Effects of Moringa oleifera aqueous seed extracts on reproductive traits of heat-stressed New Zealand white female rabbits.

Heat stress is reported to have deleterious effects on rabbit physiology by impairing reproductive performances arising from free radical production due to oxidative stress. Plant extracts have been listed among efficient and healthy strategies for alleviating the effects of free radicals in the body of an animal. Numerous studies have documented the medicinal value of Moringa oleifera on various body functional systems although most of these data have not been scientifically validated. The growing concern of heat stress owing to the effects of global warming has affected animal productivity and even reproductive health, yet mitigation measures are still scanty. To this end, we investigated the efficacy of Moringa oleifera aqueous seed extract on selected in the alleviation of morphofunctional impairments on functional systems of the body. Here, we quantified the effects of Moringa oleifera seed extracts on reproductive performances, hormonal profile, and ovarian histology in the management of heat stress in female rabbits. We were particularly interested in testing the hypothesis that Moringa oleifera seed extracts do not have medicinal value in the mitigation of oxidative stress accompanying heat-stressed animals and, therefore, affecting growth performance and reproductive value. Twenty-eight female rabbits aged 6 months and weighing between 2015.6 and 2322.7 g were randomly assigned to four treatment groups of temperature, relative humidity, temperature humidity index, and M. oleifera seed extracts as follows: T0: ambient temperature (18-24°C), 59 ± 0.48%, 23.6 ± 1.52; T1, T2, and T3: 35-36°C, 64 ± 0.6%, 32.5 ± 0.7, followed by 100, 200, and 0 mg/kg b.w of M. oleifera seed extracts. Artificial heat was introduced in each rabbit cage from 08:00 h to 16:00 h. Reproductive performances related to female rabbits and relevant biodata of their young ones were recorded. All animals were sacrificed at the end of 80 days of experiments, and blood was collected for hormonal assays and ovary tissues for histology. Data on hormones and reproductive parameters of adult females as well as parameters related to kid performance and milk yield were subjected to one-way ANOVA, and significant differences among treatment subjects were analyzed using Tukey's post-hoc test at 5% significance level. The results revealed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in food consumption, body weight, and body weight gain in pregnant and lactating female rabbits exposed to heat stress. A decrease in fur removal by mothers, litter size from birth to weaning, litter weight, kid body weight, and body weight gain in adult rabbits submitted to heat stress was observed. The findings were also reflected on weekly milk yield and daily milk efficiency as well as serum hormone levels. Following administration of M. oleifera seed extracts at 200 mg/kg b.w., there was significant increase (P < 0.05) in these parameters. On the contrary, an increase (P < 0.05) in the number of services per conception, milk intake, and serum progesterone level was initially observed in the same subjects, but upon administration of M. oleifera seed extracts, there was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) on these measures. Ovarian histology of animals at T0 and T2 treatments showed structural features comparable to those of controls. Overall, our results show that administration of M. oleifera seed extracts at 200 mg/kg b.w possesses therapeutic value to the effects of oxidative stress associated with heat stress. Further pharmacological evaluation on seed extracts of M. oleifera may yield the much-needed medicine in the treatment and management of poor animal productivity and reproductive health arising from severe weather associated with global warming.

Molecular Characterization of ESBLs and QnrS Producers From Selected Enterobacteriaceae Strains Isolated From Commercial Poultry Production Systems in Kiambu County, Kenya.

