Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanol extract of the leaves of Helianthus Annus in Wistar rats

Objective:To investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the ethanol extract of leaves of Helianthus annus L.(H.annus) in acclimatized Wistar rats.Methods:It was undertaken using the albumin induced paw edema model of inflammation as well as both the hotplate and tail immersion analgesic test methods.Doses of the extract tested in experimental rats were 0.5 g/kg,2 g/kg and 4 g/kg while negative and positive control rats received distilled water and indomethacin respectively.Results:It was shown that treatment with the tested doses of the extract effectively inhibited paw edema induced by egg albumin.This effect was comparable if not better than the observations made in rats treated with 10 mg/kg of indomethacin orally.Treatment with the extract was also observed to have significantly increased the mean tolerance time of rats to thermal noxious stimuli compared to control animals that had distilled water and appeared to be more effective than 10 mg/kg of indomethacin treatment.Conclusions: These observations confirmed the presence of a strong anti-inflammatory and anti-noiciceptive activity in the ethanol extract of the leaves of H.annus and therefore validated the folkloric use of the leaves of this plant in treatment of pro-inflammatory,post traumatic situations.

Effects of ethanol extract of leaves of Helianthus annus on the fecundity of Wistar rats

Objective:To evaluate the effects of ethanol extract of leaves of Helianthus annus(H.annus) on the fecundity of Wistar rats.Methods:Forty(20 male and 20 female) Wistar rats,grouped into control,ethanol extract treated rats and untreated,were used for the study.Treated rats had 0.5 g/kg of ethanol extract orally for 2 weeks;control rats had 5%alcoholic water(solvent);and untreated rats had their normal feed and clean drinking water.Following treatment,the animals were sub-grouped into 5 mating groups to observe the coital frequency,pregnancy rate and average number of pups per group in pairs.Results:The results showed that coital frequency was unaffected by the extract treatment but pregnancy rate and number of pups per rat and per group were reduced significantly in groupsⅡ,ⅢandⅣcompared to those of groupⅠandⅤrats which were not treated with the ethanol extract of leaves of H.annus.Conclusions:The histodegenerative in the gonads reportedly induced by this ethanol extract in previous studies may be responsible for the reduced fecundity observed in treated adult rats.

Fungitoxicity of Trichoderma longibrachiatum (Rifai) Metabolites against Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus tamarii

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the fungitoxic effect of Trichoderma longibrachiatum (Rifai) metabolite on F. oxysporum, A. niger and A. tamarii. The fungi were collected from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT). T. longibrachiatum was cultured on 1/4 strength Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) following standard procedures. Its metabolite was extracted using 50 ml n-hexane with 50 ml Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB). The metabolite was purified by filter sterilization using a sterile 0.22 millipore filter disc after centrifuging at 900 rpm for 20 minutes. Petri plates of each fungus were later impregnated in triplicates with the T. longibrachiatum metabolites using four concentrations (10%, 25%, 50% and 100%), and three volumes (1 ml, 2 ml, and 3 ml). Petri plates of fungi without the metabolite and Petri Plates of fungi with n-hexane and PDB served as control. All Petri Plates were incubated at 28°C for 7 days. Radial and diametric growth of each fungus on all Petri Plates were taken daily at 24 hours intervals. Data obtained were analysed using SAS (version 9.3). Growth inhibition of F. oxysporum, A. niger and A. tamarii was significantly higher than in control in that order (P ≤ 0.05). Inhibition of the fungi by metabolites extracted with both PDB and n-hexane was significantly better than in control. Generally, inhibition by metabolite extracted with PDB was better than that extracted with n-hexane. Growth inhibition at all the concentrations of the metabolite was significantly better than in the control (P ≤ 0.05). Generally, inhibition at 100%, 50% and 25% concentrations was better than that at 10% concentration of the metabolite. Trichoderma longibrachiatum metabolite can thus be said to possess promising fungitoxic potential even at concentrations as low as 25%. Both PDB and n-hexane are good extraction media for the metabolite.