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Antioxidant Agents from Green Leafy Vegetables: A Review
Published in Megh R. Goyal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Ademola Olabode Ayeleso, T. Jesse Joel, Sujogya Kumar Panda, The Therapeutic Properties of Medicinal Plants, 2019
Abiola Fatimah Adenowo, Muhibah Folashade Ilori, Mutiu Idowu Kazeem
Telfairia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. Once harvested, the leaves are cautiously detached from the stems because the stems are regarded as poisonous and are thus thrown away as waste [31]. Fluted pumpkins occur chiefly in the forest zones of Central and West Africa, mostly in Cameroun, Republic of Benin and Nigeria. The leaves of this plant are widely consumed due to its acknowledged nutritional and medicinal benefits. In Nigeria, it is called by various traditional names such as ‘Ugu’ in Igbo, ‘Aporoko/Iroko’ in Yoruba, ‘Ubong’ in Efik and ‘Umeke’ in Edo language [51, 67].
Tribal and Indigenous Knowledge in West Africa: The Use of Food Plants in the Management of Diabetes
Published in David R. Katerere, Wendy Applequist, Oluwaseyi M. Aboyade, Chamunorwa Togo, Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge for the Modern Era, 2019
Oluwaseyi M. Aboyade, David R. Katerere
The West African diet is dominated by tubers, rhizomes, roots, starchy fruits, cereals, grain legumes, and several traditional bean varieties (Udenta et al. 2014). The food plants with antidiabetic potential recorded in this chapter are both exotic and indigenous to the region. Examples of exotic food plants are Carica papaya (papaya), Zingiber officinale (ginger), Allium sativum (garlic), and Curcuma longa (turmeric), while indigenous food plants include Telfairia occidentalis (fluted gourd), Tetrapleura tetraptera (aidan tree), Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle), and Cola nitida (cola nut).
Current Perspectives and Future Prospects in the Use of Artemisia annua for Pharmacological and Agricultural Purposes
Published in Tariq Aftab, M. Naeem, M. Masroor, A. Khan, Artemisia annua, 2017
It is commonly known that hyperglycemia increases the generation of free radicals by glucose auto-oxidation, and this increment of free radicals is what usually leads to organ damage. Consequently, besides the influence that could be ascribed directly to phytochemical constituents in the plant material, it is equally possible that the reduction in hyperglycemia seen in this study with dietary supplements of A. annua leaves could be attributable to a reversal in the destruction of the β -cells produced in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, which could be associated with the ability of the large amount of antioxidants produced by A. annua (Brisibe et al. 2009) to mop up all free radicals and impede the resulting destructive oxidative process. Indeed, free radical scavengers would protect DNA from damage and may improve cell survival. This notion is consistent with the results demonstrated earlier (Oboh 2005, Akah and Okafor 1992, Atangwho et al. 2007) following the administration of aqueous leaf extracts of Telfairia occidentalis and Vernonia amygdalina, two local medicinal plants that are known to have both antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic properties in experimental animals and so could be used in the management of diabetes mellitus.
Fluted pumpkin seeds protect against busulfan-induced oxidative stress and testicular injuries in adult mice
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2022
S. O. Abarikwu, C. J. Mgbudom-Okah, C. L. Onuah, A. Ogunlaja
Healthy fresh fruits of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook.f.) were purchased once from a local vendor in Choba market, Nigeria in the month of October, 2016. It was verified in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, (Voucher number, UPH/P/096), University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Nigeria. Pumpkin seeds found inside the pods were collected manually and oven-dried at 40 °C for few days. The dried seeds were ground into a fine powder and soaked in 1 L of 95% ethanol for 48 h, after which it was sieved using a mousseline cloth and afterwards filtered with Whatman filter paper grade 1. At the end of the extraction, the ethanol was removed completely with the aid of a rotary evaporator at 45 °C and the concentrate was analyzed in a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and kept at 4 °C until usage.
Effects of Treatment with Nauclea latifolia Root Decoction on Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Functions in Male Rabbits
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018
Quadri Kunle Alabi, Olaoluwa Sesan Olukiran, Modinat Adebukola Adefisayo, Benson Akinloye Fadeyi
The increased fertility in rabbits treated with N. latifolia could be attributed to the different sperm characteristics in the rabbits, evidenced by the increase in sperm motility and viability. Improvement in fertility after treatment of male rats with aqueous extract of Telfairia occidentalis leaves has been reported to be due to the increase in sperm motility and viability (Salman et al., 2008). Similarly, animals treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg N. latifolia in this study showed profoundly increased male reproductive activities as evidenced by an increased fertility profile caused by the significant favorable effect on sperm count, motility, or morphology. This indicates that N. latifolia plays a significant role in male reproduction and fertility. In this study, the reproductive parameters of N. latifolia–treated rabbits showed evidence of maturation of spermatozoa; this extract, therefore, could be used in boosting the fertility of spermatozoa in infertile rabbits. Indeed, the histological observation showed clear intact seminiferous tubules and maturation of germ cells in all the treated groups.
Dietary fluted pumpkin seeds induce reversible oligospermia and androgen insufficiency in adult rats
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2019
Rex-Clovis C. Njoku, Sunny O. Abarikwu, Augustine A. Uwakwe, Chidimma J. Mgbudom-Okah, Chioma Yvonne Ezirim
Telfairia occidentalis Hook (Cucurbitaceae), commonly called fluted pumpkin, is an important dietary item and deep-rooted part of herbal medicine, especially in the eastern part of Nigeria (Akoroda 1990; Akwaowo et al. 2000). As food, the fleshy kernel obtained from de-shelled and boiled seeds of T. occidentalis is consumed as snacks while its fermented form is used as seasoning to flavor soup (Akoroda 1990; Saalu et al. 2010). It is now thought that some components of T. occidentalis seeds including alkaloids, tannins, oxalates, and erucic acid could provoke diverse biochemical, physiological and morphological outcomes (Saalu et al. 2010; Akang et al. 2011; Njoku et al. 2018).