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Certain industrial chemicals and food contaminants have been demonstrated to possess neurotoxic activity and have been suspected to cause brain-related disorders in humans. Acrylamide (ACR), a confirmed neurotoxicant, can be found in trace amount in commonly consumed human aliments as a result of food processing or cooking. This discovery aroused a great concern in the public, and increasing efforts are continuously geared towards the resolution of this serious threat. The broad chemical diversity of plants may offer the resources for novel antidotes against neurotoxicants. With the goal of attenuating neurotoxicity of ACR, several plants extracts or derivatives have been employed. This review presents the plants and their derivatives that have been shown most active against ACR-induced neurotoxicity, with a focus on their origin, pharmacological activity, and antidote effects.

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Consumption of arsenic contaminated water has been associated with diverse health defects such as cancer and skin lesions. Some plants of medicinal value have been reported to show protective effects against toxins. In this study, the effects of ethanol extract of the leaves of Irvingia gabonensis (IG) against sodium arsenite (SA) induced hepatotoxicity and clastogenicity in male Wistar rats was investigated. Eight groups of five rats each were used for the study. They were administered with 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight of IG with or without SA at 2.5 mg/kg body weight. IG extract has a significant (p<0.05) reducing effect on serum liver function enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma glutamyltransferase (γGT) activities. This was corroborated with the histopathological analysis findings. Also the groups treated with both the extract and SA recorded significantly (p<0.05) reduced number of micronuclei when compared with the group treated with SA only. IG extract also reduced the oxidative stress induced by SA as measured by the reduced generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and significant (p<0.05) difference in the CAT and SOD activities between the groups treated with both SA and extract, and the positive control group administered SA alone. This study therefore shows that the ethanol leaf extract of Irvingia gabonensis have hepatoprotective and anticlastogenic effects against sodium arsenite-induced toxicity possibly by enhancing the antioxidant status in the Wistar rats.

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Plant-derived antioxidants with free radical scavenging activities can be relevant as chemopreventive agents against the numerous diseases associated with free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Some phytoconstituents possess antioxidant activities in biological systems. On this basis, we evaluated the antioxidant potential, and determined the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the ethanol extract of the stem bark of Anogeissus leiocarpus [EESAL]. Antioxidant assays carried out include: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, phosphomolybdate, ß-carotene bleaching, ferric reducing, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities. Results of DPPH assay showed no significant difference (p < 0.001) between EESAL and butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA], while EESAL exhibited a significantly (p < 0.001) higher activity than BHT [butylated hydroxytoluene]. Phosphomolybdate method recorded a total antioxidant capacity of 190.00 ± 70.53 µg butylated hydroxytoluene equivalents [BHTE]/mg dry extract, while ß-carotene bleaching assay gave percent antioxidant activities of both EESAL and BHT as 81.46±1.62 and 80.90±1.39 respectively. Ferric reducing abilities of both EESAL and ascorbic acid increased in a concentration-dependent manner with EESAL displaying a significantly (p < 0.001) higher reductive activity than vitamin C. EESAL displayed a significantly higher hydroxyl radical scavenging activity as compared with BHT at the lowest concentration with no significant difference at the highest concentration. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of EESAL were obtained as 608.10 ± 2.12 µg GAE/mg and 78.96 ± 3.37 µg QE/mg respectively. Taken together, the free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of EESAL is likely due to its high phenolic content with complementary effects of the flavonoid components.

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Cyanogenic potential (CNp) of cassava constitutes a serious problem for over 500 million people who rely on the crop as their main source of calories. Genetic diversity is a key to successful crop improvement for breeding new improved variability for target traits. Forty-three improved genotypes of cassava developed by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (ITA), Ibadan, were characterized for CNp trait using 35 Simple Sequence.Repeat (SSR) markers. Essential colorimetry picric test was used for evaluation of CNp on a color scale of 1 to 14. The CNp scores obtained ranged from 3 to 9, with a mean score of 5.48 (+/- 0.09) based on Statistical Analysis System (SAS) package. TMS M98/ 0068 (4.0 +/- 0.25) was identified as the best genotype with low CNp while TMS M98/0028 (7.75 +/- 0.25) was the worst. The 43 genotypes were assigned into 7 phenotypic groups based on rank-sum analysis in SAS. Dissimilarity analysis representatives for windows generated a phylogenetic tree with 5 clusters which represented hybridizing groups. Each of the clusters (except 4) contained low CNp genotypes that could be used for improving the high CNp genotypes in the same or near cluster. The scatter plot of the genotypes showed that there was little or no demarcation for phenotypic CNp groupings in the molecular groupings. The result of this study demonstrated that SSR markers are powerful tools for the assessment of genetic variability, and proper identification and selection of parents for genetic improvement of low CNp trait among the IITA cassava collection.

