African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12476

Table of Content: 20 March 2009; 8(6)

March 2009

Nutraceuticals as natural healers: Emerging evidences

  Various components of foods have clearly established strong links with human health and it is learnt that their deficiencies provoke diseases. The epidemiological evidences and modern research in nutrition during the last few decades have elaborated the molecular level of such interactions of specific food constituents with that of the toxicants generated in the living cells to control and prevent many of the...

Author(s): Rashida Ali, , Mohammad Athar, Umer Abdullah, S. Abudiat Abidi and Manzar Qayyum

March 2009

Metabolic alterations and molecular mechanism in silkworm larvae during viral infection: A review

  Silkworm larvae, Bombyx mori (L), is an important economic insect and also a tool to convert leaf protein into silk. The industrial and commercial use of silk, the historical and economic importance of production and its application in all over the world finely contributed to the silkworm promotion as a powerful laboratory model for the basic research in biology. The development and economic...

Author(s): K. Ramesh Babu, S. Ramakrishna, Y. Harish Kumar Reddy, G. Lakshmi, N. V. Naidu, S. Sadak Basha and M. Bhaskar

March 2009

Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and its application on mapping and marker-assisted plant breeding

  The nucleotide diversity across a genome is the source of most phenotypic variation. Such DNA polymorphism is the basis for the development of molecular markers, an indispensable tool in genetic mapping studies. In general, the high resolution fine mapping of genes is often limited by lack of sufficient number of polymorphic molecular markers. This problem is compounded with traits controlled by multi-genes...

Author(s): S. Abdolhamid Angaji

March 2009

Biodegradation of mineral oils – A review

  The uses of the various kinds of mineral oils in various industrial situations have made them an indispensable ingredient of the industrialization and development that has characterized the past century. Recent focus on health, safety and the preservation of the environment has turned the searchlight to the effects of mineral oils on the environment when they are accidentally spilled, or intentionally...

Author(s): Emmanuel O. Aluyor and Mudiakeoghene Ori-jesu

March 2009

Phytoremediation of heavy metals: Recent techniques

  The current remediation technique of heavy metal from contaminated soil-water are expensive, time consuming and environmentally destructive. Unlike organic compounds, metals cannot degrade, and therefore effective cleanup requires their immobilization to reduce or remove toxicity. In recent years, scientists and engineers have started to generate cost effective technologies that include use of...

Author(s): Chhotu D. Jadia and M. H. Fulekar

March 2009

Ethnomedicine in South Africa: The role of weedy species

  Some weedy plant species have competitive advantage over other species found growing in the same habitat due to their efficient utilization of mineral resources, adaptability to the environment and comparative high fecundity. They are often caught in the web of conservation policy which causes the indiscriminate eradication of these species without consideration for other potential economic importance. This...

Author(s): F. B. Lewu and A. J. Afolayan

March 2009

Platelet aggregation, antiglycation, cytotoxic, phytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of extracts of Nepeta juncea

  Various subsequent fractions of Nepeta juncea were subjected to test against platelet aggregation, antiglycation, cytoxicity, phytotoxicity and antimicrobial activities. Methanolic extract inhibited arachidonic acid (AA) induced platelet aggregation (IC50 35 ug/ml) and platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 38 µg/ml) in a...

Author(s): Javid Hussain, Nargis Jamila, Syed Abdullah Gilani, Ghulam Abbas and Sagheer Ahmed

March 2009

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) specific antibodies among married pregnant women and female commercial sex workers attending voluntary counseling and HIV testing (VCT) centre in Abuja, Nigeria

  Generally, married women and commercial sex workers (CSWs) engage in sexual activity - an important risk factor for contracting HIV. We therefore tested a hypothesis that prevalence of HIV-1/2 antibodies among married pregnant women (PW) is not different from that of female CSWs. One hundred married PW and 99 female CSWs enrolled in the study. They were consecutively selected as they visited the VCT centre...

Author(s): Waidi Folorunso Sule, Moses Olubusuyi Adewumi and Temitope Christiana Samuel

March 2009

Toxicological evaluation of the aqueous extract of Felicia muricata Thunb. leaves in Wistar rats

  The effect of the aqueous extract of Felicia muricata leaves at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight in Wistar rats was evaluated for 14 days. The extract caused significant increase in white blood cell (WBC) while it decreased the large unstained cells (LUC). The red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC),...

