A guide to oral vaccination: Highlighting electrospraying as a promising manufacturing technique toward a successful oral vaccine development.

Most vaccines approved by regulatory bodies are administered via intramuscular or subcutaneous injections and have shortcomings, such as the risk of needle-associated blood infections, pain and swelling at the injection site. Orally administered vaccines are of interest, as they elicit both systemic and mucosal immunities, in which mucosal immunity would neutralize the mucosa invading pathogen before the onset of an infection. Hence, oral vaccination can eliminate the injection associated adverse effects and enhance the person's compliance.

Suppressive, curative, and prophylactic potentials of an antimalarial polyherbal mixture and its individual components in Plasmodium berghei-Infected mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Malaria remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in tropical regions of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where it remains epidemiologically holoendemic. The absence of effective vaccines and Plasmodium resistance to antimalarial drugs have been the major challenges to malaria control measures. An alternative strategy could be the application of validated and standardized herbal formulations.

Catechin from Hook. Exhibits inhibition of human telomerase activity.

There has been an increasing interest in natural products with the ability to inhibit telomerase activity in tumour and cancerous cells. Green tea catechins have been reported previously to inhibit telomerase, but it was unknown whether catechins from other plant sources could exhibit this property. We isolated 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol (catechin without the presence of a galloyl unit) from the stem bark of , and tested its ability to inhibit recombinant, partially purified telomerase produced in rabbit reticulocyte lysates.

Extracts of endophytic fungi from leaves of selected Nigerian ethnomedicinal plants exhibited antioxidant activity.

Background: Plants with an ethnobotanical history are known to harbor diverse group of endophytic fungi, which constitute major natural sources of bioactive compounds. In the present study, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of endophytic fungi from eight Nigerian ethnomedicinal plants. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of Acalypha ornata, Albizia zygia, Alchornea cordifolia, Chrysophyllum albidum, Ficus exasperata, Gomphrena celosioides, Millettia thonningii, and Newbouldia laevis.

Accuracy of isolated-check visual evoked potential technique for diagnosing primary open-angle glaucoma.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of isolated-check visual evoked potentials (icVEP) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: Ninety POAG patients and sixty-six healthy controls were recruited consecutively. All subjects underwent icVEP and visual field testing.

Antifungal and antiproliferative activities of endophytic fungi isolated from the leaves of Markhamia tomentosa.

Context: Plants harbor endophytes with potential bioactivity. Markhamia tomentosa (Benth) K. Schum ex.

Sub-acute and chronic toxicity profiles of Markhamia tomentosa ethanolic leaf extract in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K. Schum Ex Engl.

A new source of elemol rich essential oil and existence of multicellular oil glands in leaves of the Dioscorea species.

Dioscorea species is a very important food and drug plant. The tubers of the plant are extensively used in food and drug purposes owing to the presence of steroidal constituent's diosgenin in the tubers. In the present study, we report for the first time that the leaves of Dioscorea composita and Dioscorea floribunda grown under the field conditions exhibited the presence of multicellular oil glands on the epidermal layers of the plants using stereomicroscopy (SM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing activity of Markhamia tomentosa leaf extract on HeLa cells.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Markhamia tomentosa (Benth) K. Schum ex. Engl.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K. Schum. Ex Engl. ethanolic leaf extract.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The leaves of Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K. Schum (Bignoniaceae) are used traditionally for the treatment of oedema and rheumatoid arthritis in Nigeria.

Cost effectiveness of three drugs for the treatment of S. aureus infections in Nigeria.

Background: Resistance of microorganisms to existing antimicrobial agents threatens the effective utilization of available resources in sub-Saharan Africa. Cost-effective utilization of antibacterial agents is essential in effective health care delivery in Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine the most cost effective antibacterial agent in the treatment of S.

Antiinflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of Cyathula prostrata (Linn.) Blume (Amaranthaceae).

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cyathula prostrata (Linn) Blume (Amaranthaceae) is an annual herb widely used traditionally in the treatment of various inflammatory and pain related health disorders in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of the methanolic extract of Cyathula prostrata (Linn) Blume.

Materials And Methods: The anti-inflammatory (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide production in U937 macrophages, LPS-induced COX-2 expression, carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, arachidonic acid-induced ear oedema and xylene-induced ear oedema), analgesic (acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate tests) and antioxidant activities (DPPH [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl] and lipid peroxidation assays) activities of the plant extract were investigated.

Anticonvulsant activity of the methanolic extract of Justicia extensa T. Anders.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: To investigate the anticonvulsant activity of the leaf extract of Justicia extensa T. Anders used traditionally in the treatment of convulsion.

Materials And Methods: The anticonvulsant activity of the methanolic extract of Justicia extensa (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.

Comparative dissolution profiles of representative quinolones in different media.

Background: Quinolones have a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria and are a class of synthetic antimicrobial modeled after nalidixic acid.

Objective: To determine the dissolution efficiencies of ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin in 0.1NHCL, deionized water, 0.

Evaluation of antioxidant activity of Tetracarpidium conophorum (Müll. Arg) Hutch & Dalziel leaves.

This study evaluated the antioxidant activity as well as bioflavonoid content of the methanol and ethanol-water extracts of the fresh and dried leaves of Tetracarpidium conophorum. Antioxidant activity was determined by spectrophotometric methods using DPPH free radical, nitric oxide radical inhibition and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. In addition, total phenolics, flavonoids and proanthocyanidin content were also determined.

Antimalarial prescribing patterns in state hospitals and selected parastatal hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Malaria is a curable and preventable disease and it is a major public health problem in Nigeria. Chloroquine was the first line drug in its treatment in Nigeria until recently where the Artemisinin based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are being promoted. Inappropriate prescribing, i.

Cytotoxic activity of selected Nigerian plants.

Cancer is one of the most prominent human diseases which has stimulated scientific and commercial interest in the discovery of new anticancer agents from natural sources. The current study investigates the cytotoxic activity of ethanolic extracts of sixteen Nigerian plants used locally for the treatment of cancer using the MTT assay on the HeLa cell line. Sapium ellipticum leaves showed activity comparable to the reference compound Cisplatin and greater cytotoxic activity than Combretum paniculatum, Celosia trigyna, Drymaria cordata, Cyathula achyranthoides and Cyathula prostata.

Novel electrophysiological instrument for rapid and objective assessment of magnocellular deficits associated with glaucoma.

Purpose: To introduce a rapid and objective electrophysiological technique that can assess visual function in the magnocellular pathway, which is thought to be affected in early-stage glaucoma.

Methods: Low-contrast bright or dark isolated-checks were luminance-modulated against a static background at 10 Hz in order to drive preferentially the magnocellular ON or OFF pathway. Visual evoked potentials were recorded during 1-s epochs of stimulation and responses at the stimulus frequency were measured.

Cost implication of irrational prescribing of chloroquine in Lagos State general hospitals.

Background: A major share of the hospital budget is spent on drugs. Irrational use of these drugs is a waste of financial and human resources that could have been deployed for another use within the hospital setting especially in cases where such drugs are provided free to patients. Also there is increased morbidity and progression of severity with irrational use.