Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine

96–102

Authors: Bamidele Abiodun Iwalokun, Senapon Olusola Iwalokun, Bernice Enobong Udoh, Modinat Balogun

Objective: To assess the occurrence and pattern of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) cosegregated genotypes among children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Nigeria. Methods: In this case-control study, a total of 79 Plasmodium falciparum infected children aged 2–7 years and 105 age-matched uninfected controls of Yoruba descents in Lagos were studied. The extracted DNA samples were used for TLR4 genotyping at codons 299 (Asp > Gly) and 399 (Thr > Ile) by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Malaria infection was diagnosed by blood smear microscopy and infected children were stratified into asymptomatic, uncomplicated and severe malaria sub-groups. Malnutrition was determined by measuring the mid upper arm circumference and anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 11 g/dL. Results: The proportions of children with acute malnutrition and severe anemia were 12.0% and 3.2%, respectively. Parasitemia and malnutrition were not correlated and four distinct patterns of TLR4 genotypes were found in the study population: Asp299Asp/ Thr399Thr (90.2%), Asp299Gly/Thr399Thr (4.3%), Gly299Gly/Thr399Thr (3.8%) and Asp299Gly/Thr399Ile (1.6%). These genotypes did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) in frequency between infected and non-infected children. However, low and high occurrences of the TLR4 Asp299Asp/Thr399Thr and Asp299Gly/Thr399Thr genotypes were observed in the severe malaria subgroup. Conclusions: This study reveals a protective role for TLR4 Asp299Gly/Thr399Ile and Asp299Asp/Thr399Thr genotypes against severe malaria in Nigerian children.

107–109

Authors: Agustin Iskandar, Karomah Sriwedari, Indah Adhita Wulanda, Muhammad Rasjad Indra, Hartojo, Novi Khila Firani, Ery Olivianto

Objective: To know the difference between chemerin and adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (AFABP) levels in obese individuals with positive Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) immunoglobulin G (IgG) compared with negative T. gondii IgG. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study by using consecutive sampling methods conducted from January to April 2013. The subjects were 57 obese individuals who were divided into obese group of positive and negative T. gondii IgG. The level of chemerin, AFABP and T. gondii IgG was done by ELISA. The data were analyzed by independent t test. Results: The results showed that the level of chemerin of positive T. gondii IgG group was significantly higher than the negative T. gondii IgG group [(70.0 ± 16.5) vs. (64.4 ± 16.1) pg/mL; P = 0.003], but there was not significant AFABP difference between seropositive and negative IgG groups [(83.6 ± 41.9) vs. (74.2 ± 36.7) pg/mL; P = 0.598]. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the level of chemerin of seropositive T. gondii IgG was higher than that in the negative T. gondii IgG group.

116–120

Authors: Ruben Merino-Guzm ´ an ´ , Juan David Latorre, Ramiro Delgado, Xochitl Hernandez-Velasco, Amanda Desha Wolfende, Kyle Dean Teague, Lucas Elzie Graham, Brittany Danielle Mahaffey, Mikayla Francis Ann Baxter, Billy Marshall Hargis, Guillermo Tellez

Objective: To standardize an ELISA protocol to quantify total immunoglobulin A (IgA) from different biological samples. Methods: Two independent experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, total IgA levels were quantified from the lachrymal fluid, tracheal swab, and cloacal swab at various time points from Days 30 to 89 in white Leghorn chickens. Experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the effect of 50 or 500 ppb of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on total IgA quantified in samples from the lachrymal fluid, tracheal swab, gut content and cloacal swab in broiler chickens at 21 days of age. Results: Lachrymal fluid contained the highest level of IgA; however, the sampling procedure was time consuming and stressful to the bird, and the sample volume depends largely on the size of the chicken. Cloacal swabs also contained a high concentration of IgA; this sampling procedure was faster than lachrymal fluid sampling and was not affected by the age of the bird. Tracheal sampling was more difficult than cloacal sampling; the age of the bird limited the sampling, and the IgA concentration was the lowest detected at all sampling ages. 500 ppb of AFB1 significantly reduced total IgA concentration in the gut content compared with control or 50 ppb of AFB1 treated groups. Interestingly, a significant reduction in total IgA was also observed in those chickens that received 50 ppb of AFB1 in gut rinse when compared with cloacal swabs. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that cloacal swab is an easy and reliable way to evaluate mucosal IgA concentration in both Leghorn and broiler chickens.

