https://space.mu.ac.zm/xmlui/handle/123456789/165 2026-05-06T13:48:50Z https://space.mu.ac.zm/xmlui/handle/123456789/192 Extraction and Demonstration of Uterotonic Activity from the Root of Steganotaenia Araliacea Hochst Goma, FM.; Ezeala, C.; Nyirenda, J.; Chuba, D.; Prashar, L.; Simfukwe, N.; Lengwe, C. Background: The root of Steganotaenia araliacea is used for assisting labour in folk medicine. Recent reports indicate that the root could possess uterotonic substances. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate three methods for the extraction of uterotonic principles from the root of S. araliacea growing in Zambia. Methods: Roots of the plant were collected from Chongwe District of Zambia. The air-dried roots were size-reduced, and the powdered material extracted with hot ethanol, hot distilled water, and cold distilled water. The solvent extracts were concentrated and dried at 110 0C. Solutions of the hot aqueous and cold aqueous extracts were prepared in distilled water and used for organ bath experiments to demonstrate uterotonic activities using strips of pregnant rat uterus. The frequencies and amplitude of contractile forces were recorded. The amplitudes were plotted against log concentration of extract with GraphPad Prism software, and the EC50 values determined. Results: The percentage yields were 31.3 % for the hot aqueous extract, 8.15 % for the ethanolic extract, and 3.27 % for the cold aqueous extract. The cold aqueous extract showed higher potency (EC50 of 0.54 mg/ml) compared to the hot aqueous extract (EC50 of 2.09 mg/ml). Conclusion: Root extracts of S. araliacea possess demonstrable uterotonic effects. Extraction of the roots for this purpose could benefit from preliminary defatting with organic solvents, followed by successive extraction with hot and cold water. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://space.mu.ac.zm/xmlui/handle/123456789/191 Aphrodisiac Effects of an Ethanolic Root Extract of Ocimum fimbriatum Briq. var. fimbriatum (Kafupa) on Male Wistar Rats Kamwela, Moses; Christian, Ezeala; Lavina, Prashar Background: Ocimum fimbriatum Briq. var. fimbriatum is used traditionally in Zambia for its aphrodisiac effect, but there is no scientific evidence to support this use. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the aphrodisiac effects of the plant's root extract in rats. Study Design: This was an experimental study in which sixty Wister rats (30 males and 30 females) were separated into 5 groups of 12 rats and treated with different doses of the extract. Methods: The root extracts were administered at single oral doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg to 30 male rats. Distilled water and sildenafil served as controls. Female rats were treated with 0.1 mg/kg diethylstilbesterol and paired to the male rats. Mounting frequency, intromission, ejaculation, and latency periods were monitored using recording cameras. Recordings were analyzed visually and expressed as mean ± standard error. Results: The root extract produced significant dosedependent increases in mounting, intromission, and ejaculation frequencies and latency periods, compared to negative controls. The 400 mg/kg dose produced highest number of mounts (31.33 ± 0.49, p= 0.001), intromissions (24.17 ± 0.60, p= 0.001) and ejaculations (7.67 ± 0.33, p= 0.001) compared to negative controls. At this dose, latency periods for mounting (3.00 ± 0.37min, p= 0.001) and intromission (2.1 ± 0.32 min, p= 0.001) were shortest, while the latency periods for ejaculation (6.33 ± 0.56 min, p=0.001) were longest. Conclusion: Root extract of Ocimum fimbriatum exerted significant aphrodisiac effects in rats and justifies traditional use of the plant. Further studies are required to elucidate the active principles and mechanisms involved in this effect. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://space.mu.ac.zm/xmlui/handle/123456789/187 Current global pespectives on the parmacotherapy of Helicobacter Pylori Infection: Therapeutic Implications for Sub-saharan Africa Ezeale and Akapelwa, Christian C. Prof. Helicobacter pylori is associated with many clinical conditions including gastric and extra-gastric pathologies. Prevalence is high in most Sub-Saharan African countries where data is available. Its association with diseases is not fully established in the region. Due to emergence of antibiotic resistance, the conventional triple and quadruple therapies using proton pump inhibitors and antimicrobial agents are now obsolete. Many Western countries have revised their therapeutic guidelines with a common recommendation to determine prior patient exposure to antibiotics, determine local drug resistance patterns and eradication rates, use higher doses of proton pump inhibitors, and include bismuth sub-citrate if clarithromycin resistance is suspected. Sub-Saharan African countries lack data on these making it difficult to apply these recommendations. The countries in Sub-Saharan Africa need to recognize the growing clinical importance of H. pylori and initiate programs to determine its local epidemiology, drug resistance, and its association with diseases in the region. Collaborative effort is required to achieve these goals and establishment of regional reference laboratories for monitoring drug resistance may be helpful. 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z