Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the open reading frame (ORF) of prion protein gene (PRNP) in Nigerian livestock species.

BACKGROUND: Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) remain one of the deleterious disorders, which have affected several animal species. Polymorphism of the prion protein (PRNP) gene majorly determines the susceptibility of animals to TSEs. However, only limited studies have examined the variation in PRNP gene in different Nigerian livestock species. Thus, this study aimed to identify the polymorphism of PRNP gene in Nigerian livestock species (including camel, dog, horse, goat, and sheep). We sequenced the open reading frame (ORF) of 65 camels, 31 village dogs and 12 horses from Nigeria and compared with PRNP sequences of 886 individuals retrieved from public databases. RESULTS: All the 994 individuals were assigned into 162 haplotypes. The sheep had the highest number of haplotypes (n = 54), and the camel had the lowest (n = 7). Phylogenetic tree further confirmed clustering of Nigerian individuals into their various species. We detected five non-synonymous SNPs of PRNP comprising of G9A, G10A, C11G, G12C, and T669C shared by all Nigerian livestock species and were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE). The amino acid changes in these five non-synonymous SNP were all "benign" via Polyphen-2 program. Three SNPs G34C, T699C, and C738G occurred only in Nigerian dogs while C16G, G502A, G503A, and C681A in Nigerian horse. In addition, C50T was detected only in goats and sheep. CONCLUSION: Our study serves as the first to simultaneously investigate the polymorphism of PRNP gene in Nigerian livestock species and provides relevant information that could be adopted in programs targeted at breeding for prion diseases resistance.

Toxicological evaluations of methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves in liver and kidney of male Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate toxicological effects associated with prolonged consumption of Moringa oleifera leaves as a beverage. METHODS: Thirty rats were used in this study. They were grouped into five groups of six rats. Rats in group I received 2 mL/kg body weight (b.w.) of corn oil (vehicle). Animals in groups II, III, IV and V received 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w. of methanolic extract of M. oleifera (MEMO) for 8 weeks. Serum collected was analyzed for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, albumin, globulin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. RESULTS: There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in serum total protein and globulin in a dose-dependent manner. Rats that received MEMO at 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w. showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in serum ALT, AST, BUN and creatinine which pointed to hepatic and kidney damage. All experimental animals that received MEMO had a significant (p<0.05) increase in body weight in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: This study therefore confirms for the first time that chronic administration of M. oleifera leaves might predispose to hepatic and kidney damage.