Editorial
Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of Methanolic, Ethanolic and Acetonic Extracts of Stem Bark and Leaf of Neem Plant (Azadirachta indica)
Effiong Edet Bassey,
Gwana Adamu Mohammed,
Halima Mohammed Bala,
Umeh Sophina Ogonna,
Bagudu Buhari Yawuri,
Okoli C. Maduchi
Issue:
Volume 2, Issue 3, June 2016
Pages:
14-25
Received:
30 December 2015
Accepted:
28 February 2016
Published:
7 June 2016
Abstract: This study was carried out on phytochemicals and in vitro screening of antibacterial potentials of ethanolic, methanolic and acetonic extracts of stem bark and leaves of Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) by using the methods of AOAC; and agar diffusion technique. The extracts of the leaves and the stem bark were prepared and screened for the presence of different phytochemicals. The results obtained showed that both the leaf and stem bark extracts contain alkaloid, flavonoid, reducing sugar, tannin, saponin and polyphenol. The extracts were tested against selected pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans by using agar well diffusion technique. In this present research work, the acetonic, ethanolic and methanolic leaves and bark extracts of Neem plant were investigated for antimicrobial activity against these selected pathogens. The Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. The MIC for the bacterial isolates was 25 mg / ml of the leaf extracts and that for stem bark was 6.25 mg / ml. The MBC was 25 mg / ml. Results showed that the bark extract exhibited strongest antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi at different concentrations when compared with the activity of the leaf extract. The acetonic stem bark extract had the highest antibacterial activity with a zone of inhibition of 22 mm, and then followed closely by the stem bark's ethanol extract with a zone of inhibition of 21 mm. More so, the methanolic stem bark extract had the highest antifungal activities with a zone of inhibition of 22.50 mm. Thus, this work showed that both leaf and stem bark extracts had some phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity.
Abstract: This study was carried out on phytochemicals and in vitro screening of antibacterial potentials of ethanolic, methanolic and acetonic extracts of stem bark and leaves of Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) by using the methods of AOAC; and agar diffusion technique. The extracts of the leaves and the stem bark were prepared and screened for the presence...
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Gut Dysbiosis Clinical Indicators Associate with Body Weight Gain and Cognitive Dysfunction in High-Fat Diet-Induced Pre-obese Mice
Paul F. Seke Etet,
Fayez K. Alharbi,
Sayed Y. Osman,
Rejo Jacob Joseph,
Yahia M. Bushara,
Lorella Vecchio,
John C. Chijuka,
Shama I. Y. Adam,
Elhassan M. A. Saeed,
Mohammed Farahna
Issue:
Volume 2, Issue 3, June 2016
Pages:
26-42
Received:
18 April 2016
Accepted:
17 May 2016
Published:
16 June 2016
Abstract: Obesity associates with mood and anxiety disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and motor decline, whose major causes are puzzling, since obesogenic mechanisms are complex, including a marked intestinal dysbiosis and a sustained metabolic syndrome encompassing hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in both humans and animal models. We addressed whether the changes occurring in mood, cognitive and motor function in diet-induced pre-obese mice are linked to intestinal dysbiosis and body weight gain. Male and female Swiss mice were made pre-obese by feeding with a reinforced high-fat diet for 7 weeks, along which body weight and food intake were monitored. Then, holeboard, stress-induced hyperthermia, footprint, and vertical pole tests were performed to assess cognitive and motor functions. Animals were sacrificed and intestinal dysbiosis assessed: (i) by determining fecal pH and gram positive bacteria counts; (ii) by assessing bacterial infiltration to the jejunum using tissue gram stain; and (iii) by assessing jejunal tissue histopathological changes (H&E) and the immunohistochemical expression of the sustained inflammation marker CXCL10. Average increases in body weight were observed in males (37%) and females (49%), as well as increases in fecal pH, gram positive counts, bacterial infiltration and CXCL10 expression, particularly marked in females. For both sexes, HFD-fed animals with more marked changes in indicators of intestinal dysbiosis also gained weight faster and displayed more marked mood, cognitive and motor alterations. These results suggest that intestinal dysbiosis is a major driver of obesity-like cognitive and motor alterations in pre-obese mice.
Abstract: Obesity associates with mood and anxiety disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and motor decline, whose major causes are puzzling, since obesogenic mechanisms are complex, including a marked intestinal dysbiosis and a sustained metabolic syndrome encompassing hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in both humans and...
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