126–133

Authors: Sumaiya Nahid, Kishor Mazumder, Zillur Rahman, Saiful Islam, Md. Humayun Rashid, Philip Grey Kerr

Objective: To evaluate the effect of methanolic extract of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (S. cumini) seeds on the major organs in an animal model of diabetes through biochemical and histopathological studies. Methods: The methanolic extracts of S. cumini seeds (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) were administered to alloxan-induced diabetic rats daily, with fasting blood glucose levels being measured by glucometry at one-day interval for a duration of two weeks. Biochemical assays to evaluate changes in the functions of the heart, liver, pancreas and kidney were carried out. Histopathological changes in the diabetic rat organs (pancreas, liver, heart, kidney and spleen) were also observed after the 14 days of treatment with the extracts. Results: Oral administration of methanolic extracts of S. cumini seeds (100 and 200 mg/ kg body weight), with gliclazide as a positive control (25 mg/kg), showed beneficial effects including lowering blood glucose levels (P < 0.001), improved heart and liver functions, and hyperlipidemia due to diabetes. At 200 mg/kg, the extracts reversed cardiac and liver damage caused by alloxan. Conclusions: In addition to the anti-hyperglycemic activity of methanolic extracts of S. cumini seeds, the extracts demonstrates potential to minimize cardiac and hepatic complications.

139–143

Authors: William Patrick Cruiz Buhian, Raquel Orejudos Rubio, Juliana Janet Martin-Puzon

Objective: To determine the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprint profiles and to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of Muntingia calabura (M. calabura) leaves and stems. Methods: The leaves and stems were extracted using ethanol as solvent. The TLC separation of the phytochemical constituents of the leaf and ethanol extracts was carried out in ethyl acetate: n-hexane and chloroform: ethyl acetate mobile phase systems. Distinct spots were visualized under visible light, UV 254 nm, UV 366 nm and after spraying with vanillin-sulfuric acid. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free-radical scavenging assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the extracts. Results: Both the leaf and stem ethanol extracts at 4 mg/mL exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl inhibition of more than 90%, relative to gallic acid. The results of TLC showed that the degree of resolution between the constituent spots was comparable between the two mobile phase systems using the different visualization wavelengths. Under the 254 nm visualization, few spots were observed in leaf and stem extracts. Visualization at 366 nm yielded the greatest number of observable spots of various colors in both leaf and stem extracts. More spots were visualized upon post-derivatization with vanillinsulfuric acid in the TLC chromatograms using chloroform: ethyl acetate mobile phase, compared to those in ethyl acetate: n-hexane mobile phase. Conclusions: M. calabura exhibited very high antioxidant activity in its leaves and stems ethanol extracts, both of which are used in traditional medicine. The TLC results demonstrated the presence of diverse secondary metabolites in the leaf and stem ethanol extracts, indicating that the antioxidant activity, including other bioactivities may be attributed to these phytochemical constituents. This paper has reported for the first time the TLC fingerprinting of M. calabura using visible light, UV 254 nm, UV 366 and postderivatization with vanillin-spray to visualize separate spots on TLC plates

147–150

Authors: Abdulrahman Khazim Al-Asmari, Md Tanwir Athar, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Faraidy, Mohammed Salim Almuhaiza

Objective: To focus on the analysis of chemical constituents of the Thymus vulgaris L. (locally known as “Zaitra” or “Za'atar”; Family: Lamiaceae) which is available in the market of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The Zaitra oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mass spectra were compared with the standard spectra available in National Institute Standard and Technique library. Results: The results indicated that the Thymus oil is composed of many chemical compounds including a pinene, thymol and caryophyllene which are biologically active and also used in various diseases. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the Thymus vulgaris due to presence of many bioactive compounds can be used as a new potential source of medicine for the treatment of various types of illness.

157–160

Authors: Marianne Haddad, Salam Zein, Hawraa Shahrour, Kamar Hamadeh, Nadine Karaki, Hussein Kanaan

Objective: To extract and identify the chemical composition of the polysaccharide isolated from the Eucalyptus cultivated in Lebanon and to evaluate its antioxidant activity. Materials: The water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Eucalyptus leaves, and its structure was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance. The antioxidant activity of the active ingredient was screened for its radical scavenging ability using 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH) test. Results: The results of the DPPH test have shown that fucoidan, the polysaccharide isolated from Eucalyptus, exhibited almost the same antioxidant activity against DPPH$ as the ascorbic acid did at 100 mg/mL. Conclusions: This natural molecule extracted from a medicinal plant has a promising antioxidant activity and could be used in pharmaceutical and medical applications.

166–172

Authors: Zahra Rabiei

Epilepsy is a disorder in brain in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, occasionally signal abnormally and cause strange emotions, sensations, and behavior, or sometimes muscle spasms, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Neurotransmitters in central nervous system greatly affect and play a very important part in neuronal excitability. Traditional treatments are still a component of health care system in many communities despite the fact that well-established alternatives are available. In this review article, we addressed epilepsy and its treatments with emphasis on medical plants and introduction of antiepileptic plants and their action mechanisms. Relevant articles published since 2010 were retrieved using the search terms including epileptic seizure, anticonvulsant, medicinal plants, and oxidative stress. Most plants/herbal preparations that are ethnomedically used to treat epilepsy or those which have been tested for anticonvulsant activity were reported. Overall, the results of the published articles show that the symptoms of epilepsy seizure can be inhibited or treated by active ingredients derived from medicinal plants.