FACULTYOFPHARMACY

Rising incidences of benin and cancerous tumours, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
and prostate cancer, coupled with the unpleasant side effects of current therapy, suggest a need to
search for new drug molecules. The stem bark of Lonchocarpus griffonianus G. Don
(Fabaceae) is an important medicinal plant used in Nigeria to treat BPH and other tumour
related ailments. No pharmacological study on the use of the plant for treating BPH has been
reported. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of L. griffonianus (LG) on BPH.
Two organs (stem and root barks) of LG were identified, collected, pulverized and extracted with
absolute methanol (99 %) using a Soxhlet extractor. Comparative preliminary biological
evaluations were done on the L. griffonianus stem bark (LGSB) extract and root bark (LGRB)
extracts using two benchtop assays (cytotoxic and antiproliferative). The acute toxicity of the LG
stem bark extract was done using a modified Lorke's method. The extract was subjected to
Vacuum Liquid Chromatography (VLC) and Gravity Column Chromatography (GCC) to obtain
two isolated compounds, LO1 and LO2. The compounds were subjected to MS and 1D NMR
analysis for identification. The isolated compounds (LO1 and LO2) were subjected to cytotoxic
evaluation on human prostate (PC3) and uterine cervical cancer (Hela) cell lines using a 3-(4, 5
dimethyl thiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Anti-BPH evaluation was
done on the extract and LO1 using testosterone-induced BPH in the rat model. BPH was induced
by the administration of testosterone propionate (4 mg/kg, s.c., in olive oil) for 28 days. LGSB
extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), LO1 (5 mg/kg), LGSB extract (200 mg/kg)+finasteride (5
mg/kg) and finasteride (5 mg/kg) were orally administered daily. On day 29, the rats were
sacrificed under anaesthesia and blood was collected via the abdominal aorta. The collected
blood was centrifuged, and the serum was separated. The serum was analyzed for biochemical
parameters such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), testosterone and estradiol. The prostate was
harvested for histological examination. The wet weight and volume of the prostate were taken.
The prostate index (PI) was calculated. All data were expressed as mean ± SEM (standard error
of the mean) and were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA),The result of preliminary evaluations indicated that the LGSB extract has a higher activity (100 ±0.00% mortality at 80 µg/mL) than the LGRB extract (3.33 ± 1.29% at 80 µg/mL). Acute
toxicity results revealed no mortality in both phases after oral administration with LD50>5000mg/kg. LO1 and LO2 significantlyinhibited the multiplication of PC3 and Hela cells in vitro

Background: Hypertension remains a major global health concern, with a high prevalence in
Nigeria leading to significant cardiovascular morbidity. Despite the availability of effective
antihypertensive drugs, poor blood pressure control persists due to drug therapy problems
(DTPs) such as non-adherence and inappropriate therapy.
Objective: To assess the impact of pharmacist intervention in identifying and resolving drug
therapy problems among hypertensive patients at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital,
Benin City.
Method: A prospective observational study was conducted among 226 hypertensive patients
attending the Consultant Outpatient Department pharmacy. Data were collected using
structured forms based on the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) classification
system. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software.
Results: Out of 226 participants, 60.6% had at least one DTP. The most common problem
was non-adherence (47.3%), mostly patient-related (47.3%). Pharmacist interventions were
primarily patient-level (48.2%), with counselling being the major strategy (48.2%). Patient
acceptance of interventions was 48.2%, and prescriber acceptance 14.6%. Duration of
diagnosis showed a significant relationship with DTP occurrence (p = 0.008).
Conclusion: Pharmacist interventions significantly contributed to identifying and resolving
DTPs, improving adherence, and optimizing hypertension management. Integrating
pharmacists into multidisciplinary care teams is essential for enhancing patient outcomes and
minimizing medication-related problems

Background: with absolute certainty, the growing number of people with end stage diseases such as cancer and life limiting illness has become a global health concern and therefore requires aparadigm shift into the provision of an effective palliative care which should encompass the contribution of all healthcare professionals regardless of the practice setting.Objective: The objective of this study is to explore and provide evidence of the role of clinical pharmacist in the palliative care of cancer patients in other to improve the quality of life of the patients. Method: This study is questionnaire-guided survey among registered pharmacists working in the two selected tertiary hospitals with established palliative care and cancer (oncology unit) services which are University of Benin and Central hospital, Benin City. Data was collected through the use of self-administered questionnaires from the post intern pharmacists of both hospitals. The questionnaire consists of five sections. Section A: captured demographic characteristics, years of experience in hospital practice, previous training in palliative care, as well as cadre/rank. SectionB: contains 18-item questions to evaluate the general knowledge of the clinical pharmacist in palliative care of cancer patients. Section C: evaluated opinion on relevant attitude-related statements toward palliative care. Section D contains item-statements that clarified the extent of involvement in some palliative care services in their respective practice site, while Section E:contains questions that explored possible factors that may hinder involvement in palliative care.All data collected were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS 21).Results: The association between pharmacistshospital of practice and attitude related statements showed a statistically significant difference of p< 0.05; indicating that there is no relationship between the hospital of practice of the pharmacists and their attitude towards palliative care of cancer patients. However, 78.9% of the pharmacists had inadequate general knowledge of palliative care, with almost two-thirds who had a misconception that