FACULTY OF PHARMACY

Antacids are usually alkaline substances that are used
to neutralize excess acid in the stomach and they are common over
the counter (OTC) medications used by patients to obtain fast
symptomatic relief from dyspepsia, heartburn, peptic ulcer, etc.
Some antacid products may neutralize more acid in the stomach than
others, the ability of an antacid to neutralize acid is expressed
as its acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). High technology equipment
like standard pH meter which is needed in the determination of
acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) are not readily available in
developing countries like Nigeria and there is also the issue of
epileptic power supply which makes it essential to determine a
suitable indicator that can be used in titrimetric method of
determining ANC which is inexpensive, simple and could be used in
routine monitoring of the quality of antacid suspensions.Also,the
Buffering capacity of the antacids are investigated to understand
the duration of action of their acid neutralizing action
Method: The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) method of analysis of
antacids was adopted,using acid-base titration (back/indirect
titration), the use of an indicator (Bromophenol Blue) was used to
determine the pH change in place of a pH meter. The samples were
coded A-T to avoid any bias in the study. All the sampled brands
has at least 1 year to expiry as indicated on the label.
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Results: A pH greater than 3.5 was recorded for all the antacid
brands analyzed in the preliminary antacid test (PAT), this proved
that they are all antacids. All the brands of antacids analyzed
for their ANC were found to meet the specification of 5mEq/dose.
However, a wide variation in the ANC results was observed among
the brands where sample I was found to have the highest ANC value
(25.50mEq/dose), while sample A has the lowest ANC value
(8.50mEq/dose). Sample B has the highest buffering capacity which
was maintained for 25minutes while sample A and G also has the
lowest buffering capacity of just 5minutes.
Conclusion: The titrimetric procedure used in this study is simple,
inexpensive, and easy to use and could be used in routine
monitoring or periodic evaluation of the quality of Antacid
suspensions and this could help prescribers to make informed
choices for their patients.
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Background: Vaccines remain one of the most successful and cost-effective measures for combating COVID-19. However, vaccine hesitancy which refers to delay in acceptance of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services (MacDonald NE and SAGE working group, 2015), could pose a serious problem for COVID-19 prevention and control. Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among staff of the institution and factors associated with it. Methods: The study design was a cross sectional retrospective study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The
questionnaire was shared to the staff in their various offices. The outcome measures were participants’ demographics,
participants’ knowledge of the disease, and of course the proportion of participants already vaccinated; vaccine hesitancy rates and reasons for this hesitancy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Minitab version 19. Bivariate analysis was
performed by the chi-square test, and statistical significance was accepted when p-value is < 0.05. Results: Only 140 of the study
responses were analyzed. Results showed that only 42, representing just 30% of the surveyed participants have been vaccinated; whereas, 98 participants representing 70% of the study respondents have not been vaccinated/ hesitant to get
vaccinated. Vaccine safety concerns (31.4%), vaccine effectiveness (27.1%) and availability (15.7%) major of their hesitancy
towards getting vaccinated. Nature of job (whether academic or non-academic) with p=0.032, years of experience with p=0.004, and educational level with p=0.002 may have significantly influence participants decisions towards the vaccine. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is high among staff of the University of Benin and
this is attributable to concerns surrounding the vaccine safety, effectiveness and availability. Keywords: Corona virus, vaccine, hesitancy

