Kakjing Falang | UNIVERSITY OF JOS, NIGERIA (original) (raw)

Papers by Kakjing Falang

Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, Dec 30, 2023

Journal of chemical and pharmaceutical research, 2014

The result of the phytochemical screening of the leaf powder revealed the presence of carbohydrat... more The result of the phytochemical screening of the leaf powder revealed the presence of carbohydrate, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, steroids and alkaloids, while cardiac glycoside and anthraquinones were absent. The LD 50 determined by Lorke's method revealed that at the end of stage I studies, no death was recorded within 24 hours post administration of extract. In stage II of the study, 5000mg/kg produced death within 24 hours post administration of the extract. The anti-inflammatory result obtained revealed that the Ethanolic extract of leaf powder of Ficus platyphylla Del produced anti-inflammatory activities against rat paw oedema. The extract started having significant anti-inflammatory effect from 3 hours post administration. This was observed from the percentage inhibition and the statistical analysis. The extract at doses of 300, 600 and 1200 mg/kg significantly (P < 0.01) and dose-dependently inhibited egg albumin-induced rat paw oedema compared with the control (Aspirin) at 5 hr post-egg albumin administration. The order of inhibition was 1200 > 600 > 300mg/kg (50.1, 47.8, and 40.3%) respectively while the reference; aspirin (10 mg/kg) gave an inhibition of 39.98%. The results showed that the extract contains some pharmacologically active constituents and that there is scientific basis for the traditional use of the decoction for inflammation, diarrhea, colds etc.

Research Square (Research Square), Jul 1, 2020

Background: COVID-19 pandemic disease, caused by coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is expressed as severe ... more Background: COVID-19 pandemic disease, caused by coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is expressed as severe acute respiratory syndrome. There are currently no proven effective therapeutic agents or vaccines against the virus. However clinical management includes infection prevention, control measures, supportive care using drug therapy based on previous scienti c experience, pathophysiology and pharmacology of the drug. Some of the therapeutic agents exploited include; antiviral and antimalarial agents (remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, lopinavir, umifenovir, favipiravir, and oseltamivir), Zinc and selenium. There are claims of herbal preparations with palliative or therapeutic effects. The novel formulation of herbal preparation, COVI-MXG for the management of Covid-19 contains a unique combination of ve (5) plants. In silico studies was carried out using robust methods and software to evaluate the plant constituents to determine its possible antiviral activity, safety and pharmacokinetic pro le. Results: Pharmacokinetic predictions showed phytochemicals with varying degrees of gastrointestinal absorption rates and blood brain barrier permeability. Toxicity class fall between 3 and 5 with high LD 50 values. Conclusions: When compared with the listed therapeutic agents, the phytochemical compounds present in COVI-MXG showed varying degrees of binding a nities for SARS-CoV-2 (7BV2.pdb) better than the drugs currently in use at the target sites. The preparation contains high concentration of Zinc and other micronutrients.

Journal of Pharmacy & Bioresources, Apr 9, 2021

Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease-2019 include pulmonary hyper-inflammation; managing local and sys... more Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease-2019 include pulmonary hyper-inflammation; managing local and systemic inflammatory responses may be key in treatment. This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects of a mixture (Cov-Pla 2) containing five medicinal plants in laboratory animals. The antinociceptive activity of Cov-Pla 2 was evaluated using acetic acid-induced writhing, Brewer's Yeast Pyrexia test in rats and hot plate tests in mice. The egg albumin-induced rat paw oedema test was employed to evaluate the extract's anti-inflammatory activity. The extract produced a dose-dependent (125-500 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibition of pain response elicited by acetic acid, compared to normal saline and increased reaction latency in the hot plate test. The antiinflammatory test showed a significant (P<0.05) reduction in paw size diameter at 125 mg/kg from 2 hours, compared to control. In the antipyretic test, the extract produced a significant (P<0.05) time-dependent decrease in rectal temperature at 125 mg/kg after 2 and 3 hours and at 250 and 500 mg/kg after 3 hours, compared to normal saline. The extract did not produce mortality up to 5000 mg/kg per oral. The results indicated that the extract possesses antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties, which support its recommendation for trials in the treatment of symptoms associated with COVID-19.

