Physico-chemical and toxicological studies on Afzelia africana seed and oil

Afzelia africana seeds were obtained from three locations, Abakaliki, Enugu and Nsukka, all in the Eastern part of Nigeria and de-hulled. The seed oil was extracted with (40 - 60°C) petroleum ether and the oil was separated from the solvent using a rotary evaporator. Result of analysis shows that the acid value, saponification value, specific gravity, free fatty acid and refractive index of the oil samples were lowest for the samples obtained from Nsukka. The average moisture content of the seeds from the various locations was 5.56 ± 0.5%. The crude protein (26.44%) and oil content (33.32%) did not varysignificantly with location or environment. The various oils were found to contain no less than 0.60 mg/100 g of oxalate, 0.70 mg/kg of phytate and neither tannins or cyanogenic glycosides. This paper empirically highlights the possible industrial applications as well as the safety of the seed oil

Monosodium glutamate: Potentials at inducing prostate pathologies in male Wistar rats

The potential of varying doses of monosodium glutamate (MSG) at altering the functional capacity of the prostate, and the possible role of increasing the concentration of either MSG or distilled water (DW) on such alteration were examined. To achieve these, adult male Wistar rats were treated daily and orally with MSG (5 and 10 mg/kg of body weight (BW)) and DW (1 and 2 ml/kg BW). After 28 days of treatment, the tested doses of MSG significantly elevated the serum total acid phosphatase (TAP) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) activities. Increasing the concentration of either DW or MSG elicited a quantitative but opposing influence on the serum TAP and PAP activities. Thus, medium-term ingestion of MSG might adversely alter the functional capacity of the prostate. The health implication of the alteration could be compounded by the opposing response elicited by increasing the concentration of either MSG or DW.Key words: Monosodium glutamate, total acid phosphatase, prostatic acid phosphatase, prostate cancer, prostatitis, benign prostate hyperplasia, infertilityAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(36), pp. 5950-5954, 6 September, 201

Hepatotoxic effects of low dose oral administration of monosodium glutamate in male albino rats

The present study is aimed at investigating the potentials of low concentration administration of monosodium glutamate in inducing hepatotoxic effects in male albino rats. Thus, monosodiumglutamate at a dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight was administered to adult male albino rats by oral intubation. Treatment was daily for 28 days. The monosodium glutamate treatment significantly (

Low dose oral administration of monosodium glutamate in male albino rats may be nephroprotective

The speculation that low dose intake of monosodium glutamate over time may be toxic warranted the present study. The aim was to investigate the effect of the administration of monosodium glutamate at a low concentration on the functional capacity of the kidney. Thus, monosodium glutamate at a dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight was administered to adult male albino rats by oral intubation. Treatment was daily for 28 days. The monosodium glutamate treatment significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the serum sodium ion concentration by 11.38 % and the water intake by 9.39 %, but had no apparent change in the serum potassium ion concentration (change, 0.00 %). The treatment increased (p < 0.05) the serum urea and creatinine concentration by 12.80 % and 107.81 % respectively. Therefore, treating rats with monosodium glutamate at a low concentration (5 mg/kg of body weight) could be nephroprotective, but with possible significant dehydration. The health implications of the results are highlighted in the discussion