Plants have been recognized for their lifesaving and therapeutic properties. Various forms of cancer are prevalent in the society. Zingiber officinale (rhizome), Eugenia caryophyllus (flower), Callistemon citrinus (leaves), Hyptis suaveolens (leaves), Ocimum basilicum (leaves), Ocimum gratissimum (leaves) as well as Tetrapleura tetraptera pod are used in ethnomedicine in treating tumor-related ailments. This study was undertaken to evaluate the cytotoxic and growth inhibitory effects of these plants using predictive and confirmatory tests on cancer cell lines. Preliminary screening of the essential oils of Z. officinale (rhizome), E. caryophyllus (flower), C. citrinus (leaves), H. suaveolens (leaves), O. basilicum (leaves), O. gratissimum (leaves) and T. tetraptera pod methanol extract was carried out using bench-top assay methods for cytotoxicity involving the use of tadpoles of Raniceps ranninus (10-40 μg/mL) and brine shrimp of Artemia salina (10-1000 μg/mL), and antiproliferation using radicle of Sorghum bicolor seeds (1-30 mg/mL). The essential oils were further tested on breast cancer (AU 565) and cervical cancer (HeLa) cell lines at 50 μg/mL. Essential oils of E. caryophyllus, O. basilicum and O. gratissimum were subjected to column chromatography and preparative TLC and the resulting fractions were also tested. T. tetraptera extract was partitioned into hexane, chloroform and aqueous fractions which were tested against AU 565. Vacuum liquid chromatography and other chromatographic techniques employed in the evaluation of the chloroform fraction led to the isolation of two compounds which were also tested for their effects on AU 565 and MDA- MB231 at 50 μM. The essential oils and their respective isolates were subjected to GCMS while NMR and Mass spectrometric analysis were carried out on the isolates obtained from the extract. The results of the preliminary screening of the essential oils and extract showed a concentration dependent activity. Similar activities were also observed with the tadpole and brine shrimp mortality assays. H. suaveolens and Z. officinale oils showed the highest activity against AU 565 cells with 86.74 and 43% growth inhibitions respectively. The chromatographic procedures on the essential oils resulted in isolates with higher activities. GCMS revealed them to be thymol from O. gratissimum and eugenol from E. caryophyllus which produced +85.07 % and +18.82 % inhibitions against AU 565 cells respectively, as well as estragole from O. basilicum which gave +89.3 % inhibition against HeLa cells. The partitioning and isolation procedures carried out on T. tetraptera pod extract resulted in the isolation of two compounds. NMR and MS revealed the XX compounds to be 22-hydroxyisohopane and (3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-acetamido-2'- deoxy]- oleanolic acid with 14.36 and 19 % inhibitions against breast cancer cell line respectively. These results have shown the potency and justified the probable use of these plants in ethnomedicine in treating tumor-related ailments.

amarindus indica, or the Tamarind tree, known for its numerous health benefits, is a large evergreen tree native to tropical Africa and now found in Asia. Its alcoholic extract has been found to possess hypotensive effects, and this study seeks to evaluate the ethanolic extract of the stem bark of Tamarindus indica for vascular smooth muscle relaxation effects, as a possible mechanism of blood pressure reduction.
Isolated rat thoracic aortic rings were suspended in an isolated organ bath with a pair of tungsten wires. A 50 mg/mL stock solution of the extract was prepared, from which serial dilutions were done to obtain the concentrations used (25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.125, 1.56 and 0.78 mg/mL), and volumes of 25, 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 uL were administered cumulatively. The experiment was done using rat thoracic aorta with intact and denuded endothelium, and rat thoracic aorta with intact endothelium, pre-contracted with 80 mM potassium chloride (KCl). The extract caused concentration-dependent relaxation of the rat thoracic aorta with intact and denuded endothelium, though this effect was slightly reduced with denuded endothelium. The extract also caused concentration-dependent relaxation of rat thoracic aorta pre-contracted with 80 mM KCl. From the results obtained from the study, it can be concluded that the extract possesses vascular smooth muscle relaxation effects, which might be both endothelium-dependent and independent, and is possibly mediated through blockade of the L-type Ca 2+ channels. This could be responsible for its blood pressure reduction effects

Introduction: Antibiotics have played monumental role in the control and management of infectious disease since their discovery, saved lives of countless patients and improved patient care in general. However, antibiotic misuse and unnecessary use of antibiotics contributes to the process of antibiotic resistance, which is considered a global concern.The population plays an important role in abuse or irrational use of antibiotics and spread of bacterial resistance.
Aim of Study: To assess the public perception towards the use of antibiotics.
Methods: A cross sectional 20 - item questionnaire survey involving a convenience sample of 611 individuals was conducted in Benin City and Lagos State. The questionnaire consists of two sections; the first section comprises of socio-demographic data including age, gender, occupational status, educational level, marital status, monthly income. The second section consists of 20 items which collected data about perception towards antibiotics use. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and inferential analysis was carried out using GraphPadInstant version 3.10.
Results: From this study, a total of 611 respondents participated out of which 602 questionnaires were completed appropriately therefore giving a high response rate of 98.5%.Those who were students had a higher perception of 69.88 ± 11.60 compared to those who were self-employed (63.52 ± 10.28) while respondents with a tertiary level of education had a better perception (70.37 ± 11.72) compared to those with a secondary level of education or lower. Older respondents had a high perception towards the use of antibiotics however in comparison to more than half of the respondents who were females; male respondents had a better perception towards the use of antibiotics. None of the items loaded had values < 0.4 which indicates their adequate contribution to the summary scores.
Conclusion
This study revealed that occupational status and educational level of respondents was significantly associated with perception towards antibiotic use.