Author(s): A. O. T. Ashafa, M. T. Yakubu, D. S. Grierson and A. J. Afolayan

March 2009

Effect of Plantago major sap on Ehrlich ascites tumours in mice

  Among the various known therapeutic effects of Plantago major (L.), a few recent studies have shown that preparations of the crude extracts of some plant leaves could prevent or regress the growth of certain tumours. In this study, the effect of P. major, an anticancerogenic, against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice was investigated. The animals were separated into five groups: two groups...

Author(s): Mehmet Ozaslan, Işık Didem Karagoz, Ibrahim Halil Kiliç, Beyhan Cengiz,Mehmet Emin Kalender, Mohammed Emin Güldür, Alper Karagoz and Mehmet Emin Zümrütdal

March 2009

An improved technique for oral administration of solutions of test substances to experimental rats using Mediflon/Medicut intravenous cannula

  The oral administration of solution of drugs or test substances to experimental rats is often necessary in various pharmacological, toxicological and other biomedical researches. It is scientifically sound and preferable to administer test substances to experimental animals by the same route(s) by which it is taken or meant to be taken by humans as systemic bioavailability; pharmacokinetics and toxicological...

Author(s): Ejebe, D. E., Siminialayi, I. M., Emudainohwo, J. O. T., Ovuakporaye, S. I., Ojieh, A. E., Akonoghrere, R., Odokuma, I. E. and Ahatty, G. C.

March 2009

Reversal of experimental varicocele-induced testicular toxicity by L-ascorbate in rats

  Varicoceles are the abnormal tortuosity and dilatation of the veins of the pampiniform plexus that drain the testis. Varicoceles are variously considered the commonest “correctable” cause of infertility or the commonest “reported” cause of infertility depending on individual viewpoint. Even though the pathophysiology of testicular damage in varicocele has not been completely...

Author(s): Saalu, L. C., Oguntola, J. A., Babalola, O. S. and Oyewopo, A. O.

March 2009

Evaluation of phytonutrients and vitamin contents in a wild yam, Dioscorea belophylla (Prain) Haines

  The species studied was found to contain bioactive compounds comprising saponins (18.46 mg 100-1 g), alkaloids (0.68 mg 100-1 g), flavonoids (8.84 mg 100-1g), tannins (4.2×102 mg 100-1 g) and phenols (2.8×103 mg 100-1 g). This yam contained vitamins such as ascorbic acid, riboflavin and thiamin. The importance of these chemical constituents is discussed with respect...

Author(s): Poornima G.N. and Ravishankar Rai V.

March 2009

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of filamentous Cyanobacteria using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting

  RAPD techniques were used for the detection of genetic heterogeneticity among the axenic culture of fresh water cyanobacterial isolates. The electrophoretic patterns for 12 cyanobacterial strains belonging to 2 genera (8 Oscillatoria strains and 4 Lyngbya strains) were used for molecular analysis using the RAPD technique. A tTotal ofly 12 cyanobacterial isolates were selected and mass...

Author(s): G. Mahendra Perumal, V. Ganesan and N. Anand

March 2009

Genotypic characterization of indigenous Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium sullae by rep-PCR, RAPD and ARDRA analyses

  The rhizobia, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium sullae, which fix nitrogen in root nodules of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sulla (Hedysarum sp.) forage legumes, respectively, were isolated from root nodules and soils from Morocco. We used three PCR-based techniques namely, rep-PCR, RAPD and ARDRA techniques for genotypic characterization of 10 isolates of S....

Author(s): Nadia Elboutahiri, Imane Thami-Alami, Elhoussine Zaïd and Sripada M.Udupa

March 2009

Isolation and characterization of a PUF-domain of pumilio gene from silkworm Bombyx mori

  Pumilio is a sequence-specific RNA-binding protein that binds to target mRNA to repress its translation. The PUF-domain, the RNA-binding motif of pumilio, is highly conserved across species. In the present study, a partial pumilio gene with complete PUF-domain in Bombyx mori has been cloned using 3’ and 5’ RACE for the first time, designated as BmPUM. The sequence...

Author(s): Baoxia Tian, Keping Chen, Qin Yao, Huiqin Chen, Zhe Yang and Jia Zhou

March 2009

Cytokine gene expression of peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by lipopolysaccharide

  Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a predominant glycolipid in the outer membranes of gam-negative bacteria that stimulates monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils to produce cytokines. The aim was to study the expression profile of TLRs and cytokines and determine the role of LPS in the peripheral blood lymphocytes. Lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of chickens and induced with...

