Launaea taraxacifolia (Wild.) Amin ex. Jeffery belongs to family Asteracaea. The plant is used for treatment of diseases and eaten as vegetable in Nigeria. This study investigated the ameliorative potentials of L. taraxacifolia leaf partitions in alloxan induced diabetic complications. Male Albino rats were divided into eleven groups of five rats each. Diabetes was induced following intraperitoneal administration of 150 mg/kg alloxan monohydrate and was treated with 200 and 300 mg/kg of each partitioned fractions. Hyperglycemia was reversed in all treated rats within seven days of treatments. Rats treated with the partitions showed significant increase in hematological parameters compared with diabetic control. N-hexane fraction had the best overall effect against oxidative stress particularly on heart and pancreas reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and kidney glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities. The various degrees of degeneration observed in the kidney, liver, pancreas and heart of the untreated diabetic rats were milder in rats treated with partitions. The results therefore revealed the ameliorative potentials of the partitioned fractions of L. taraxacifolia leaf extract against diabetes mellitus complications via activation of the antioxidant enzymes.

Background: Pleurotus tuber-regium (P.T) is an edible mushroom with abundant polysaccharides that has been used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the hypoglycaemic potential and ameliorative activity of Pleurotus tuber-regium incorporated diet on diabetes induced dyslipidaemia. Materials and methods: Thirty five (35) adult male wistar rats were randomly assigned to seven groups; Normal control, diabetic control, obese control, obese diabetic control, 10% PT, 20% PT, and Drug control. Type II DM was induced by placing the animals on high fat diet for a period of 10 weeks and a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg/BW). P. T was incorporated into the feed and given to the animals for two weeks daily after the confirmation of diabetes. Results: Treatment of the obese diabetic rats with P. T supplemented diet caused a decrease in the blood glucose level compared to the control groups. Increased organo-somatic ratio of the kidney and heart were markedly (p < 0.05) reduced following treatment (20% P.T). Furthermore, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels were reduced due to treatment accompanied by increased HDL-C in the liver. Histological evaluation of the liver, kidney, heart, and pancreas of the P. T treated groups were comparable to normal. Conclusion: Incorporation of P. tuber-regium in diets could be effective in reversing dyslipidaemia in obese diabetic patients.

Continuous occupational exposure to spent engine oil (SEO) poses physiological risks to humans, especially to automobile mechanics. This study investigated the physiological effects of SEO-contaminated soil in a male Wistar rat model. Animals were dermally exposed to soil contaminated with SEO for 120 consecutive days and compared with rats exposed to uncontaminated soil (negative control). Heavy metal (lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), zinc, and cadmium (Cd)) accumulations, hematology, biochemical (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea, and creatinine) parameters, sperm morphology, and histopathology (liver, kidney, lungs, brain, skin, and testis) were evaluated as end points. Results revealed that the heavy metals in SEO-contaminated soil are far greater than the World Health Organisation permissible limits, with significant (p < 0.05) increases of Pb and Ni present in the brain, and Pb and Cd in the serum compared with the uncontaminated soil for the negative control. Only significant (p < 0.05) values were observed in the lymphocytes, activities of AST and ALP, and sperm abnormalities of the exposed rats compared with those used for the negative control. Histopathological changes were not evident in the brain but lesions were observed in the liver, kidney, lungs, skin, and testis of the exposed rats. Results herein suggest that the constituents of SEO may elicit harmful physiological changes to humans who are directly exposed to them.

Snakebite envenoming is a major yet neglected tropical disease in sub-Saharan Africa, where antivenom efficacy is critically limited by intraspecific venom variation shaped by local ecological pressures. Nigeria’s sharply contrasting Sudan Savanna (North) and Lowland Rainforest (South) provide an ideal natural system to investigate this variation, yet a comparative analysis of its medically important snakes has been lacking. We conducted an integrated proteomic and functional characterization of venoms from the puff adder (Bitis arietans) and black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) collected in Kaduna (North) and Ibadan (South). Using high-resolution LC-MS/MS, SDS-PAGE, and biochemical assays (phospholipase A₂, protease, fibrinogenolytic, hemolytic, and coagulation activities), we mapped region-specific venom compositions and characterized their functional activities. Bitis arietans displayed region-associated divergence: southern venom was enriched in serine proteases, whereas northern venom was dominated by lectins and distinct snake venom metalloproteinase isoforms. Naja nigricollis showed a conserved phospholipase A₂/three-finger toxins backbone, yet southern venoms exhibited elevated snake venom metalloproteinase III and L-amino acid oxidase. These molecular differences manifested functionally, with southern B. arietans venom showing higher protease activity than northern B. arietans, whereas southern and northern N. nigricollis venom exhibited similar protease activity but enhanced phospholipase A₂ activity in southern N. nigricollis. This work provides the first integrated proteomic and functional comparison of venoms from northern and southern Nigerian venom sample of B. arietans and N. nigricollis. While based on a limited number of individuals, the observed differences should be considered preliminary and indicative of potential regional trends rather than population-level characteristics.