Higher alleles of apolipoprotein B gene 3′ VNTR: Risk for gallstone disease

Background: Imbalance in cholesterol homeostasis may lead to gallstone disease. Apolipoprotein B is sole component of low-density lipoprotein and plays an important role in cholesterol metabolism. The present study was carried out to explore the association of APOB 3′ VNTR, exon 26 XbaI and signal peptide insertion/ deletion polymorphisms with gallstone disease. 214 ultrasonographically proven gallstone patients and 322 healthy, age and sex matched controls were taken for the study. Genotyping was done using PCR followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for VNTR and insertion/ deletion analysis. For APOB XbaI polymorphism PCR product was digested with XbaI restriction enzyme, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS v11.5. Higher repeat alleles of APOB 3′ VNTR polymorphism were more frequent in gallstone patients than in controls. Alleles with more than 57 repeats were present only in patient group. Long (L) alleles with repeat higher than 49, were significantly higher (P=0.000; OR=3.705, 95% CI 2.577–5.326) and medium (M) alleles were lower (P=0.000; OR=0.406, 95% CI 0.304–0.542) in patients than in controls. To nullify the effect of gender, data was further stratified into male and female population. APOB 3′ VNTR, L alleles were imposing risk and M alleles were protective in both male and female population. APOB XbaI and insertion/deletion polymorphisms were not found to be associated with the gallstone disease. Longer alleles of APOB 3′ VNTR occur more frequently in gallstone patients, and may be an important risk factor for the development of gallstone disease. APOB XbaI and signal peptide insertion/deletion polymorphisms may not be contributing to the risk for gallstone disease.     

Pre-micro RNA-499 Gene Polymorphism rs3746444 T/C is Associated with Susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis in Egyptian Population

Pre-miRNA-499 gene is associated with autoimmune disease. Mir-449 rs3746444 polymorphism is inconsistent for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to investigate association of mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism with RA activity and severity in Egyptian population. The study population was conducted as case control study in 100 RA patients diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for RA, and the control group included 100 healthy subjects who were age-and sex-matched to the RA group. Different genotypes were assessed using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. 95% Confidence interval and odds ratio were defined to assess the strength of association. Regarding patients, thirty-three patients carried TT genotype, fifty-three patients carried TC genotype and fourteen patients carried CC genotype. So the frequency of the minor C allele in RA patients was significantly higher than the control subjects (P = 0.037). TC, CC genotypes and C allele frequencies were significantly associated with disease severity as they had high rheumatoid factor (55.78 µIU/ml) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (Anti-CCP) antibody (297.32 µIU/ml). Moreover, the heterozygote TC had more severe and more active form of the disease compared with homozygote CC or TT as they had high Anti-CCP antibody, and disease activity score 28 (score 5). Our work suggests that C allele of Pre-miRNA rs3746444 polymorphism contributes to heritability of susceptibility to RA compared to T allele. This polymorphism was associated with the activity and severity of the disease.     

江苏淤泥质潮滩湿地互花米草扩张对湿地景观的影响

在RS和GIS技术支持下,结合盐城自然保护区典型区域潮滩湿地的区域特点,通过景观多样性指数、优势度、聚集度指数、分布质心和转移矩阵等方法,系统地分析了1996-2010年的14年间盐城潮滩湿地互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)沼泽景观的时空动态及其对湿地景观空间格局的影响。结果表明:1盐城潮滩湿地互花米草沼泽分布面积呈显著增加趋势。1996-2010年,面积增长了2 661.74hm2,年均增长177.45hm2,增幅215.42%,年均变化率14.36%;2空间上,潮滩湿地上的互花米草斑块质心总体向海偏移。其中,1996-2006年,年均向海移动110.96m/a;2006-2010年,年均向海移动74.97m/a;3受互花米草扩张影响,研究区景观格局发生了明显的变化。互花米草生长不仅抑制了本地湿地植被的自然增长,而且还改变着湿地植被景观的组成、结构和潮滩湿地景观系统整体格局。     