Author(s): Hassan Hussein Musa, Yunhua Xu, Baoying Dai, Xiaoyan Kang, Chunhong Zhuand Guoqiang Zhu

March 2009

Application of SRAP in the genetic diversity of Pinus koraiensis of different provenances

  The study applied sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) technique into genetic diversity of Pinus koraiensis. A total of 480 samples from 24 provenances were amplified by using selected 9 primer pairs. The band number amplified by each primer pair ranged from 24 to 33, with the molecular weight between 100 and 1,500 bp. In total 249 bands were observed, of which 143 were polymorphic...

Author(s): Fujuan Feng, Minmin Chen, Dongdong Zhang, Xin Sui and Shijie Han

March 2009

Genetic population structure of the Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonica in Japanese islands

  Fragment of 376 bp at the mitochondrial ND2 gene was sequenced for 133 individuals of Japanese mitten crab, Eriocheir japonica from 17 localities of Japan and 30 individuals of Chinese mitten crab, E. sinensis from 2 localities of China. In Japanese mitten crab, sequence comparison of this segment revealed 23 polymporphic sites, defining 8 haplotypes. However, 30 individuals of...

Author(s): Yu Jiang Wang, Zhi Qiang Han, Bo Nian Shui, Guang Dong Liu, Tian Xiang Gao, Sylvanus Anene Nwafili, Seiichi Watanabe and Ya Ping Zhang

March 2009

Genetic diversity in Indian isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, chickpea wilt pathogen

  Forty-eight isolates of FOC collected from different chickpea growing regions in India were evaluated for genetic variations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Out of 48 isolates, 41 were found pathogenic and seven non-pathogenic. Pathogenic isolates differ in their virulence however; there was no apparent correlation between geographical origin and virulence of the isolates. The...

Author(s): Mamta Sharma, Rajeev Kumar Varshney, Joginedi Narayan Rao, Seetha Kannan, David Hoisington and Suresh Pande

March 2009

Assessment of allelopathic potential of selected medicinal plants of Pakistan

  Inula falconeri, Inula koelzii, Lactuca dissecta and Anthemis nobilis were collected from Himalaya and Hindukush ranges of Pakistan and their allelopathic effect was studied through Sandwich and Homogenated Sandwich methods. The study also aimed at analyzing whether method and concentration can affect the overall results.  The results showed that method has no significant value;...

Author(s): Abdul Latif Khan, Muhammad Hamayun, Javid Hussain, Hamayun Khan, Syed Abdullah Gilani, Akira Kikuchi, Kazou N. Watanabe, Eung Ho Jung, and In-Jung Lee

March 2009

Comparative growth and grain yield responses of soybean genotypes to phosphorous fertilizer application

  A two-year field study was conducted in 2003 and 2004 at the Teaching and Research Farm, Bolorunduro (8o 29’ N, 4o 35’E ) of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, to evaluate the growth and grain yield responses of soybean genotypes to P fertilizer application. The trial was designed as 12 x 2 factorial experiments in randomized complete block and laid out in split-plots arrangements with...

Author(s): J. Mahamood, Y. A. Abayomi and M. O. Aduloju

March 2009

Effects of honeybee (Apis mellifera) pollination on seed set in hybrid sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

  This study was carried out to determine the efficiency of pollination with honeybee (Apis mellifera) on sunflower hybrid seed production under different types of pollination during 2005 and 2006 in Mustafakemalpasa-Bursa, Turkey. Three pollination types (1) in cages with honeybees, (2) hand pollination (in cages) and (3) in cages without honeybees were used in crosses between two male and three female parents...

Author(s): Mehmet Oz, Abdullah Karasu, Ibrahim Cakmak, Abdurrahim Tanju Goksoyand Zeki Metin Turan

March 2009

Artificial infestations of Tapinanthus ogowensis (Engler) Danser (Loranthaceae) on three host species in the Logbessou Plateau (Douala, Cameroon)

  In Cameroon today, Loranthaceae has become a major pest against which a great “battle” must be launched if food production in the country has to be maintained at a self-sufficient level. However, an effective battle against pests can only be achieved through a better understanding of their geographical distribution and biology. EightLoranthaceae species (Globimetula...

Author(s): Dibong Siegfried Didier, Engone Obiang Nestor Laurier, Ndongo Din, Priso Richard Jules, Taffouo Victor, Fankem Henri, Salle Georges and Amougou Akoa

March 2009

Taxonomic diversity of stomata in dicot flora of a district tank (N.W.F.P.) in Pakistan

  A total of 36 dicot species distributed in 34 genera and 20 families were investigated for stomatal diversity. Seven types of stomata were found in which amphianisocytic was the dominant one found in 12 species while staurocytic and diacytic were found in 7 and 6 species respectively. In 7 species two and in one species three different types of stomata were found.   Key words: Dicots,...

