Transition of Nano-Architectures Through Self-Assembly of Lipidated β-Tripeptide Foldamers.

β-peptides consisting exclusively of β-amino acids adopt a variety of non-natural helical structures and can self-assemble into well-defined hierarchical structures by axial head-to-tail self-assembly resulting in fibrous materials of varying sizes and shapes. To allow control of fiber morphology, a lipid moiety was introduced within a tri-β-peptide sequence at each of the three amino acid positions and the N-terminus to gain finer control over the lateral assembly of fibers. Depending on the position of the lipid, the self-assembled structures formed either twisted ribbon-like fibers or distinctive multilaminar nanobelts.

Novel Materials From the Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Short Helical β-Peptide Foldamers.

Self-assembly is the spontaneous organization of small components into higher-order structures facilitated by the collective balance of non-covalent interactions. Peptide-based self-assembly systems exploit the ability of peptides to adopt distinct secondary structures and have been used to produce a range of well-defined nanostructures, such as nanotubes, nanofibres, nanoribbons, nanospheres, nanotapes, and nanorods. While most of these systems involve self-assembly of α-peptides, more recently β-peptides have also been reported to undergo supramolecular self-assembly, and have been used to produce materials-such as hydrogels-that are tailored for applications in tissue engineering, cell culture and drug delivery.

Antimalarial Potential of and in Mice Infected with .

The study determined if administration of and plants provides synergistic effects in ameliorating plasmodium infection in mice. Thirty mice (17.88-25.

Orthogonal strategy for the synthesis of dual-functionalised β(3)-peptide based hydrogels.

We have described a new class of hydrogelator based on helical β(3)-peptides carrying a bioactive payload. The β(3)-peptides self-assemble in aqueous solution to form a nanofibrous mesh resulting in a stable hydrogel. The simple design provides the versatility for attaching different functional payloads to the β(3)-peptide scaffold to develop new materials.

Induction of Haemolysis and DNA Fragmentation in a Normal and Malarial-Infected Blood by Commonly - used Antimalarial Drugs in the North-Western Region of Nigeria.

Background: Antimalarial drugs are medicines that are used to prevent or treat malaria effectively at different stages in the life cycle of the malarial parasites. In spite of this, a good number of these drugs have the potential to cause harm when they are misused or abused.

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of commonly-used antimalarial drugs in the North Western region of Nigeria on haemolysis and DNA fragmentation in the blood of normal and malarial infected humans ex vivo.

Age-dependent alteration of antioxidant defense system in hypertensive and type-2 diabetes patients.

Background: The association between hypertension and diabetes has been linked to increased oxidative stress with age. This study was to examine the level of age-dependent alterations in antioxidant defense system between patients having hypertension and/or type-2 diabetes.

Methods: The study was conducted at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria-Nigeria, using 200 Subjects recruited from the cardiology, endocrinology and outpatient clinics.

Clastogenic effects of Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi mixed infection in bone marrow of Wistar rats.

The clastogenic effect of mixed infection of Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma brucei brucei in the bone marrow (BM) cells of Wistar albino rats was investigated. Clastogenic effects were observed in the BM cells using the micronucleus assay. The findings indicate that T.

Ameliorative Effects of Acacia Honey against Sodium Arsenite-Induced Oxidative Stress in Some Viscera of Male Wistar Albino Rats.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and its development is frequently associated with oxidative stress-induced by carcinogens such as arsenicals. Most foods are basically health-promoting or disease-preventing and a typical example of such type is honey. This study was undertaken to investigate the ameliorative effects of Acacia honey on sodium arsenite-induced oxidative stress in the heart, lung and kidney tissues of male Wistar rats.

Pathogenic mechanisms of Trypanosoma evansi infections.

Insect-borne diseases exact a high public health burden and have a devastating impact on livestock and agriculture. To date, control has proved to be exceedingly difficult. One such disease that has plagued sub-Saharan Africa is caused by the protozoan African trypanosomes (Trypanosoma species) and transmitted by tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae).

Trypanocidal potentials of Azadirachta indica seeds against Trypanosoma evansi.

The trypanocidal potentials of Azadirachta indica seeds methanolic extract (NSME) against Trypanosoma evansi was examined. In vitro studies with the NSME 100mg/ml, 50mg/ml and 25mg/ml immobilized the parasites within 3 min, 8 min and 14 min respectively. In vivo experiments in infected rats at various dosage with NSME expressed transient ability of clearing the parasites in the infected blood.

Evaluation of In Vitro Activity of Essential Oils against Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi.

Essential oils (EOs) from Cymbopogon citratus (CC), Eucalyptus citriodora (EC), Eucalyptus camaldulensis (ED), and Citrus sinensis (CS) were obtained by hydrodistillation process. The EOs were evaluated in vitro for activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Tbb) and Trypanosoma evansi (T. evansi).