ABSTRACT This study involved isolation of compounds from the plant Monanthotaxis littoralis, screening and evaluating the activity of the compounds against mycotoxigenic fungi isolated from maize collected from LVB and structure elucidation of the bioactive compounds. The non volatile secondary metabolites were extracted from the plant using methanol. The methanol extract was suspended in water and extracted with ethyl acetate. Hydro-distillation was used in the extraction of essential oils....
ABSTRACT In Africa, 80% of the population use traditional medicinal plants to treat common ailments like malaria, headache and pneumonia. This is due to the high cost of conventional drugs from developed countries. Examples of these medicinal plants include Gardenia volkensii and Meyna tetraphylla that are both used by the Pokots in Kenya to treat a variety of ailments including antimicrobial diseases. The aim of this project was to test for the antimicrobial activity of the crude extracts a...
ABSTRACT The prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is an increasing health challenge. Attention has therefore been shifted to the use of ethno-medicines in combating this disease. Traditionally, Syzygium guineense (stem-bark) and Mimosa pigra (aerial parts) are used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections with no scientific justification. This study was designed to identify the constituents of Syzygium guineense and Mimosa pigra that may be active against Mycobacterium tub...
ABSTRACT A major requirement in flame spectroscopic methods is that the sample be introduced into the excitation source in form of an aqueous solution. Unfortunately, many materials of interest such as soils, animal tissues, plants, petroleum products and minerals are not directly soluble in water and extensive preliminary treatment is often required to obtain a solution of the analyte in a form ready for atomization. On the other hand, some samples contain both organic and inorganic matrice...
ABSTRACT Chemically, the Rutaceae family is probably the most versatile of all higher family of plants. Three main groups of compounds, namely, limonoids, coumarins and quinoline alkaloids have been obtained from this family. The LLtroductory part of this work reviews very briefly the chemistry of each of these groups. In the main work, three plants of the West African genera of the Rutaceae were investigated. The wood of Afraegle paniculata (Schum and Thonn) yielded the furocoumarLD, imJ£er...
ABSTRACT Malaria is a serious health problem in many African countries. The Anopheles gambiae mosquito, which is the major vector for this disease, has developed resistance against synthetic pyrethroids, which are the main stay of insecticide treated bed nets. The development of insecticide resistance and side effects associated with synthetic pesticides has triggered intense research efforts towards natural products (for vector control) such as essential oils and the nonvolatiles because o...
ABSTRACT The thermodynamics of the azide binding reactions of the hybrids of human and canine hemoglobin as well as the isolated a and ß polypeptide chains of human and canine hemoglobin have been studied at various pH's and temperatures. Plots of -AH° against pH, for all the species, show a distinct maximum. The pH at which the maximum value of -M° occurs is termed the 'characteristic pH' (pH From the results, it is concluded that the value of pH , for the hemoglobin tetramer is an avera...
ABSTRACT Malaria is a global disease prevalent in the tropics caused by Plasmodium species. It affects 300-500 million people and kills 1.5-2.7 million people annually. To date, a large number of herbal remedies are used to treat malaria and manage related fever; nevertheless, in most of these cases of plant therapies, efficacies have not been proven nor have their active components been identified. Most malaria episodes are accompanied by clinical complications attributable to radical oxyge...
ABSTRACT Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes transmit malaria resulting into about 500 million infections globally every year. Recent studies estimate that more than 50% of the world‟s population is at risk of malaria infections. Apart from the development of insecticide resistance, the use of synthetic insecticides to control mosquito vectors continues to cause adverse effects to the environment, human health and non-target organisms. Plant derived larvicidal compounds are increasingly being exp...
ABSTRACT Due to the high bills involved in the importation of modern medicinal drugs, about 80% of the African population use traditional medicine from plants to treat common infectious diseases caused by microorganisms. The main objective of this research was to determine the antimicrobial activity of crude extracts and isolated compounds from Turraea abyssinica, Meyna tetraphylla (Abyssinian coral tree) and Leonotis mollissima (Lion’s ear) from Meliaceae, Rubiaceae and Lamiaceae families...
ABSTRACT The levels of selected heavy metals in water, plant, soil and sediment samples collected around the Fluorspar Mining and Processing Plant in Kerio Valley were determined using AAS and EDXRFS. Digested soil 7 reference material (IAEA) was used as the standard for analysis of the soil and sediment samples. The results obtained from AAS were compared with those obtained using EDXRFS. The concentration of fluoride in the water, soil and sediment samples was determined using fluoride sel...
ABSTRACT Intensive mining activities and highly mineralised rock formations have a significant impact on both surface and underground water. Mining activities shuffle the rock formations creating fissures and cracks enhancing greater percolation and movement of water underground. Macalder mines(gold mining region) in Nyatike –Karungu Divisions was divided into two regions (Epicentre and surrounding).This research sought to determine the concentration levels of Zn, Cu, Pb, Fe, and water har...
ABSTRACT Tomato is one of the most widely cultivated horticutural crops but the production is affected by the pest problems like Fusarial wilt. Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. Lycopersicit is a destructive disease of the tomato and one of the main causes of the crop decline worldwide. The disease is currently managed using synthetic fungicides but there is a growing concern about the traces of the pesticide residues on the product and resistance to the current fungicides. Fungicides are applied at...
ABSTRACT Biofuels made from plant sources, usually used to run in diesel engines are of two types namely bioethanol and biodiesel. Bioethanol is mostly derived from maize and sugar cane molasses, while biodiesel is derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. A wide range of biofuels can be used as renewable resources of energy, including tallow and waste vegetable oil from hotels and fish vendors. Presently waste vegetable oil is discarded into sewerage systems, causing pollution in water w...
ABSTRACT Consensus of opinion in literature regarding tobacco use has shown that cigarette smoking can cause irreparable damage to the genetic material, cell injury, and the general respiratory landscape. The alkaloid family of tobacco has been implicated in a series of ailments including addiction, mental illnesses, psychological disorders, and mental deficits. Accordingly, this study describes the kinetic and molecular modelling of the major tobacco alkaloids in mainstream cigarette smoke;...