Erectile dysfunction, a prevalent issue among men today, is characterized by difficulties in
achieving or maintaining a firm erection during sexual activity. While drugs like Viagra (a
phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor or PDE5) are available, they often come with side effects like
headaches, dizziness, and vision problems. This research aims to identify the the bioactive
compounds in plants traditionally used for treating erectile dysfunction. Phytoconstituents from six plants Cyperus esculentus tubers, Piper guineense leaves and seeds, Spondias mombin leaves and fruit, Tamarindus indica fruit and seeds, Terminalia catappa seeds, and Rauwolfia Vomitoria leaves and roots were obtained from literature and their 2D strructure
data file (SDF) were retreived from PubChem. The phytoconstituents and the stanadards
sildenafil and tadalafil were docked with Phosphodiesterase enzyme (2H42) using PyRx after it
was prepared with chimera. Post docking analysis, Absorption, distribution, metabolism and
excretion (ADME) and toxicity profile were carried out using Biodiscovery studio, swissADME
and admetSAR software respectively. The results showed varying binding affinities of the compounds for PDE5 drug targets
comparable to the standards (≥-9.8 kcal/mol). Most of the hit compounds exhibited potential as
drug leads for use in erectile dysfunction. Lanosterol from Cyperus esculentus, Thujopsene from
Piper guineense, Lupenone from Spondias mombin and Tamarindus indica, while
Spiro[Androst-5-Ene-17,1'-Cyclobutan]-2'-One, 3-Hydroxy-,(3.Beta.,17.Beta.)- for Rauwolfia
vomitoria demonstrated the strongest binding affinity with -11.1, -10.9, -17, -18.9, and -10.9
respectively. Many of the constituents showed good therapeutic potential for the treatment of erectile
dysfunction. However, further studies such as molecular dynamic simulation, in vivo and in vitro
studies need to be carried out to further validate the claim.

Background: The extent to which pharmacy students perceive their mental health and how
this may directly affect their academic performance appears to have not been extensively
studied in Nigeria. Objective: To determine the prevalence of mental health problems and assess how it affects
academic performance in undergraduate pharmacy students. The relationship between socio- demographic factors and mental health was also investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a DASS-21 rating scale for mental health was
conducted among pharmacy students from six Southern Nigerian universities. Inferential
analysis was done by computation of Student T-test and one way Analysis of Variance. P- values less than 0.05 were interpreted as significant. Results: Out of 843 pharmacy students’ responses, 757 were found usable giving a response
rate of 89.7%. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 53%, 60% and 35%
respectively. Those who have depression, anxiety and stress significantly had better grades
compared to those without mental health problems who passed more courses at p<0.05. Those who belong to school fellowship, aged<20yrs and have lost their mother are more
anxious (61%) on the DASS_21 rating scale. Those who stay in school hostel reported having
more anxiety (61%) and stress (35%). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the prevalence of mental health problems is high with
depression (53%), anxiety (60%) and stress (35%) significantly affecting the academic
performance of pharmacy students. Socio-demographic factors such as age and proximity to
school seems to have a relationship with mental health. KEY WORDS: Mental health disorders, DASS_21, Perception, Pharmacy Education, Pharmacy Student

In folk medicine, Emilia coccinea, is used to treat microbial infections and wounds. Thus the
aim of this study was to Investigate the Antifungal Activity of the n-hexane fraction of Emilia
coccinea (Sims) G. Don. The Assessment of the n-hexane fraction of Emilia coccinea whole
plant was investigated in order to verify its claimed folkloric usage in treatment of microbial
infections. Sensitivity tests for anti-fungi activities of the whole plant n-hexane fraction were
determined using Agar well diffusion method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs)
of fractions were also determined using Agar dilution. Commercial antifungal agent
(Ketoconazole) were used as positive reference standard to determine sensitivity of tested
organisms. The test organisms (Candidia albicans, Trichophyton rubrum, and Rhodotorula
glutinis) were found to be sensitive to the n-hexane fraction while no sensitive on Aspergillus
fumigatus, and Microsporum audounii. The n-hexane fraction recorded highest mean
inhibition diameter of 15.50±1.06 mm against Candidia albican. The results demonstrate that
the n-hexane fraction of E. coccinea plants has antifungal activity and can be a potential
source of antifungal agents. Thus, the folkloric usage of this plant for the treatment of
microbial diseases is justified.