Background: The emergence and spread of Extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) in Enterobacteriaceae through the plasmid-mediated exchange have become a major threat to public health by complicating the treatment of severe infections in both animals and humans. Therefore, the current study focused on evaluating the manifestation of ESBLs production from the fecal isolates of E. coli, Shigella spp, Salmonella spp, and Klebsiella spps in commercial poultry production systems of Kiambu County, Kenya. Materials and methods: Out of 591 isolates identified as E. coli, Shigella spp, Salmonella spp, and Klebsiella spps from 437 fecal samples, only 78 were phenotypically suggestive to be ESBL producers. The possible ESBL producers were screened for the presence of blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaOXA, and blaSHV using the PCR technique. These isolates were also screened for carriage of the QnrS gene that confers resistance to the fluoroquinolone class of drugs. Results: The most detected ESBL gene from the isolates was blaOXA (n = 20; 26%), followed by blaTEM (n = 16, 21%), with the majority of them detected in E. coli. The blaCTX-M was identified in all the 4 enteric's bacteria-type isolates tested. Three E. coli and Salmonella spp respectively were found to harbor all the 5 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene types. The blaTEM, blaOXA, blaSHV, and QnrS genes were not detected from Klebsiella and Shigella spps. Additionally, most of the AMR gene co-carriage was detected in both E. coli and Salmonella spps as follows blaTEM + blaOXA (n = 4); blaTEM + QnrS (n = 3); blaTEM + blaOXA + QnrS (n = 3), concurrently. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the significance of commercial poultry production in disseminating transferable antibiotic resistance genes that act as potential sources of extensive drug resistance in livestock, humans, and the environment, leaving limited therapeutic options in infection management.

Knowledge and demand for medicinal plants used in the treatment and management of diabetes in Nyeri County, Kenya.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Non communicable diseases are currently a major health challenge facing humanity. Nyeri County has one of the highest diabetes prevalence in Kenya (12.6%), compared to the country's prevalence of 5.6%. The purpose of the study was to document; diabetes knowledge, medicinal plants and demand for the services of traditional medicine practitioners, in the management and treatment of diabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the six constituencies in Nyeri, using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires. Thirty practicing traditional medicine practitioners were purposively selected for the study. Field observation and identification was carried out on all plants that were cited during the interview. Plant samples were collected and voucher specimen deposited in the University of Nairobi Herbarium in the - School of Biological Sciences. RESULTS: The study revealed 30 plant species in 28 genera and 23 families that are used by the traditional medicine practitioners to treat and manage diabetes. Demand for traditional medicine practitioners' services in the treatment of diabetes is low and often occurs when conventional drugs fail. CONCLUSION: Interaction with the TMPs unveiled significant diversity of potential anti diabetic medicinal plants and in-depth ethnobotanical knowledge that they possessed. Preference for traditional herbal medicine was low despite wide ethnobotanical knowledge in the face of high prevalence of diabetes in the locality. The findings form the basis of pharmacological studies for standardization of the documented ethnomedicine used in the treatment and management of diabetes in the study area.

A 56-Day Oral Toxicity Study of the Aqueous Extract of Rapanea melanophloeos (L.) Mez in Rats.

Rapanea melanophloeos is a tropical tree that is extensively utilized in African traditional medicine to treat helminthiases, tuberculosis, and heart-water. As with many other medicinal plants, there is insufficient information regarding the safety of therapeutic R. melanophloeos extracts. An aqueous extract of R. melanophloeos stem bark was administered to Sprague Dawley rats at doses of 100 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg, and 1000 mg/kg for 56 days to characterize its potential toxicity after prolonged dosing. Blood samples were obtained fortnightly for serum chemistry and hematology, while organs were collected at the end of the study. The extract caused an increase in organ weight indices of the kidneys and testis at 300 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg. Hematological and biochemical examination revealed a drop in leukocyte counts and the hematocrit at 1000 mg/kg dose level, while there was a general but nondose-related elevation in alkaline phosphatase activity. There were time-associated variations in the hematological and clinical chemistry parameters at days 28, 42, and 56 in all dose levels, but most values remained within physiological limits. No pathological lesions were evident at histopathology after treatment with the extract. Our data shows that the aqueous extract of R. melanophloeos is not likely to be toxic at the doses tested and provides support to its medicinal use.