Objectives: We describe the frequency and types of drug therapy problems (DTPs), and intervention... more Objectives: We describe the frequency and types of drug therapy problems (DTPs), and interventions carried out to resolve them, among a cohort of HIV-infected patients on ART in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: A prospective pharmacists' intervention study was conducted between January and August 2012 at the outpatient HIV clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Pharmacists identified DTPs and made recommendations to resolve them. The main outcome measures were number of DTPs encountered, interventions proposed and acceptance rate of recommendations. Results: A total of 42,416 prescriptions were dispensed to 9339 patients during the eight months study. A total of 420 interventions (Intervention rate of 1 per 100 prescriptions) were made to resolve DTPs in 401 (4.3%) patients with a mean age of 41 (SD=10) years, and made up of 73% females. DTPs encountered were drug omission (n=89, 21.2%), unnecessary drug (n=55, 13.1%) and wrong drug indication (n=55, 13.1%). Recommendations offered included; Addition of another drug to the therapy (n=87, 20.7%), rectification of incomplete prescriptions (n=85, 20.2%), change of drug or dosage (n=67, 16.0%), and discontinuation of the offending drug (n=59, 14.0%). A total of 389 (93%) out of 420 of the recommendations were accepted. In all, 50.4% (212) of the problematic prescriptions were changed and dispensed, 22.2% (89) were clarified and dispensed, while wrong identities were corrected in 11.7% (49). However, 7.5% (30) prescriptions *

The Journal of Phytopharmacology

The protective effects of the alkaloids of Cucumis metuliferus fruit pulp on carbon tetrachloride... more The protective effects of the alkaloids of Cucumis metuliferus fruit pulp on carbon tetrachlorideinduced hepatotoxicity and gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity in adult albino rats were investigated. The result showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) in CCL4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in the levels of the electrolytes (Na+ , K+ ) which were dose dependent in gentamicin induced nephrotoxic rats compared to the controls. The dose dependent decrease in the level of urea was statistically significant (P<0.05), and there was a significant decrease in the levels of creatinine when 200 mg/kg of the alkaloid was administered to the rats alone. This result showed that alkaloids of C.metuliferus have protective effects on both the liver and kidney tissues.

African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2017

Evaluation of some metabolic activities and immuno-stimulatory potential of the methanolic seed e... more Evaluation of some metabolic activities and immuno-stimulatory potential of the methanolic seed extract of Garcinia kola (Heckel) in female albino Wistar rats was carried out using standard methods. Animals in treated groups were administered 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight, respectively of the extract through the oral route for 21 days. The control group received normal saline (0.5 ml/100 g body weight) for the same period during which food and water intakes were monitored. At the end of the treatment period, complete and differential blood counts were evaluated for each group. Results show that the extract at the doses of 125 and 250 mg/kg caused significant increase in body weight of treated animals compared with those of control (p < 0.05). Similarly, there was significant increase in food and water intake as well as faecal and urine output in groups treated with 250 and 500 mg/kg (p < 0.05). Results of the complete blood count showed that the extract caused significant increase in total white blood cell count (WBC) (p < 0.05) but a non-significant increase in haemoglobin (p > 0.05). There was significant increase in lymphocytes in groups that received the extract at a dose of 125 mg/kg compared with control (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the methanolic seed extract of G. kola possesses immuno-stimulatory potential that may justify the ethno-medicinal claims of the efficacy of G. kola in treatment of some immune disorders.

African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2021

Transmission of COVID-19 is facilitated by uptake of droplets containing coronavirus from the bre... more Transmission of COVID-19 is facilitated by uptake of droplets containing coronavirus from the breath, sneeze or cough of infected persons. This represents the commonest mode of coronavirus infection and spread to mucous membranes of the respiratory system. The virus rapidly replicates in alveolar cells, triggering a strong immune response, resulting in cytokine storm syndromes and pulmonary tissue damage. These pathologic processes contribute to a compromised pulmonary function. Thus, evaluation of pulmonary function would give insights into modulatory effect of agents that may be beneficial in ameliorating this pathology. The study evaluated effects of Cov-Pla1 and Cov-Pla3 (polyherbal products of the research team, positioned for treatment of Covid-19) on pulmonary function in bleomycin-induced lung injury in rabbits. Rabbits of both sexes were divided into six groups and treated with the extracts alone or the extract following pre-treatment with bleomycin. Targeted respiratory fu...

