The effect of codeine administration on oxidative stress biomarkers and the expression of the neuron-specific enolase in the brain of Wistar rats.

The study aimed to assess the effects of codeine medication on some oxidative stress parameters and how it affects the expression of enolase in neuronal cells. The codeine medication used for the study was Archilin™ with codeine syrup and dihydrocodeine 30 mg. The study used 30 male Wistar rats which were grouped in five: A, B, C, D, and E (n = 6), while treatments were administered for 21 days. Based on the LD50s of 6.09 ml/kg body weight (b.wt.) Archilin™ with codeine syrup and 3.145 mg/kg b.wt. dihydrocodeine, group A served as control and were given normal saline; groups B and C were treated with 1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg b.wt. dihydrocodeine, respectively; while groups D and E were treated with 2 ml/kg and 4 ml/kg b.wt. Archilin™ with codeine syrup, respectively. After treatments, animals were sacrificed via cervical dislocation and the brains were harvested and prepared for determination of oxidative stress biomarkers as well as immunohistochemical studies of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) to assess for neuronal cell integrity. Significantly decreased mean values (p < 0.05) of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were observed while malondialdehyde (MDA) is significantly increased (p < 0.05) among treated groups. The expression of enolase was downregulated in treatment groups when compared to control. Animals in group A which are control showed strong staining intensity of the prefrontal cortex compared to groups C, D, and E which showed mild staining. The scoring of group A for cerebellum showed strong staining intensity, groups B and C showed mild staining, while groups D and E showed weak staining intensity. From the findings of this study, prolonged codeine syrup administration causes oxidative stress and this affects the expression of enolase in neuronal cells resulting in glucose hypometabolism which eventually results in functional brain failure.

Maternal Geophagy of Calabash Chalk on Foetal Cerebral Cortex Histomorphology.

BACKGROUND: Calabash chalk, a kaolin-base substance is a common geophagic material mostly consumed by pregnant women. This study investigated its effect on the histomorphology of the foetal cerebral cortex. METHODS: Twelve gestating Wistar rats were divided equally into groups 1 and 2. On pregnancy day seven (PD7), group 2 animals were administered 200 mg/kg body weight of calabash chalk suspension, while group 1 animals served as the control and received 1 ml of distilled water, by oral gavages and for 14 days (PD7-PD20). On PD21, the dams were sacrificed, and the foetuses removed, examined for gross malformations, weighed and culled to two foetuses per mother. Their whole brains were excised, weighed and preserved using 10% buffered formalin, and routinely processed by haematoxylin and eosin, and Luxol fast blue methods. RESULTS: The foetuses showed no morphological change, but their mean body weights was higher (p=0.0001). Histomorphological sections of the cerebral cortex showed hypertrophy and hyperplasia of cells in all the cortical layers, with less demonstrated Nissl and higher (p=0.001) cellular population compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Calabash chalk cause body weight increase and histomorphological changes in the cerebral cortex of foetuses.

Cerebellar neurohistology and behavioural effects of gongronema latifolium and Rauwolfia vomitoria in mice.

Rauwolfia vomitoria and Gongronema latifolium are medicinal herbs used for the treatment of hypertension, malaria, mental and intestinal disorders. G. latifolium is known to prevent the side effects reported for R. vomitoria. Therefore we decided to investigate what effects a combination treatment of G. latifolium and R. vomitoria would have on mice. Thirty male mice weighing 15-26 g were divided into 4 groups of 6 mice each. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were the treatment groups, and were treated with 150 mg/kg of R. vomitoria root bark extract, 200 mg/kg of G. latifolium leaf extract, and combination of both extracts, respectively. The control group received 0.5 mL of 20% Tween. The treatments were by oral gavages and lasted for 7 days. The open field maze neurobehavioural test was performed on day 8 to ascertain locomotion, exploration and anxiety, and the animals were immediately sacrificed. Results indicate lower body weights, though no difference was seen in the brain weights and behavioural test parameters in the treatment groups compared with the control group. Neurohistology of the cerebellum showed slight hypertrophy of Purkinje cells, with brain matrix loss in treatment groups 2 and 3, but group 4 showed no apparent histopathology. The cellular population was higher, while the cellular sizes and total cellular areas were lower in all the treatment groups. This study showed that R. vomitoria root bark and G. latifolium leaf extracts may individually cause cerebellar cytoarchitecture changes, which may be prevented with the combination of both remedies.

The pattern of arrangement of the lumbrical muscles in an African population.

The pattern of arrangement of the lumbrical muscles in the hand of an African population was studied. Sixty-four upper limb specimen from 32 male cadavers between the ages 18 and 40 were obtained from the Department of Anatomy, University of Calabar, Nigeria were used. Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the University, and each of the limbs of the cadavers was labeled. Observations were grouped as A, B, C, D, and E and their incidence calculated using simple percentages. Group A constituted 50% and represented the standard pattern. In this group, the first and second bellies of lumbrical muscles arose each from the radial sides of the corresponding flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendons, while the third and fourth bellies of the lumbrical muscles arose each from the contiguous sides of the FDP tendons of the middle and ring fingers, and the ring and little fingers, respectively. All the bellies were inserted to their corresponding sides in the radial part of the dorsal digital expansion. Groups B and E constituting 12.5 and 6.25%, respectively, presented single origins and insertions in all the four bellies of the lumbrical muscles. Groups C and D constituting 18.75 and 12.5%, respectively, showed double origins in the third belly of the lumbrical muscle, with the first, second, and fourth having single origins. In conclusion, our study showed variations already reported, and peculiar pattern of lumbrical muscle arrangement in a single hand. Therefore, this study is of anatomical, anthropological, and clinical importance.