Identification of drug-resistantMycobacterium tuberculosis by single strand conformation polymorphism and cleavase fragment length polymorphism

Twenty isolates ofMycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to rifampicin(RIF), isoniazid(INH) and streptomycin(STR) were analysed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of rpoB, katG and rrs genes to evaluate comparative diagnostic significance of genetic assays. Mutations were identified by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and cleavase fragment length polymorphism (CFLP) and were confirmed by DNA sequencing. SSCP of 4 RIF resistant and 14 INH resistant isolates showed an extra peak at the level of 75-bp and 85-bp respectively, while 2 STR resistant isolates showed 2 peaks with 9 bases difference. CFLP showed a different pattern among RIF, INH and STR sensitive and resistant isolates Thus SSCP and CFLP can be used as alternative diagnostic methods for identification of mutations in RIF, INH and STR resistant strains of M.tuberculosis.     

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) -1612 5A/6A promoter polymorphism in coronary artery disease in Indian population

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). 5A allele of -1612 5A/6A polymorphism of MMP-3 is associated with two fold higher activity than 6A allele. Present study was designed to analyse the association of this polymorphism with CAD in Indian population. Subjects included in the study were patients with stable angina (n=35), unstable angina (n=53), patients with recent event of myocardial infarction (MI) (MI Group-1, n=56) and patients at presentation of the acute MI (MI Group-2, n=49). Controls were healthy individuals (n=99). Genotyping of MMP-3 5A/6A polymorphism was carried out by PCR-based restriction digestion method. The genotype distribution of patient groups did not deviate from controls. Serum MMP-3 levels were significantly elevated at presentation of the acute MI by 36.8% (P=0.031) as compared to controls and more associated with 6A genotype suggesting discrepancy between in vitro transfection experiment and peripheral MMP-3 levels.     

Distribution of Methionine Synthase Reductase (MTRR) Gene A66G Polymorphism in Indian Population

Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is an important enzyme of the folate/homocysteine pathway. It is responsible for regulation of methionine enzyme by reductive methylation. A common variant A66G is reported in the FMN-binding domain of the MTRR gene, which leads to substitution of isoleucine by methionine (I22M) in MTRR enzyme with reduced activity. Reduced catalytic activity of enzyme leads to high homocysteine concentration in blood and increases risk for numerous diseases. The frequency of A66G polymorphism varies in different ethnic groups. The present study has been designed to evaluate the frequency of MTRR A66G gene polymorphism in the Eastern UP population by PCR–RFLP method. Along with this we also performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the global prevalence of this polymorphism. Databases were screened to identified the eligible studies. The prevalence of the G allele and GG genotype was determined by the use of prevalence proportion with 95% CI. Open meta-analyst software was used for the meta-analysis. Total 1000 blood samples were analyzed, the frequencies of A and G alleles were 0.35 and 0.65 respectively. Meta-analysis results revealed that the prevalence of G allele and GG genotype were 49.4% (95% CI 40.6–58.1, p ≤ 0.001) and 24.3% (95% CI 17.8–30.9, p ≤ 0.001) respectively. In sub-group meta-analysis, the lowest frequency of G allele was found in South America (32.7%; 95% CI 14.1–51.3, p ≤ 0.001), and highest in Asia (56.4%; 95% CI 39.5–73.3, p ≤ 0.001). The results of the meta-analysis showed that the Asian population has the highest frequency of G allele and highest frequency of the GG genotype was found in the European population.     

Study of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene polymorphism in healthy individuals from Northern India

Cytokines play a key role in immune responses and inflammation. IL-1Ra is a naturally occurring structural variant of IL-1 that competitively inhibits receptor binding of IL-1. We have investigated the polymorphism in intron-2 of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene in North Indian population. This genetic variation has been of great interest due to its possible association with a variety of human diseases primarily of epithelial and endothelial cell origin such as urolithiasis etc. Allele frequencies of the IL-1Ra polymorphism vary among different populations but there is no data till date reported from India. The present study was carried out to determine the IL-1Ra gene Polymorphism in 165 normal unrelated individuals from North India. We obtained an allelic frequency of 63.94, 30.61, 4.55, 0.90 for A, B, C and D allele and percentage of genotypes AA, BB, CC, DD, A/B, A/C, A/D and B/C were 49.7, 18.2, 2.42, 0.60, 24.2, 3.63, 0.60, 0.60 respectively. Our results suggested that the frequency and distribution of this polymorphism in India is substantially different from other populations and ethnic groups.     