West African journal of pharmacology and drug research, 2012

Humans utilize pesticides through agricultural practice to protect crops against destructive pest... more Humans utilize pesticides through agricultural practice to protect crops against destructive pests but pesticide use has been associated with human and environmental toxic effects. Its presence in food is disturbing considering the increasing number of toxicity it causes. Pesticide residues are lipophylic in nature and consumption of food contaminated with them beyond the level which the body can handle leads to gradual accumulation in the body to a level of toxicity which disrupts the normal body physiology. Though toxicologically pesticide residue data depends not only on the residue content of food but also on the quantity of contaminated food and length of time over which the consumption occurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate three samples of dry beans (black eyed beans) in order to estimate risks of pesticide presence in beans marketed/sold to Nigerians. Samples were randomly collected from some selected markets in Jos, Nigeria. Analysis was by extraction method for non-...

International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 2018

Background: The preference and opinion of undergraduate students on teaching of pharmacology was ... more Background: The preference and opinion of undergraduate students on teaching of pharmacology was assessed using structured-based questionnaires. The objective was to determine the best way to teach pharmacology and the areas the students prefer most.Methods: The questionnaires were administered to students during academic sessions in any of their pharmacology lectures by the help of technical assistants. It was also ensured that the identity of the students was not made known except for the gender. A total of 8 questions with options ranging from 2-4 were used. Each respondent was to select only one option as the most preferred. A total of 405 students participated during the study period and it was ensured that no student participated more than once. The students recruited were 4th and 5th year medical and pharmacy students of the University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria for the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 academic sessions.Results: The results showed that the students have high preference for ...

Scientific Research Journal, 2019

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of fractionation of the crude methanol e... more The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of fractionation of the crude methanol extract of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds on phytochemical constituents and in vitro antimicrobial activity. Method: Fractionation was carried out using the solvent portioning method with solvents of different polarities. Phytochemical analysis was done by use of specific analytical test for each constituent. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the broth microdilution assay while the minimum bactericidal concentration was carried out using the agar well diffusion method. Results: The different fractions exhibited differences in their composition of the phytochemical constituents. This observation was however not dependent on the sequence of the polarity of the solvents. The acetone fraction presented similar phytochemicals compared with those of the crude methanol extract. The n-hexane fraction presented the least phytochemicals. The crude methanol fraction exhibited antibacterial activity against all the isolates at the concentration of 200 mg/ml, suggesting that fractionation may not be of any added advantage on the antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity exhibited by the fractions against all the isolates were significant lower compared to that due to the standard antibiotic, gentamicin, 4 mg/ml (P < 0.05). Similarly, it was shown that the antibacterial activity of each of the fraction was dose-dependent, with larger zones of inhibition corresponding to higher concentrations (P < 0.05). The acetone fraction exhibited highest antibacterial activity on S aureus with a zone of inhibition of inhibition of 20.5 ± 7.1 mm at the concentration of 200 mg/ml. This was significantly lower compared to 31.5 ± 6.2 mm due to gentamicin, 4 mg/ml (P < 0.05). The lowest antibacterial activity was exhibited at 200 mg/ml was seen with the methanol fraction on E coli with a zone of inhibition of 4.3 ± 1.2 mm and it was the only fraction with effect against this isolate. The n-hexane fraction did not exhibit any visible antimicrobial activity on all the isolates. Conclusion: Fractionation of the crude methanol extract revealed the antibacterial activity of the fractions with the acetone fraction more effective on S aureus than the crude extract. The finding generally confirms and validate the traditional claims and other scientific findings that Garcinia kola possesses principles that are antibacterial. This could therefore justify its traditional use in some infectious diseases and the need for further investigations.

Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy, 2014

Rationale: Pharmacotherapy for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is compl... more Rationale: Pharmacotherapy for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is complex and increases the potential for drug therapy problems (DTPs). We described the frequency and type of DTPs in a Nigerian cohort of HIV infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as the changes in HIV clinical outcomes after pharmacists' intervention. Methods: A prospective 1-year descriptive study was conducted from July 2010 to June 2011, at the adult HIV clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. DTPs and the associated pharmacist-initiated interventions were documented. Chi-square and Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used as appropriate, to compare the main outcome measures of pre-and post-intervention levels of viral load and CD+ cell count. Results: A total of 64,839 prescriptions were dispensed to 9320 patients. Interventions were documented for 85 unique patients (incidence of 1.31 interventions/1000 prescriptions), of which 62 (73%) and 3 (3.5%) were on first-and second-line ART, respectively, while 20 (23.5%) were yet to commence ART. Reasons for pharmacist intervention included failure to initiate therapy for HIV or hepatitis B infection; therapeutic failure (25.9%); and drug toxicity (24.7%). After intervention, the percentage of patients with HIV ribonucleic acid level <400 copies/mL rose from 29.4% to 67.1% (P < 0.001), while median (interquartile range) CD4+ cell count increased from 200 (123-351) to 361 (221-470) cells/mm 3 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Pharmacist intervention resulted in clinically significant improvements in patients HIV virological and immunological outcomes. This highlights an important role for the pharmacist in the treatment and care of HIV-infected patients, in a multidisciplinary team.