Evaluation of the use of Ocimum suave Willd. (Lamiaceae), Plectranthus barbatus Andrews (Lamiaceae) and Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl. (Rutaceae) as antimalarial remedies in Kenyan folk medicine.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Crude extracts from the leaves of Ocimum suave Willd (Lamiaceae) and the root barks of Plectranthus barbatus Andrews (Lamiaceae) and Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl. (Rutaceae) were studied to ascertain the ethnopharmacological standing of their antimalarial usage in Kenyan folk medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aqueous and Chloroform: Methanol (1:1) extracts of the plants were used in this study. Toxicity of the extracts was investigated by using brine shrimp lethality test and acute oral toxicity in mice. The antimalarial activity at a dose of 100 mg/kg was screened in Swiss albino mice against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei (D6) using Peters 4-day suppressive test. Chloroquine, at a dosage rate of 20 mg/kg was used as a reference drug. RESULTS: The extracts showed some signs of acute toxicity in the brine shrimp lethality test. However, no signs of toxicity were observed in the mice at a dose of 2000 mg/kg of the crude extracts. The results revealed that all the tested crude extracts were safe. Z. chalybeum aqueous extract and P. barbatus organic extract showed chemosuppressive activities of 81.45% and 78.69%, respectively. This antimalarial activity was not significantly different from that of chloroquine (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the Kenyan folkloric medicinal application of these plants has a pharmacological basis. Bioactivity guided fractionation and isolation of bioactive molecules from the two species could lead to new hits against Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Brine shrimp cytotoxicity and antimalarial activity of plants traditionally used in treatment of malaria in Msambweni district.

CONTEXT: In Kenya, most people use traditional medicine and medicinal plants to treat many diseases including malaria. To manage malaria, new knowledge and products are needed. Traditional herbal medicine has constituted a good basis for antimalarial lead discovery and drug development. OBJECTIVES: To determine in vivo antimalarial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of five medicinal plants traditionally used to treat malaria in Msambweni district, Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 0.2 ml saline solution of 100 mg/kg aqueous crude extracts from five different plant parts were administered orally once a day and evaluated for their in vivo chemosuppressive effect using Plasmodium berghei berghei-infected Swiss mice for four consecutive days. Their safety was also determined using Brine shrimp lethality test: Grewia trichocarpa Hochst ex A. Rich (Tiliaceae) root, Dicrostachys cinerea (L) Wight et Am (Mimosaceae) root, Tamarindus indica L. (Caesalpiniaceae) stem bark, Azadirachta indica (L) Burn. (Meliaceae) root bark, and Acacia seyal Del. (Mimosaceae) root. RESULTS: Parasitaemia was as follows: A. indica, 3.1%; D. cinerea, 6.3%; T. indica, 25.1%; A. seyal, 27.8%; and G. trichocarpa, 35.8%. In terms of toxicity, A. indica root bark extract had an LC50 of 285.8 µg/ml and was considered moderately toxic. T. indica stem bark extract and G. trichocarpa root extract had an LC50 of 516.4 and 545.8 µg/ml, respectively, and were considered to be weakly toxic while A. seyal and D. cinerea root extracts had a LC50 >1000 µg/ml and were, therefore, considered to be non-toxic. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: All extracts had antimalarial activity that was not significant compared to chloroquine (p ≥ 0.05). No extract was toxic to the arthropod invertebrate, Artemia salina L. (Artemiidae) larvae, justifying the continued use of the plant parts to treat malaria.

Sub-acute toxicity of the chloroformic extract of Rapanea melanophloeos (L.) Mez in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cape beech (Rapanea melanophloeos) is an important medicinal plant that is widely used in most of Africa. Currently, little toxicological information is available on its safety following prolonged use. AIM OF THE STUDY: In this study, we sought to evaluate the oral sub-acute toxicity of Rapanea melanophloeos stem bark chloroformic extract using Sprague Dawley rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six-week old rats were orally administered with the extract at dosage levels of 100 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg for 28 days. Clinical signs, hematological and clinical chemistry parameters were monitored, while organ weights and organ pathology were evaluated at the end of the study. RESULTS: The extract caused a significant reduction in bodyweight at 1000 mg/kg. The hematological profiles of animals at this dose showed an increase in the erythrocyte count and the hematocrit that were accompanied by decrease in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Biochemical parameters were not altered in a dose-related manner when compared to the controls. There were time associated alterations on both hematological and biochemical parameters, but pathological examination did not reveal any treatment related changes in any of the organs. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the chloroformic stem bark extract of Rapanea melanophloeos may be of no toxicological concern at dosage levels up to 1000mg/kg. Rapanea melanophloeos can therefore be used confidently in African traditional medicine at these or lower dosage levels.