Author(s): Khalid Ahmad, Mir Ajab Khan, Mushtaq Ahmad, Muhammad Zafar, Muhammad Arshad and Farooq Ahmad

March 2009

Specific and Rapid Detection of Camellia oleifera Anthracnose Pathogen by Nested-PCR

  Camellia oleifera is an economical important plant in southern China for edible oil production. Anthracnose is a serious disease that limited its development. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the 5.8S rRNA gene of strain C1 of the pathogenic fungus Colletetrichum gloeosporioides were sequenced in order to design specific PCR primers for pathogen detection. Alignment...

Author(s): Junang Liu, Li He, Guoying Zhou,

March 2009

Genotypic variation in the response of tomato to salinity

  In order to determine the predictive screening parameters that can be applied at early development stages of tomato plants, 18 tomato cultivars were grown in nutrient solution with 12 dS m-1 NaCl. The research was conducted in a completely randomized design with tree replications. The relationships among the salinity and root, stem, leaf accumulation, K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ ratios and...

Author(s): Ahmet Turhan, Vedat Åženiz and Hayrettin KuÅŸçu

March 2009

The response of Cyclamen hederifolium to water stress induced by different irrigation levels

  The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different irrigation levels on morphological and physiological parameters of Cyclamen hederifolium. Irrigation applications was scheduled as 40% of the available water was depleted in the root zone in the full irrigation and intended to refill the root zone up to field capacity. In the deficit treatments, water was applied in the range of 75%...

Author(s): Murat Yıldırım, Arda Akcal and Kenan Kaynas

March 2009

Comparison of leaf stomatal features in some local and foreign apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes

  The objective of this study was to determine the leaf stomatal features of some local and foreign apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars. Stomata frequency, size and stomatal conductance of leaves of twenty apricot genotypes from inside and outside of Turkey were measured. The leaf stomatal frequency significantly varied among the apricot cultivars. The highest leaf stomata frequency was found in cv....

Author(s): Muruvvet Ilgin and Semih Caglar

March 2009

Effects of pre-chilling and temperature on seed germination of Corchorus olitorius L. (Tiliaceae) (Jew’s Mallow), a wild leafy vegetable

  The wild leafy vegetable, Corchorus olitorius L, has a potential for development as a crop. Self propagation of this species is by seed. In an attempt to improve the length of time of its availability, the effects of pre-chilling and temperature on germination of its seeds were investigated. Although it had a seed viability of 90.1% (using the tetrazolium technique), seed subjected to a temperature...

Author(s): M. Nkomo and L. Kambizi

March 2009

An investigation on roundwood extraction of Fagus orientalis lipsky, Abies nordmanniana (Stew.) Spach. and Picea orientalis (L.) Link. by Urus M III forest skyline on snow

  Harvesting and transportation of woods from forest are extremely difficult, expensive and time-consuming operations. In the most regions of Turkey, the application of mechanized harvesting equipment is currently very limited due to low labor cost and high fuel cost. In Turkish forestry, the most common harvesting method is cut-to-length system, which is carried out intensively during the late spring and...

Author(s): Habip EroÄŸlu, M. Sinan Özkaya, H. Hulusi Acar, Ali Karaman and H. Ahmet Yolasığmaz

March 2009

Biodegradation of synthetic detergents in wastewater

  A total of 76 wastewater samples were randomly collected from pharmaceutical, textile, and detergent-manufacturing industries as well as the Agbara Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Thirty-eight samples each in 2-L plastic containers were collected for morning and evening effluent used for this study. Composite samples were later developed and the physico-chemical properties of these samples determined. The...

Author(s): Olusola A. Ojo and Benjamin A. Oso

March 2009

Isolation of gallic acid-producing microorganisms and their use in the production of gallic acid from gall nuts and sumac

  A total number of eighty gallic acid producing strains were isolated from forest soil or plant samples. Among these strains, thirteen isolates were selected for gallic acid production and these isolates were Aspergillus niger 1, A. niger 2, A. niger 3,Penicillium canescens (3), P. frequentans (2), P. spinulosum (2), P. purpurogenum(2),...

Author(s): Nalan Yılmaz Sarıözlü and Merih Kıvanç

March 2009

Influence of dietary supplementation on biotransformation of locust beans (Parkia biglobosa) to condiment

  Influence of four types of dietary supplements namely; cooked onion extract (COE), Iru water extract (IWE), glucose solution (GLS) and asparagine solution (ASS) on biotransformation of locust beans to condiment was studied. Assessment of biotransformation markers: free amino acids, free total sugar and total titratable acidity showed that supplementation enhanced biotransformation comparatively to sample...

