± 5.46), lymphocyte counts (36 ± 14), haemoglobin concentrations (Hb) (9.85 ± 7.36) and the CD4 counts (242 ± 228) of the HIV-infected subjects showed a significant difference when compared with their control counterpart values of TWBC (4.5 ± 0.568), lymphocytes (39.67 ± 8.2), Hb (13.48 ± 1.5), and CD4 counts (807 ± 249) (p 0.05). Anaemia, lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia were the haematological abnormalities seen in the HIV-positive subjects. HIV viral load correlated with haemoglobin concentration, CD4 count, lymphocyte count, and neutrophil count (p Conclusion: Prognostic factors, such as haemoglobin concentrations, CD4 counts, lymphocyte counts, and neutrophil counts can be used to monitor patients’ viral loads since they correlate with the latter;furthermore, age is a factor that should be considered in the management of HIV-positive patients.

Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of Aqueous and Alcoholic Extracts of Six Spices

Background: Nigeria is plagued with a variety of socioeconomic problems mainly poverty, poor access to quality healthcare and poor hygienic conditions resulting in the myriad of fungal infections that are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Method: The antifungal activity of aqueous, methanolic, propanolic and benzyl alcohol extracts of Capsicum annuum fruits and seeds, Capsicum chinense fruits and seeds, Aframomum melegueta pods and seeds, Allium sativum bulbs, Allium cepa bulbs and Zingiber officinale rhizomes on Candida albicans (yeast), Aspergillus niger (mould) and Trichophyton rubrum (dermatophyte) were evaluated by the agar well diffusion method. The aqueous and alcoholic filtered plant extracts were obtained by maceration, and also methanolic extracts were also obtained by Soxhlet extraction. The results were obtained by measuring the inhibition zone diameter in millimeters and were presented by subtracting the activity of the control. Results: Aqueous and methanolic extracts of Allium sativum gave the highest inhibition of the growth of Candida albicans (22 mm), followed closely by its propanolic extract with inhibition zone diameter of 15 mm, and also, propanolic extracts of Aframomum melegueta and Allium cepa gave inhibition zone diameters of 12 mm each. Soxhlet methanolic extract of Allium sativum had the highest inhibition of the growth of Aspergillus niger with an inhibition zone diameter of 25 mm, followed closely by Zingiber officinale Soxhlet methanolic extract with an inhibition zone diameter of 22 mm, also, the propanolic extract of Allium sativum gave an inhibition zone diameter of 21 mm, whereas Soxhlet methanolic extracts of Aframomum melegueta and Allium cepa gave an inhibition zone diameter of 19 mm each. The highest activity against Trichophyton rubrum was obtained with the Soxhlet methanolic extract of Allium sativum (39 mm), followed closely by its propanolic extract with an inhibition zone diameter of 27 mm. An inhibition zone diameter of 22 mm was recorded with the benzyl alcohol extract of Allium cepa, 22 mm with the Soxhlet methanolic extract of Aframomum melegueta and 19mm with the aqueous extract of Capsicum chinense seeds. Conclusion: The in-vitro inhibitory effects of these spice extracts indicated that the test spices could serve as potential candidates for developing new systemic and topical antifungal drugs against the wide range of pathogenic fungal strains, and they could also serve as natural prophylaxis against the fungal infections.