Study of Common Genetic Variant S447X in Lipoprotein Lipase and Its Association with Lipids and Lipoproteins in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Elevated plasma triglyceride and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations may cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a rate-determining enzyme in lipid metabolism. A variant in the LPL gene has been identified which alters the penultimate amino acid Serine at 447 to a stop codon (S447X), and results in a truncated LPL molecule lacking the C-terminal dipeptide Ser–Gly. The present study was designed to evaluate the frequency of S447X variant in the LPL gene and its effect on the lipid and lipoprotein levels in type 2 diabetic subjects. The genotype frequency distributions of type 2 diabetes patients and controls were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Comparison of the genotype and allelic frequencies of S447X in subjects with type 2 diabetics compared to controls demonstrated no significant difference. In subjects with type 2 diabetics having hypertriglyceridemia (TG ≥ 150 mg/dl) compared to diabetics with TG level <150 mg/dl, significant difference in genotype frequency was found among these groups, while allelic frequency of X was significantly differed. Logistic regression analysis showed the negative association of LPL S447X variant with TG and VLDL cholesterol, while no association with total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was found. The lipid levels except for HDL cholesterol were found to be significantly lower in carriers for S447X than wild type in diabetes group. The decreased level of TG and TG rich lipoprotein in subjects with SNP S447X in LPL, predicts anti-atherogenic activity of carriers for S447X variant in general population as well as type 2 diabetic patients.     

Association of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with Angiographically Proven Atherosclerosis

Association of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with angiographically proven atherosclerosis CETP gene has been linked to CAD risk via its role in HDL and LDL metabolism. There is no agreement of whether CETP is atherogenic or not. Furthermore, various genotypes of CETP gene have been associated with CETP levels and thus with atherosclerosis risk. Our aim was to study the association of CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism with CETP and HDL levels and their association if any with atherosclerosis. Study population consisted of angiographically documented 50 cases with coronary artery atherosclerosis and 50 controls negative for atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Serum lipid profile was measured on SYNCHRON CX-9 using standard kits. Serum CETP levels were measured by ELISA method. CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism was studied using PCR–RFLP method. There was no significant difference in lipid profile of the two groups. However, serum CETP level was significantly higher (46.44 ± 21.75 ng/ml) in cases than controls (37.10 ± 21.92 ng/ml) with p value =0.035. The frequency of -629A allele was higher (0.85) in cases than that of controls (0.81). Homozygosity of A allele was more in subjects with atherosclerosis of coronary artery. We conclude that CETP is atherogenic and could be used as atherogenic risk predictor in angiographically proven atherosclerosis. Also A allele of -629C/A polymorphism is more prevalent in cases; indicating its effect on expression of CETP gene.     

Antimicrobial activity ofTerminalia bellerica

The antimicrobial activity of crude and methanol extract ofTerminalia bellerica dry fruit was tested by disc diffusion method, against 9 human microbial pathogens. Crude aqueous extract of dry fruit at 4 mg concentration showed zone of inhibition ranging from 15.5–28.0 mm.S. aureus was found to be highly susceptible forming highest zone of inhibition, suggesting thatT. bellerica was strongly inhibitory towards this organism. These pathogens were highly sensitive to the methanol extract forming 14.0 to 30.0 mm zone of inhibition suggesting that the methanol extract ofT. bellerica was more effective than crude extract against most of the microbes tested exceptE. coli (enteropathogen) andP. aeruginosa. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of crude and methanol extracts were determined by broth dilution technique which ranged from 300 to >2400 μg/ml and 250 μg to >2000 μg/ml respectively, indicating thatT. bellerica was highly effective againstS. aureus with lower MIC values. There were some biochemical alterations induced byT. bellerica. These results indicate thatT. bellerica dry fruit possesses potential broad spectrum antimicrobial activity.     