Author(s): B. Daramola, O. A. Fasominu, O.J. Oje and O.O. Makanju

March 2009

RNA recognition motif (RRM)-containing proteins in Bombyx mori

  RNA recognition motif (RRM)-containing proteins play important roles in the processing of RNA and regulation of protein synthesis. Bombyx mori is a model species of Lepidoptera whose genome sequence is available; however, its RRM-containing proteins have not been thoroughly analyzed. In this study, 134 RRM-containing protein genes in Drosophila melanogaster were used to perform BLAST search...

Author(s): Lin-Ling Wang and Ze-Yang Zhou

March 2009

One bath method dyeing of polyester/cotton blend fabric with sulphatoethylsulphonyl disperse/reactive dyes treatment by chitin biopolymer

  In this research, the process of dyeing polyester/cotton fabrics usingdisperse/reactive dyestuffs in one method dyeing processes was investigated. Inthe order to improve the adhesion of chitin to the surface of polyester/cotton fibers,pre-treatment in NaOH...

Author(s): H. Najafi, R. Assefipour, M. Hajilari and H. R. Movahed

March 2009

Comparison of the antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents in some Stachys species

  The methanolic extracts of the aerial parts of nine Stachys species: S. persicaGmel., S. fruticulosa M. B., S. laxa Boiss. & Buhse., S. inflata Benth., S. turcomanica Trautv., S. subaphylla Rech. F., S. setifera C. A. Mey., S. byzantina C. Koch and S. trinervis Aitch. & Hemsl. were investigated for their...

Author(s): Mahnaz Khanavi, Mannan Hajimahmoodi, Mina Cheraghi-Niroomand, Zahra Kargar, Yousef Ajani, Abbas Hadjiakhoondi, Mohammad R. Oveisi

March 2009

Quality assurance of herbal drug valerian by chemotaxonomic markers

  The quality assurance of valerian (Balchur), a traditional herbal drug of global importance mainly used for nervous disorders, was studied. At global, regional, national and local levels the end users of this drug face the problems of adulteration. Two different botanical sources are commercially marketed in the Indo-Pak subcontinent under the same trade name of Balchur belonging to two different families....

Author(s): Mushtaq Ahmad, Mir Ajab Khan, Umer Rashid, Muhammad Zafar, Muhammad Arshad and Shazia Sultana

March 2009

Effects of dietary humic substances on egg production and egg shell quality of hens after peak laying period

  Ninety Isa Brown layers from 51 to 61 weeks of age were allocated to three treatment groups, namely H0, H1 and H2. Control (H0) hens were fed a commercial diet while H1 and H2 hens were fed a diet including 30 and 90 ppm dietary humic acid in liquid form, respectively. Hens were placed individually in cages in three tier batteries. Egg production (% hen-day) in the...

Author(s): Ozturk Ergin, Coskun Isa, Ocak Nuh and Erener Guray

March 2009

Morphology and histochemistry of primary flight muscles in Rhinolophus mehelyii

  Two primary flight muscles of Rhinolophus mehelyii were studied using morphological and histochemical analysis. Two fast-twitch fiber types are histochemically identified in pectoralis muscles of R. mehelyii. These were classified as type IIa and type IIb according to glycine-calcium-formalin preincubation staining protocol for myosin ATPase. The primary flight muscles, serratus ventralis...

Author(s): Suna Cebesoy

March 2009

Polypogon monspeliensis waste biomass: A potential biosorbent for Cd (II)

  Polypogon monspeliensis a globally available natural waste material was used for uptake of Cd (II) from aqueous solutions in this study. The results clearly demonstrate the effect of important experimental parameters on the biosorption process in batch experiments. The evaluated pH, biosorbent dose, size and initial metal concentration for Cd (II) uptake by  P. monspeliensis waste biomass...

Author(s): Tariq Mahmood Ansari, Khuala Umbreen, Raziya Nadeem and Muhammad Asif Hanif

March 2009

Testicular development and relationship between body weight, testis size and sperm output in tropical boars

  Ten boars selected from each group of local Nigerian (LNB), Large White (LW) and LNB x LW (F1) crossbred boars were studied to determine the pattern of testicular development by external testicular measurements (length and width of testis) and to find out the relationship between external testicular dimensions body weight and sperm output. The results showed that LW boars were superior to both LNB and LNB x...

Author(s): S. O. C. Ugwu, A. E. Onyimonyi and H. Foleng