Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
(150°C, 1 h) caused significant (
p
< 0.05) increases in phenolic acids, TPC, TFC, and PACs com-
pared with the soaking and steaming stages. Accompanied with the changes of phytochemicals of
sorghum grain, there were complex changes of biological activities during the successive processes.
Our study also showed that there were positive linear correlations between TPC, TFC, PACs, and
bioactivities of sorghum grain; however, PACs had the strongest correlation (0.979, 0.968, and 0.912,
respectively,
p
< 0.0001) with DPPH radical scavenging activity, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase
inhibitory activities.
Pharmacological Studies —
Sorghum
is valued as a highly nutritious plant. Much published
literature exists on the food value of this crop; therefore, the emphasis here is on its possible medici-
nal uses. The use of the red pigment in the treatment of anemia has been confirmed in tests with
rats. Sorghum stem extract was administered to 21-day-old weaning rats that were maintained on
iron-sufficient or iron-deficient diets for 6 weeks before the administration of the aqueous extract of
Sorghum bicolor
stem bark at various doses for 7 days. The extract produced a significant increase
in hemoglobin, packed cell volume, and red blood cells in iron-sufficient and iron-deficient groups
(
p
< 0.05). There was also a significant (
p
< 0.05) increase in the CAT activity of the rat liver and
kidney without any significant change (
p
> 0.05) in the serum CAT activity. The results showed
that the extract reversed the anemic condition in the iron-deficient group, thus indicative of the pos-
sible role of
Sorghum
in the management of anemia.
968
A standardized extract from
S. bicolor
stem
developed at InterCEDD Laboratories Nsukka (Nigeria), called Phytoerythropoetin-K (PEP-K), has
also demonstrated consistent value in the treatment of anemia in chronic diseases. It is believed to
improve the iron-binding capacity (transferring) and the percent saturation, as well as better incor-
porating iron in developing red cells.
969
A patented product by Nigeria's National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development
(NIPRD) called Niprisan, which contains
Sorghum bicolor
leaves in a mixture with other plants,
has been shown to be effective in the management of sickle-cell anemia with remarkable results.
970
The patent described a phytochemical composition for treating sickle-cell disease; the composition
is a cold water extraction product of a mixture containing
Piper guineenses
seeds,
Pterocarpus
osum
stem,
Eugenia caryophyllum
fruit,
Sorghum bicolor
leaves, and potash. Also described are
mixtures of phytomaterials used for preparing the extraction product, methods for making the
extraction product, and methods for using the extraction product.
A related product marketed also in Nigeria, Jobelyn (formerly called Jubi Formula), has been
shown to be effective in the management of sickle-cell anemia. An
in vitro
study has been reported
that examined the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties of Jobelyn.
971
Freshly iso-
lated primary human PMN and MNC subsets were used to test selected cellular functions in the
absence versus presence of aqueous and ethanol extracts of
Sorghum bicolor
leaf sheaths (SBLS).
Both aqueous and nonaqueous compounds contributed to reduced ROS formation by inflammatory
PMN cells and reduced the migration of these cells in response to the inflammatory chemoattrac-
tant leukotriene B4. Distinct effects were seen on lymphocyte and monocyte subsets in cultures of
PBMCs. The aqueous extract of SBLS triggered robust upregulation of the CD69 activation marker
on CD3-CD56 plus natural killer (NK) cells, whereas the ethanol extract of SBLS triggered similar
upregulation of CD69 on CD3 plus CD56 plus NKT cells, CD3 plus T lymphocytes, and monocytes.
This was accompanied by manyfold increases in the chemokines RANTES/CCL5, MIP-1a/CCL3,
and MIP-1b/CCL 4.
971
SOLANUM AETHIOPICUM
Botanical Name —
Solanum aethiopicum
L.
Synonyms —
Solanum gilo
Raddi,
Solanum olivare
Paill. & Bois.,
Solanum pierreanum
Pailleux & Bois