Nigerian Medical Journal, 2011

HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common finding on renal biopsy in HIV-infected bla... more HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is the most common finding on renal biopsy in HIV-infected black patients and it is also the commonest cause of ESRD in these patients. Early detection of HIVAN may be beneficial in evaluating patients for HIV therapy. 7,8 The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a direct measure of kidney function and reduces before the onset of symptoms of kidney failure, with the decrease in GFR correlating with the severity of kidney disease. 9 One of the ways to estimate GFR is the use of the Cockcroft-Gault equation, which estimates GFR using serum creatinine measurements and anthropometric variables. 10 This method of assessing GFR has been validated among HIV-positive black patients in our environment. 11 The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with impaired renal function among the patients initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)

African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2020

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on human existence and still show... more The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on human existence and still shows no sign of abating. Scientists worldwide are therefore working assiduously to get new drug treatments to help mitigate the crisis. Some of those efforts involve research to obtain Covid-19 treatments from natural sources. The present study is aimed at evaluating the elemental, nutritional and antioxidant properties of Cov-Pla1, Cov-Pla2, Cov-Pla3 and PlaBoost herbal preparations. Elemental analysis was carried out using AAS after acid digestion of the samples. Proximate analysis of the formulations was done using the official AOAC methods while the antioxidant assay was carried out using the DPPH free radical scavenging method. The results of the study showed that the concentration of the heavy metals in all the samples were within acceptable regulatory limits. Proximate analysis revealed that the suspensions had protein content between 1.52-1.68 % and carbohydrate content of 0.79-1.08 % with low content of fat, crude fibre and ash. The formulations were found to be free of microbial contamination and stable for thirty days. Antioxidant evaluation revealed that Cov-Pla3 had the strongest free radical scavenging capacity with IC 50 of 27.29 µg/mL while PlaBoost had the least (IC 50 : 251 µg/mL). The result of the study indicates that the formulations are free of metallic and microbial contaminants. In addition, proximate analysis has established some diagnostic parameters which will aid future authentication and purity assessment of the formulations. The formulations were all found to possess considerable antioxidant activity which will provide collateral benefit in relieving oxidative stress associated with Covid-19 infection.

Pharmacy Practice (granada), 2015

Journal of Natural Product and Plant Resources, 2012

Many medicinal plants used in ethnomedicine have been reported to possess anti-ulcer activity. On... more Many medicinal plants used in ethnomedicine have been reported to possess anti-ulcer activity. One of such plants is Plumbago zeylanica Linn. Our objective is to evaluate the anti-ulcer activity of the aqueous extract of the roots of Plumbago zeylanica Linn on aspirin and indomethacin-induced acute gastric ulceration in albino Wistar rats. The anti-ulcer activity of the aqueous root extract was assessed by determining and comparing the ulcer score, ulcer index and percentage protection of the extract with that of the negative and positive control groups. Omeprazole was used as standard drug. The extract at doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively produced statistically significant (P<0.05) dose-dependent inhibition of aspirin induced gastric mucosal damage. In the indomethacininduced ulcer, it was only at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively that the extract exhibited significant (p< 0.05) dose – dependent inhibition of the gastric mucosal damage. Oral acute toxicity testi...

Background: Late December 2019, an unknown incidence of Pneumonia was observed among some residen... more Background: Late December 2019, an unknown incidence of Pneumonia was observed among some residents of Wuhan city, China. The disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared as a pandemic by the WHO on the March 11th, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) has resulted to the death of million people across the globe. Prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), two other outbreaks of coronaviruses namely severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been experienced within the last few decades. This review looks at the unique characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 to the other coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) and its significance(s) in the control strategies including diagnostics. Materials and Methods: Using the keywords “coronavirus mutation”, “nucleotide substitution”, “coronavirus evolution”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “COVID-19” publis...