基于MODIS数据的泰国林地资源提取

遥感技术的发展为我们对世界资源的研究提供了新的手段,克服了世界资源研究过程中数据缺乏的困难。泰国曾经是林地资源丰富的国家,尤其是热带林地资源,但是近几十年来林地面积在不断减少,带来了一系列生态问题。选用MOD09Q1的1、2波段,MOD09A1的第6波段以及MOD11A2数据产品提取了泰国林地分布情况。由于泰国地处热带地区云雾噪音为林地的提取造成了很大的不确定性,为了有效去除云雾噪音影响,结合NDVI、NDSI、LST多参数在林地提取中的优势对泰国林地进行提取。采用泰国2003年统计年鉴提供的分省林地面积以及2003年p131r47和p131r48共2景ETM影像进行了精度验证。结果表明,利用多参数综合分类方法对林地提取精度较高,通过与2003年统计年鉴数据进行回归分析发现二者存在明显的线性关系,决定系数达到0.9264。     

Influence of Bcl-1 Gene Polymorphism of Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene (NR3C1, rs41423247) on Blood Pressure,Glucose in Northern Indians

Glucocorticoids and its receptor are known to be involved in the dysregulation of hormone and lipid levels. Therefore, we evaluated the association of Bcl1 gene polymorphism of glucocorticoids receptor (GCR) gene variant with hormone and lipid levels in Northern Indians obese. A total of 435 obese and non-obese age matched subjects were included in the case–control study. Lipid and hormonal levels were estimated using standard protocols. Analysis of +646 C>G NR3C1 gene polymorphism was done using PCR–RFLP. The frequencies of GR Bcl1, C>G genotypes and alleles did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between obese and non-obese. The +646 G allele carriers had higher waist to hip ratio, blood pressure, insulin and glucose levels than non-carriers in obese subjects while diastolic blood pressure and glucose in non-obese. The NR3C1, +646 C>G polymorphism did not associate with obesity. However, the GG genotype may modulate blood pressure, blood glucose and hormonal levels in northern Indians.     

Genetic Variant XRCC1 rs1799782 (C194T) and Risk of Cancer Susceptibility in Indian Population: A Meta-analysis of Case–Control Studies

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) plays a key role in the base excision repair pathway, as a scaffold protein that brings together proteins of the DNA repair complex. Several studies have reported contradictory results for XRCC1 exon 6 C>T (rs1799782) gene polymorphism and cancer risk in Indian population has provided inconsistent results. Therefore, we have performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between XRCC1 exon 6 C>T gene polymorphism and risk of cancer by published studies. We searched PubMed and Google scholar web databases to cover all studies published on association between XRCC1 exon 6 C>T gene polymorphism and cancer risk. The meta-analysis was carried out and pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to appraise the strength of association. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the association, A total of 3197 confirmed cancer cases and 3819 controls were included from eligible seventeen case-controls studies. Results from overall pooled analysis demonstrated suggested that that variant allele (T vs. C: OR 1.301, 95% CI 1.003–1.688, p = 0.047) was associated with the risk of overall cancer. Other genetic models; heterozygous (TC vs. CC: OR 1.108, 95% CI 0.827–1.485, p = 0.491), homozygous (TT vs. CC: OR 1.479, 95% CI 0.877–2.493, p = 0.142), dominant (TT+TC vs. CC: OR 1.228, 95% CI 0.899–1.677, p = 0.196) and recessive (TT vs. TC+CC: OR 1.436, 95% CI 0.970–2.125, p = 0.071) did not reveal statistical association. Publication bias observation was also considered and none was detected during the analysis. The present meta-analysis suggested that the variant allele T of XRCC1 exon 6 gene polymorphism was associated with the risk of cancer. It is therefore pertinent to confirm this finding in a large sample size to divulge the mechanism of this polymorphism and cancer risk in Indian population.     

