Objective: Aqueous extract of unripe fruit is commonly used for the treatment of ulcers in eastern Nigeria. This study aimed to assess the acute and subacute effects of an aqueous extract of unripe fruit on male and female fertility in rats.
Methods: Aqueous extracts obtained by maceration were analyzed for acute and subacute toxicity and for the presence of phytochemical constituents using standard procedures. The extract (100, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) was administered daily to rats of both sexes for 28 d. Blood samples collected on days 0 and 28 were assessed for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Testes and ovaries were harvested for histopathological analysis. Sperm were also collected to determine the sperm count and motility.
Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, and resins. After an oral dose of up to 5000 mg/kg, there were no deaths in the acute toxicity test. The extract (500 mg/kg) significantly (< .05) enhanced sperm count and motility relative to the untreated control; significantly (< .05) reduced SOD, CAT, and glutathione levels, while significantly (< .05) elevated LH, FSH, and MDA levels in male and female rats. Histological examination revealed significant structural damage to the ovaries.
Conclusion: Unripe fruit exhibited an adverse toxicological profile following prolonged administration and caused oxidative stress in rodents.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2515690X241249534 | DOI Listing |
Environ Sci Process Impacts
January 2025
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Department of Geosciences, Schnarrenbergstraße 94-96, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Concentrations of pollutants like pharmaceuticals in soils typically decrease over time, though it often remains unclear whether this dissipation is caused by the transformation of the pollutant or a decreasing extractability. We developed a mathematical model that (1) explores the plausibility of different dissipation pathways, and (2) allows the quantification of concentration differences between aqueous soil extracts and soil solution. The model considers soil particles as uniform spheres, kinetic sorption towards an equilibrium (Freundlich model), and two dissipation pathways, irreversible transformation and mineralization (following 1 order kinetics) as well as the formation of non-extractable residues intraparticle diffusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Parasitol
April 2024
National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Hakka Medical Resources Branch, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China.
Background: Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and/or mortality in tropical Africa. The spread and development of resistance to chemical antimalarial drugs and the relatively high cost of the latter are problems associated with malaria control and are reasons to promote the use of plants to meet healthcare needs to treat malaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate antiplasmodial activities of extracts of (Mah quat), which is traditionally used for the treatment of malaria in the western region of Cameroon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem B
January 2025
Department of Physical Chemistry, Sciences II, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet, Geneva 1211, Switzerland.
The formation of protein condensates (droplets) via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a commonly observed phenomenon in vitro. Changing the environmental properties with cosolutes, molecular crowders, protein partners, temperature, pressure, etc. has been shown to favor or disfavor the formation of protein droplets by fine-tuning the water-water, water-protein, and protein-protein interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Technol
January 2025
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
An increasing amount of water pollution is being caused by an increase in industrial activity. Recently, a wide range of methods, including extraction, chemical coagulation, membrane separation, chemical precipitation, adsorption, and ion exchange, have been used to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The adsorption technique is believed to be the most highly effective method for eliminating heavy metals from wastewater among all of them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
January 2025
Trakya University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Department of Basic and Industrial Microbiology, Edirne, Türkiye. Electronic address:
Cotinus coggygria Scop. (Anacardiaceae) is traditionally used in Turkey for wound and burn treatment. A series of nano/micro-sized polymeric particles were prepared from aqueous and ethanol extracts of Cotinus coggygria leaves by reverse micellar microemulsion polymerization.
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