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We evaluated the effects of aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) on sodium arsenite-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. We observed that treatment of the animals with the extracts before or just after sodium arsenite administration significantly (p < 0.05) reduced mean liver and serum γ-Glutamyl transferase (γGT), and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities when compared with the group administered the toxin alone. In addition, treatments of the animals with aqueous or ethanolic extract of O. basilicum before the administration of sodium arsenite resulted in the attenuation of the sodium arsenite-induced aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities: ALT (from 282.6% to 167.7% and 157.8%), AST (from 325.1% to 173.5% and 164.2%) for the group administered sodium arsenite alone, the aqueous extracts plus sodium arsenite, and ethanolic extracts plus sodium arsenite respectively, expressed as percentage of the negative control. These findings support the presence of hepatoprotective activity in the O.basilicum extracts.

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This study examined the effect of defatted methanolic extract of Holarrhena floribunda leaves on sodium arsenite-induced clastogenecity and toxicity in male wistar rats. Animals were randomly allotted into six groups of five rats each and treated as follows; Group A (sodium arsenite (NaAsO3)), Group B (100 mg/kg extract), Group C (100 mg/kg extract plus NaAsO3), Group D (200 mg/kg extract), Group E (200 mg/kg extract plus NaAsO3) and Group F had distilled water. Sodium arsenite (2.5 mg/kg) was given intraperitoneally once per week. The extract was administered through oral gavage for 28 consecutive days. Clastogenecity was evaluated by studying micronuclei formation in polychromatic erythrocytes cells (PCEs) in the bone marrow. Plasma levels of Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (ãGT), Aspartate Amino Transferase (AST), Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT) were determined. Hepatic Reduced Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), protein and lipid peroxidation were determined. Liver histopathological evaluation was also carried out.The results obtained show that NaAsO3-induced micronuclei formation in PCEs was reduced at 100 and 200 mg/kg of the extract by 7.7% and 38.5% respectively while elevated plasma ãGT and ALT levels were significantly ameliorated (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in plasma AST levels and hepatic SOD activities in all the treated groups as compared with the control. Sodium arsenite-induced reduction of GSH concentration was elevated by the extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg by 18.5% and 11.9% respectively. The reduction of CAT activity by NaAsO3 was also ameliorated at 200 mg/kg extract by 23.3%. The extract at 100 mg/kg significantly reduced NaAsO3-induced lipid peroxidation by 16.4% (P < 0.05). Histological examinations showed that the extract at 100 mg/kg protected NaAsO3-induced liver damage. This study revealed that the leaf extract has potential to ameliorate clastogenecity and toxicity induced by sodium arsenite in rats.

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The title compound, [Fe2O(SO4)2(C10H8N2)4], crystallizes as two different hydrates, viz. 11H2O, (I), and 15H2O, (II). The complex is binuclear, in which the two FeIII atoms are coordinated in an octahedral geometry to four N atoms from the two bipyridine ligands, to one O atom from the sulfate ion and to an oxide ion on a twofold axis, which acts as a bridge between the symmetry-related units. The Fe...Fe separation is 3.556 (4) A and the Fe-O-Fe angle is 161.6 (2) degrees in (I); the corresponding values are 3.544 (1) A and 165.8 (2) degrees in (II). In (II), one of the O atoms of the sulfate ion is disordered over two positions. In both compounds, the solvent water molecules form slightly different one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded networks which pass along the c axis of the unit cell. In (I), three solvent water molecules and, in (II), one solvent water molecule, are situated on the twofold axis. In both (I) and (II), the central O atom of the metal complex lies on a twofold axis.

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The effects of honey (Hoc) and aqueous suspensions of garlic (Allium sativum) (Ga) and bitter kola (Garcina kola seed) (Bi) on the toxicities induced by 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) a model carcinogen, were investigated in mice. The animals were dosed for seven consecutive days with Ho, Ga and Bi as dietary supplements. They were then challenged with a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of 2-AAF at 50 mg/kg bd. wt on the seventh day. The degree of clastogenicity was assessed using the mouse micronucleus assay while liver damage was monitored by measuring the level of gamma glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) in serum and liver homogenates respectively. The results revealed that 2-AAF induced micronuclei formation in the polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) of the bone marrow by about five fold in comparison to the PCEs formed in control mice. Ho, Ga, and Bi also induced micronucleus formation on their own. However. feeding of any of Ho, Ga or Bi and the administration (i.p) of 2-AAF reduced significantly, the ability of 2-AAF to induce micronuclei formation in the order Ho>Ga>Bi. Furthermore, 2-AAF induced gamma-GT activity in the serum and liver homogenate by about two and a half and three folds respectively. A combination of 2-AAF and any of Ga or Bi or Ho significantly decreased 2-AAF-induced activity of gamma-GT in the order Ho>Bi>Ga (serum) and Bi>Ga=Ho (liver). These findings suggest that honey, garlic and bitter kola protect against 2-AAF-induced gamma-GTactivity and micronuleated PCEs formation.