Poly A RNA status and expression of milli (m) and micro (μ) calpains in skeletal muscle of duchenne muscular dystrophy patients

Poly A RNA status and itsin vitro translation in a rabbit reticulolysate cell free system, were assessed in the skeletal muscle of young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Compared to normals there is a significant 48% increase in poly A RNA content of dystrophic muscle and its translatability was increased by 56% based on³⁵S methionine incorporation into total protein systhesised. Immunoprecipitation of the translated products with monospecific antibodies showed that there is a 2.6 fold and a 2 fold increase in m and μ calpains respectively. This underlines the importance of both synthetic and degenerative activities in the early pathology in DMD muscle.     

A Study on the Level of T<Subscript>3</Subscript>, T<Subscript>4</Subscript>, TSH and the Association of A/G Polymorphism with CTLA-4 Gene in Graves’ Hyperthyroidism among South Indian Population

Graves’ disease (GD) is an organ-specific heterogenous autoimmune disorder associated with T-lymphocyte abnormality affecting the thyroid, eyes and skin. GD is a multifactorial disease that develops as a result of complex interaction between genetic susceptibility genes and environmental factors. It has been suggested that the Cytotoxic T lymphocytes associated molecule-4 (CTLA-4) is a genetic susceptibility candidate for GD. The present study was focused on A/G polymorphism at position 49 in exon-1 of the CTLA-4 gene in 80 GD patients (GP) and 80 sex and age matched healthy individuals among South Indian (Madurai) population. Serum concentrations of thyroid hormone (T₄, T₃ and TSH) were determined by using automated analyzer. The genomic DNA was isolated from the patient and control groups and genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme analysis using Bbv1. Significant difference (P < 0.001) was observed in the level of T₃, T₄ and TSH in GD patients and healthy individuals. The results revealed the CTLA-4 gene G/G genotype to be 32 (40%) in patients and 26 (32.50%) in healthy individuals, A/G genotype to be 37 (46.25%) in patients and 25 (31.25%) in healthy individuals and A/A genotype to be 11 (13.75%) in patients and 29 (36.25%) in healthy individuals. The calculated odds ratio (OR) in individuals with mutant genotype (GG/AG) reveal 3.6 fold risk for GD (95% confidence interval = 1.6–7.8). The mutant “G” allele frequency was observed to be 0.63 in GD patients and 0.48 in healthy individuals. Thus the present study demonstrates an association between the CTLA-4 gene polymorphism and Graves’ disease.     

Hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of combination ofCurcumin fromCurcuma longa, Linn, and partially purified product fromAbroma augusta, Linn. in streptozotocin induced diabetes

Dietary spice components ofCurcuma longa andAbroma augusta have been screened for their protective effect against reactive oxygen species induced lipid peroxidation. They have been found to be efficient antioxidant when administered in combination. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of oral administration (300mg/Kg) of the aqueous extract of turmeric whose active ingredient isCurcumin andAbromine powder as a hypoglycemic agent mixed with diet. The effect of this aqueous extract on blood glucose, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the antioxidant defense system in rat tissues like liver, lung, kidney and brain was studied for 8 weeks in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The administration of an aqueous extract of turmeric and abromine powder resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose and an increase in total haemoglobin. The aqueous extract also resulted in decreased free radical formation in the tissues studied. The decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increase in reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) clearly showed the antioxidant property of the mixture. It is suggested that these changes initially counteract the oxidative stress in diabetes however, a gradual decrease in the antioxidative process may be one of the factors which results in chronic diabetes. These results indicate that the mixture of the two plants have shown antidiabetic activity and also reduced oxidative stress in diabetes. A combination ofAbroma augusta and Curcuma longa also restored the other general parameters in diabetic animals. The results were statistically analyzed and indicated that combination of herbal extracts showed better efficacy as compared to individual herbal plant extracts used.     