Medicinal plants used in treatment and management of cancer in Kakamega County, Kenya.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional medicine plays a critical role in treatment of chronic debilitating and life threatening conditions and diseases. Cancer is one such condition whose therapeutic intervention is commonly through inexpensive traditional herbal remedies. Increasingly industrialised societies are developing drugs and chemotherapeutics from these traditional herbal plants. Plant biogeography determines the abundance and availability of medicinal plants which in turn determine their use by local communities. The present study was carried out in Kakamega County of Kenya to identify and document medicinal plants used for treatment and management of cancer states by communities living adjacent to Kakamega Tropical rainforest of Kakamega County, Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ethnobotanical survey was done using semi-structured questionnaires administered to 32 randomly selected herbalists from Kakamega County. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Sixty five (65) plants of 59 genera and 32 families were identified as candidates in therapeutic intervention against cancer states. Most commonly cited plant species were Spathodea campanulata P. Beauv. ssp. nilotica (Seem), Microglossa pyrifolia (Lam.) Kuntze, Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex poir, Prunus africana (Hook. f.) kalkman, Cyphostemma serpens (A. Rich), Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don and Aloe volkensii Engl. The following were documented for the first time; Aeschynomene abyssinica (A. Rich.) Vatke, Synsepalum cerasiferum (welw.) T. D penn., Albizia coriaria Welw. ex Oliv., Aloe volkensii Engl. Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill, Croton macrostachyus Delile, Cyphostemma serpens (A. Rich), Dicliptera laxata C.B. Clarke, Ekebergia capensis Sparrm., Gardenia volkensii K. schum. ssp. volkensii, Glycine wightii (wight & Arn.), Ocimum gratissimum Suave, Olea hotcsh spp. hochstetteri, Pavetta abyssinica Fresen., Phyllanthus fischeri Pax, Psydrax schimperiana (A. Rich), Rhus vulgaris Meikle, Senna didymobotyra (Fresen.) Irwin and Barneby, Solanecio nandensis (S. Moore) C. Jeffrey, Solanum mauritianum Scop, Spathodea campanulata P. Beauv. ssp. nilotica (Seem), Spermacoce princea (K. Schum.) Verdc., Tabernaemontana stapfiana Britten, Tragia brevipes Pax and Zanthoxylum gilletii (De Wild.) P.G.Waterman. The most frequently used plant parts were fresh or dried leaves and stem barks. Administration to patients was almost exclusively oral, with the exceptions being topical application especially for breast cancer and skin sarcomas. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified diverse medicinal plants used in therapeutic and management intervention against cancer by communities living adjacent to Kakamega Tropical Rainforest. The primary mode of administration was oral.

Forensic case of lead poisoning from a battery manufacturing company in Nakuru, Kenya.

Acute sickness involving dairy cattle (n = 5) with a morbidity of 100% occurred in a farm in Nakuru, Kenya. A case study was undertaken with the objective of establishing the cause of the sickness. Samples of blood, soil and industrial waste contained high levels of lead. The symptoms, results of postmortem and history of the case were used to establish the diagnosis of acute lead poisoning. This is a forensic case in court between the owner of the animals and a lead recycling company that dumped the industrial waste that was associated with the poisoning. There could be many unreported cases of lead poisoning in Kenya areas with heavy industrial activities since data on of lead poisoning in Kenya is scanty.

Ethnodiagnostic skills of the digo community for malaria: a lead to traditional bioprospecting.

Malaria is a major public health problem that is presently complicated by the development of resistance by Plasmodium falciparum to the mainstay drugs. Thus, new drugs with unique structures and mechanism of action are required to treat drug-resistant strains of malaria. Historically, compounds containing a novel structure from natural origin represent a major source for the discovery and development of new drugs for several diseases. This paper presents ethnophytotherapeutic remedies, ethnodiagnostic skills, and related traditional knowledge utilized by the Digo community of the Kenyan Coast to diagnose malaria as a lead to traditional bioprospecting. The current study was carried out in three Digo villages of Diani sub-location between May 2009 and December 2009. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, and open and close-ended questionnaires. A total of 60 respondents (34 men and 26 women) provided the targeted information. The results show that the indigenous knowledge of Digo community on malaria encompasses not only the symptoms of malaria but also the factors that are responsible for causing malaria, attributes favoring the breeding of mosquitoes and practices employed to guard against mosquito bites or to protect households against malaria. This knowledge is closely in harmony with scientific approaches to the treatment and control of the disease. The Digo community uses 60 medicinal plants distributed in 52 genera and 27 families to treat malaria. The most frequently mentioned symptoms were fever, joint pains, and vomiting while the most frequently mentioned practices employed to guard against mosquito bites and/or to protect households against malaria was burning of herbal plants such as Ocimum suave and ingestion of herbal decoctions and concoctions. The Digo community has abundant ethnodiagnostic skills for malaria which forms the basis of their traditional bioprospecting techniques.

