Anti-sickling studies of Nigerian plants

Sickle cell disorder is a public health problem in many countries particularly in Africa. It is one of the most prevalent heamatologic genetic disorders which results from a single point mutation of βGlu6 in Hb to βVal6 in Hbs (1). No drug could effectively cure the disorder but a potentially useful drug if available should effectively provide relief by alleviation or prevention of its symptoms. Nonetheless, there are few anti-sickling agents to date available for clinical use (2).

In view of its genetic origin, advocacy remains the only option for the prevention of the disorder. However, with over 1 million individuals worldwide with sickle cell disorder, the search for ideal anti-sickling drugs is a major priority.

The present screening study reports the anti-sickling properties of eight Nigerian plant species with inhibitory and reversal properties. Extracts of the Cola species tested, in particular, showed the same order of activity as p-hydroxybenzoic acid, the positive control.

Keywords: Sickle cell disorder, plants, Cola species, anti-sickling properties

References: 1. Quattara B et al. (2009) Phytomedicine 16: 125–129

2. Martin KS et al (2004)J Med Chem 47: 4665–4676