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An in vivo micronucleus assay using albino mice was used to examine the anticlastogenic effects of a crude aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa fruits in bone marrow cells of mice. Various doses of freshly prepared crude extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg b.w.) were given by gavaging to male laboratory bred Swiss albino mice for 7 days as a dietary supplement followed by a single dose of sodium arsenite (2.5 mg/kg b.w.) After 24 h, the animals were killed and bone marrow smears were prepared and stained in Giemsa. The results show that sodium arsenite effectively induced micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs). Administration of a crude extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa led to a significant reduction of micronuclei in PCEs. The results also show that a combination of Hibiscus sabdariffa and sodium arsenite reduced significantly the frequencies of micronucleated PCEs induced by sodium arsenite.

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The modulatory effects of the aqueous extracts of some locally consumed food condiments namely garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), sconio (Pimpinella anisumm LINNE) and cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) on the clastogenic effects of sodium arsenite, a known inorganic clastogen were assessed in mouse bone marrow cells using the micronucleus assay method. Results of preliminary investigation of the clastogenicity of the condiments show that aqueous extracts of these condiments have very mild clastogenic activity in mice in the order garlic > ginger and sconio > cloves and that extracts of ginger and sconio seem to have the same degree of clastogenicity. Pre-treatment of mice for seven days with extracts of the condiments orally before exposure to the oral dose (2.5 mg/kg body wt.) of sodium arsenite resulted in a remarkable reduction of the magnitude of formation of micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes of the bone marrow. The degree of reduction of the clastogenic effect of arsenite was of the order ginger > garlic > cloves > sconio. This reduction of arsenite induced clastogenicity by aqueous extracts of the condiments may be due in part to the antioxidant properties of their chemical constituents, thus suggesting that the condiments may be useful in the prevention of arsenite-induced toxicity in areas where arsenic is an environmental contaminant.

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Antibodies against aflatoxin B1 have been raised in rabbits using aflatoxin B1-histone H1 conjugates as immunogen. Aflatoxin B1 was coupled to histone H1 via the ultimate carcinogen aflatoxin B1-2, 3-epoxide. The antibodies are specific for aflatoxin B1. The average number of binding sites on the antibody molecules for aflatoxin B1 as obtained from Scatchard plot analysis of the binding data is 1.94 with < F degree = -6.19 Kcal/mol, while the average association constant for the binding is 34.5 x 10(3) M-1. Male wistar rats after immunization with aflatoxin B1-histone H1 showed lower mortality and reduction of acute toxic effects in the liver when challenged with a single dose of aflatoxin B1. The antibodies may be useful in immunoprophylaxis against aflatoxicosis.

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Polyclonal immunoglobulin G antibodies were raised against aflatoxin B1-bovine serum albumin complex and characterised. Antibodies against the complex were obtained after a single intradermal multiple site injection of water in oil emulsion of the complex into adult female albino rabbits. Equilibrium dialysis and Scatchard plot analysis of the interaction of the antibodies with aflatoxin B1 showed that the antibodies have high affinity for binding aflatoxin B1. The average number of binding sites on the antibody molecules for aflatoxin B1 is 1.74 +/- 0.20 with mean standard free energy change (delta F1(0) of -23.10 KJ/mol, while the average association constant is 2.35 +/- 0.73 x 10(-4)M-1. Male wistar strain albino rats after immunization with the complex showed lower mortality when challenged with a single dose of aflatoxin B1. The results suggest that such antibodies with high affinity for aflatoxin B1 could be used in the immunointerception of the toxin.

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The genotoxic potentials of boric acid in Escherichia coli PQ37 was assessed along in the presence of aflatoxin B1 using SOS chromotest. Boric acid induced beta-galactosidase synthesis on the tester bacteria both on the presence and absence of S9 activation mixture. Therefore, the inorganic acid may not require metabolic activation to be genotoxic for this bacteria. When present together with aflatoxin B1 in the assay medium, boric acid increased the degree of beta-galactosidase synthesis induced by the maximal inducing concentration of aflatoxin B1 before the toxin's activation. However, the degree of enzyme synthesis induced was significantly decreased when boric acid was present after aflatoxin activation. This suggests that boric acid may not interfere with nor block the expoxidation of aflatoxin B1. It may however interact with the expoxide thereby inhibiting its activity. Boric acid may be a genotoxin and could possibly act as a syngenotoxic and/or a cogenotoxic agent.

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