Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences : Official Publication of the Physiological Society of Nigeria

Lead (Pb) toxicity constitutes a major health hazard to both humans and animals especially in the developing countries. It is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant found in the air essentially because of unregulated mining and other industrial activities. Lead can be found naturally in the soil thus, contaminating crops for human and animal food, as well as run-off water and air pollution. Intensively and extensively reared domestic chickens are exposed to contamination via inhalation and ingestion of contaminated food materials...

The concept of referred pain is an integral part of the anatomy didactic content taught and discussed in all medical school curricula.  However, this discussion has excluded the topic of phantom limb pain, despite the existence of parallels in neurophysiological explanations between these conditions. This brief viewpoint attempts to reason why phantom limb paresthesia or pain should be included in the fold of refereed pain discussions.

The African giant rat, AGR (Cricetomys gambianus) is a unique rodent known for its keen sense of smell which has enabled its use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and demining activities in war torn countries. This keen sense of smell and the ability to navigate tight spaces are skills modulated by the olfactory bulb and cerebellum. While the brain is generally susceptible to environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, vanadium has predilection for these two brain regions. This work was thus designed to investigate the probable neurotoxic effect of vanadium on the neuronal cytoarchitecture of the cerebellum and olfactory bulb in this rodent...

Anaemia is a widespread health issue affecting young children and pregnant women, characterized by reduced red blood cells or haemoglobin levels. Coconut water, rich in nutrients such as L-arginine, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folic acid and fatty acids, is believed to aid in blood formation (hematopoesis). The study aimed to examine the impact of coconut water on hematological indices and lipid profiles in rats with phenylhydrazine-induced anemia. 30 rats were divided into 5 groups: a normal control, phenylhydrazine untreated, coconut water (0...

Acute caffeine exposure had been shown to induce hyperglycemia however; the influence of thyroid hormones on the caffeine-induced hyperglycemia is yet to be established. The present study was therefore designed to investigate the effect of caffeine exposure on blood glucose and hepatic glycogen content in thyroidectomized rats. Sixty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 10 groups as I-X (n=6).  Rats in groups I, III, V, VII and IX were given normal saline, caffeine, prazosin + caffeine, propranolol +caffeine, combined prazosin+ propranolol+caffeine injections respectively while rats in groups  II, IV, VI, VIII and X were thyroidectomized  and treated in similar manner as the normal rats respectively...

BACKGROUND: Smoking is associated with dysregulation of the antioxidant system and addiction. AIM: This study sought to ascertain the effect of Nigella Sativa (NS) oil on the antioxidant system, nicotine/tobacco addiction as well as the expressions of α4β2 nicotinic (nAChR) and dopamine type-2 (DRD2) receptors in selected brain regions of the rat. METHODS: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups comprising of vehicle-treated control, NS oil only, Smoke only, Smoke + NS oil, Nicotine only and Nicotine + NS oil...

Epilepsy is a chronic disease of the brain characterized by seizures. The currently available anticonvulsants only treat symptoms with serious adverse drug reactions. Therefore, there is need for new therapeutic intervention that will prevent epileptogenesis with greater therapeutic success. Quercetin (QT) is a flavonoid with known neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. The study aimed to investigate its effects against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures. Animals were divided into four groups (n = 10)...

Dermatoglyphic traits are genetically determined and remain constant until death. Dermatoglyphics features are arranged from patterns, minutiae and ridgeology. This study utilized patterns and minutiae details of fingerprints as a means of sexual differentiation amongst the University of Ibadan community. Three hundred and eighty-four (192 males and 192 females) participants from the University of Ibadan community were recruited using multistage sampling technique. Fingerprints were obtained using fingerprint scanner Dermalog LF10, Hamburg, Germany...

Gastric ulcer healing is impaired in both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid conditions.  Thyroid hormones regulate growth, energy metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Xenobiotics have been documented to negatively impact the thyroid gland at high doses but the redox and cellular interactions at low doses during wound healing process remains unclear. Potassium bromate has been documented to be toxic at high doses but there is dearth of information on its activities at a low dose in varied thyroid states which was evaluated in this study...

In spite of the increasing use and importance of the African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse) in research, and other fields, like location of landmines, there is still not enough information on their physiology. In this study, we assessed the electrocardiogram, blood pressure, vital parameters and anaesthetic indices of the African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse), both genders, using diazepam or ketamine as chemical restraints. A total of 24 adult African Giant Rats (AGR), 12 males and 12 females were used in this experiment...

 Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death globally resulting in 17-19 million death every year. The search for an effective medicine to manage cardiovascular disorder without any side effect has led to the use of traditional based medicine. 75% of the world's population has been reported to depend on traditional medicine as their basic form of health care and this has resulted to the use of herbal medicine in the treatment and management of metabolic diseases. The study evaluated the effect of methanolic extract of Ricinus communis on DDVP-induced cardiotoxicity in male Wistar rats...

Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan heron species, with least concern conservation status. There are limited literatures on the anatomy of this bird, especially in relation to its sensory organs, hence we here investigated the gross morphological and histomorphometric features of its tongue. The tongues of twelve healthy juvenile cattle egrets were examined in situ for morphological appearance and gross morphometric measurements were determined ex situ. Routine histology was conducted on the tongue tissue with parameters such as epithelial and lamina propia heights, lingual muscle and entoglossal cartilage heights evaluated...

Dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN), a potent hepatotoxin, exerts carcinogenic effects and induces hepatic necrosis in experimental animals via CYP2E1 metabolic activation, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Protocatechuic acid (PCA), a plant-based simple phenolic compound and potent antioxidant, has been shown to affect the development of neoplasia in the rat liver and inhibit the initiation or progression phases of most cancers. In this study, the modulatory effects of PCA on DMN-induced hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and selected phase I xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes were investigated in male Wistar rats...

Long-term antiretroviral drug toxicity may exacerbate the impact of HAART-Cyperus esculentus (C. esculentus) interactions on testicular function in HIV-infected individuals. This study examined the ability of C. esculentus plants to treat testicular dysfunction, which is thought to be a probable side effect of antiretroviral toxicity. Adult Wistar male rats weighing 90-110 g were divided into six groups and administered the prescribed treatments. In addition to testicular histology and stereological parameters, testosterone levels, follicle-stimulating hormone levels, antioxidant markers, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione levels were also evaluated...

This study examines the effect of gestational administration of aqueous leaf extract of Jatropha tanjorensis (JT) on postpartum-like behavioural outcomes to delineate its possibility as a prophylactic, therapeutic agent in the treatment of postpartum symptoms. Inseminated female rats (120-150g) were grouped into two-control and JT group (n=10). Control received 20 ml/kg of distilled water and JT group received 500 mg/kg of JT orally once daily for 21 days in gestation. Non-pregnant rats were excluded from the study...

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by depressive episodes, such as low mood, low self-esteem, feeling of guilt, and poor concentration. Depression has a high comorbidity with cognitive impairments. Studies have shown that cinnamon has anti-inflammatory antiviral, antihypertensive, antioxidant and anti-diabetic potentials. Therefore, the aim of the research was to assess the antidepressant effect of cinnamon on open-space forced swim-induced depression in mice. Twenty-five (25) Swiss albino mice were grouped into five groups (n=5)...

Proceedings of the 40th Scientific conference of the Physiological Society of Nigeria hosted by the Department of Physiology, College of medicine, Uiversity of Ibadan. Ibadan, Nigeria.

This study examined the potential effects of Mucuna pruriens (MP) seed powder on the disruptions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis caused by the carbamazepine (CBZ) treatment in male Wistar rats. A total of 35 male Wistar rats were randomized into 5 groups (n=7). The animal in group 1 received normal saline (0.2 ml) orally, while groups 2-5 received carbamazepine (CBZ) 25 mg/kg per oral. Groups 1, and 2 were fed with standard rats' chow, while groups 3-5 rats were supplied with a diet containing MP seed powder at 2...

Changing dietary compositions have contributed to the growing epidemic of metabolic diseases with serious impacts on several aspects of health, including reproductive health.  Saccharum officinarum juice has a natural sweetness that makes the general populace relinquish its use as a sweet course and well-known raw material for the production of refined sugar. Studies have reported adverse effects of this juice on male reproductive functions, but there is a paucity of information on females. This study investigated the effects of fresh Saccharum officinarum juice on the reproductive functions of female Wistar rats...

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been known to cause neurodegeneration, due to its ability to trigger excitotoxicity, and the hippocampus is one of the most affected regions. Therefore, Phoenix dactylifera (P. dactylifera) and polyphenols was employed in this study to mitigate on the deleterious effect of monosodium glutamate on the dentate gyrus of Wistar rats. Forty-eight male Wistar rats weighing between 120-150g was used for the study. The Wistar rats were grouped into eight, (n=6). Groups 1-8 received 1...