Screening of some Kenyan medicinal plants for antibacterial activity.

Eleven medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Machakos and Kitui District were screened, namely: Ajuga remota Benth, Aloe secundiflora Engl, Amaranthus hybridus L, Cassia didymobotrya Fes, Croton macrostachyus Del, Entada leptostachya Harms, Erythrina abyssinica DC, Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv, Schkuhria pinnata O. Ktze, Terminalia kilimandscharica Engl and Ziziphus abyssinica Hochst for potential antibacterial activity against four medically important bacterial strains, namely: Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Micrococcus lutea ATCC 9341 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. The antibacterial activity of methanol extracts was determined as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The plant extracts were more active against Gram-positive (G+) than Gram-negative (G-) bacteria. The positive controls were streptomycin and benzylpenicillin for G- and G+ bacteria, respectively, both had a significant MIC at <1 mg/mL. The most susceptible bacteria were B. cereus, followed by M. lutea, while the most resistant bacteria were Ps. aeruginosa, followed by E. coli. The present study supports the use of these plants by the herbalists in the management of bacterial ailments. H. abyssinica and T. kilimandscharica showed the best antibacterial activity; hence these plants can be further subjected to phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation.

Antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of Kenyan medicinal plants.

Seven medicinal plant extracts traditionally used in Kenya, mainly for management of infectious conditions, were chosen and screened for their antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Antibacterial activity was tested using the broth dilution method. Harrisonia abyssinica and Terminalia kilimandscharica extracts showed significant activity against Gram+ and Gram- bacteria. The methanolic extracts of T. kilimandscharica bark and H. abyssinica bark and leaves showed minimum inhibitory activity against all tested bacteria, with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25-150 mg/mL. Ajuga remota and Amaranthus hybridus, which are lethal to brine shrimp nauplii, showed significantly lower antibacterial activity than those that were relatively non-toxic.

Antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of Kenyan medicinal plants

Seven medicinal plant extracts traditionally used in Kenya, mainly for management of infectious conditions, were chosen and screened for their antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Antibacterial activity was tested using the broth dilution method. Harrisonia abyssinica and Terminalia kilimandscharica extracts showed significant activity against Gram+ and Gram- bacteria. The methanolic extracts of T. kilimandscharica bark and H. abyssinica bark and leaves showed minimum inhibitory activity against all tested bacteria, with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25-150 mg/mL. Ajuga remota and Amaranthus hybridus, which are lethal to brine shrimp nauplii, showed significantly lower antibacterial activity than those that were relatively non-toxic.

Ethnopharmacological survey of Samburu district, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Ethnobotanical pharmacopoeia is confidently used in disease intervention and there is need for documentation and preservation of traditional medical knowledge to bolster the discovery of novel drugs. The objective of the present study was to document the indigenous medicinal plant utilization, management and their extinction threats in Samburu District, Kenya. METHODS: Field research was conducted in six divisions of Samburu District in Kenya. We randomly sampled 100 consented interviewees stratified by age, gender, occupation and level of education. We collected plant use data through semi-structured questionnaires; transect walks, oral interviews and focus groups discussions. Voucher specimens of all cited botanic species were collected and deposited at University of Nairobi's botany herbarium. RESULTS: Data on plant use from the informants yielded 990 citations on 56 medicinal plant species, which are used to treat 54 different animal and human diseases including; malaria, digestive disorders, respiratory syndromes and ectoparasites. CONCLUSION: The ethnomedicinal use of plant species was documented in the study area for treatment of both human and veterinary diseases. The local population has high ethnobotanical knowledge and has adopted sound management conservation practices. The major threatening factors reported were anthropogenic and natural. Ethnomedical documentation and sustainable plant utilization can support drug discovery efforts in developing countries.