Antitubercular activity of garlic (allium sativum) extract on combination with conventional antitubercular drugs in tubercular lymphadenitis

Based on our demonstration earlier that ethanol extract, water extract and a compound purified from garlic possessedin vitro antitubercular activity against drug resistant and susceptibleMycobacterium tuberculosis, we tried the effect of garlic extract in 30 patients of tubercular lymphadenitis. For ethical considerations, two groups of patients, 30 each, were given antitubercular therapy (ATT) consisting of isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide for 30 days. For the next 15 days (31 to 45 days) group 1 patients received 3–6 garlic pearls per day in addition to ATT while group 2 patients received ATT only. From 46th day onwards both the groups received ATT only for 6–8 months. Antitubercular activity of the serum samples collected on 45th day was assessed by its effect on the growth ofM. tuberculois. The serum of group 1 patients showed significantly much higher antitubercular activity than that of group 2 patients. Further, there was relief of dyspeptic symptoms caused by ATT therapy in patients of group 1 with garlic plus ATT therapy but no change in group 2 patients with ATT only. Liver function and hematological tests were normal in both the groups after 6 months of therapy. Garlic extracts or compounds have a good potential as antitubercular(s) drug if given as a supplement to ATT.     

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphism and obesity: A pilot study from north India

The main adverse consequences of excess bodyweight are cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and several cancers, IL-1Ra serum concentration has been reported earlier to increase in human obesity and it is therefore assumed that the polymorphism of IL-1Ra may influence cytokine production. We designed this study to investigate whether the IL-1Ra polymorphism was associated with obesity. A total number of 103 individuals; 19 lean (BMI<25 Kg/m²), 51 overweight (BMI 25–29.9 Kg/m²) and 33 obese (BMI≥30.0 Kg/m²) were enrolled in this study. Genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction PCR amplification of the intron-2 fragment harboring a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) nucleotide sequences 86 pb of tandem repeat. The PCR products were separated on 2% agarose gel. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 11.5). We found no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between the three groups; lean vs. overweight and lean vs. obese (p=0.323; 0.202; 0.123 and 0.068 resp). However, an increased risk for obesity had a propensity to be higher in those having genotype II/II. This genotype has been reported to be a ‘high producer’ of IL-1Ra. Although no statistically significant relationship between IL-1Ra polymorphism and BMI was observed, however, a trend towards an increase of allele^*II in overweight and obese group was observed. This may suggest that IL-1Ra appears to be induced by inflammatory stimuli as well as obesity-associated factors. This is relatively a pilot study: but nevertheless, may assist in identifying the pathophysiological cause for obesity.     

Rat serum electrolytes, lipid profile and cardiovascular activity onNauclea latifolia leaf extract administration

Aqueous extract of the leaf and root ofNauclea latifolia Sm. (Rubiaceae) is used in Nigerian folk medicine for the treatment of hypertension. This work is carried out to investigate the effect ofNauclea latifolia leaf extract on lipid profile and cardiovascular activity of rats. Normal and 10% coconut oil fed rats were treated with the water-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract ofNauclea latifolia leaf for 2 weeks. Forty-eight mature male albino rats of the Wistar strain were divided into two experiments of four groups, each group having 6 animals. Experiment I animals were treated with the water-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract whilst experiment II animals were fed 10% coconut oil meal before treatment with the water-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract. A single oral dose ofNauclea latifolia was 170, 340 and 510 mg/kg body wt/day of the extracts respectively for 2 wks. There was no significant change in the lipid profile of the experimental animals as compared with the controls. There was about 40% relaxation on contracted thoracic aorta that was pre-contracted with 2 μM phenylephrine. The viability of the tissue was tested against 10 μM of acetylcholine. There was no significant (P>0.05) change in Na⁺ concentration in the serum. However, the K⁺ concentration in the serum of the experimental animals showed a significant increase. The study shows that ethanol extract ofNauclea latifolia has vasodilator action on the aorta and that lipid profiles of experimental rats were not affected. Furthermore, the increase in the K⁺ may be contributing to the vasodilator effect ofNauclea latifolia.