• Start Date: Thursday, March 09, 2023
• End Date: Thursday, March 09, 2023
• Start Time: 9:00 AM
• End Time: 11:00 AM
• Venue: PHARMACY BOARD ROOM

MBARARA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

        Faculty of Medicine

Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry

 NOTICE FOR PhD THESIS AND DEFENSE OF DISSERTATION

Date: Thursday 9^th March2023

Venue: PHARMACY BOARD ROOM

Time:  9:00 a.m

Note: PhD thesis abstract and publications are attached.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYldOiurTouHNd1rBLPHU4UdNiWke-nRaOO

Meeting ID: 928 3163 1463

Passcode: 805428

Candidate’s Name: Rebecca Nakaziba

Reg. No.: 2017/PHD/053/PS

Department: Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Examiners:

1. Dr Deusidedit Tusubira, PhD
2. Dr Raphael Wangalwa, PhD
3. Dr David Musoke, PhD

Supervisors:

1. Prof. Paul E. Alele (Ph.D)
2. Jasper W. Ogwal-Okeng (Ph.D)

Thesis Abstract

Background and aim: Plants have over the years been used to treat ailments with undeniable success. Corchorus olitorius is a vegetable with a variety of traditional medicinal benefits but there is scanty documentation of neither its medicinal uses nor its pharmacological activity in Uganda. This study purposed to document its traditional medicinal uses, assess its antimicrobial and antihyperglycaemic activity, as well as its toxicity in a laboratory setting.

Methods: A cross-sectional ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Oyam district Northern Uganda, to document the traditional medicinal uses of Corchorus olitorius. Descriptive data was analyzed using SPSS statistics 20. The sample was then collected, identified, air dried and serial extracted using diethyl ether, methanol and distilled water. The crude extracts were securely stored under refrigeration and used for the assays. The antimicrobial bioactivity assays were performed using the agar-well diffusion technique. The crude extracts were further subjected to TLC for separation and the components also assayed for antimicrobial bioactivity. This was followed by GC-MS analysis to identify the bioactive components. The antihyperglycaemic activity and toxicity tests were performed using laboratory animals and the results analyzed by the Prism Graphpad, one way ANOVA and multiple t’ test. All results were presented in the form of tables and figures.

Results: Corchorus olitorius was traditionally used to treat joint pain/stiffness and to strengthen bones. The antimicrobial bioactivity testing demonstrated bioactivity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae while the GC-MS analysis revealed methyl esters. The antihyperglycaemic test exhibited moderate activity and there were no toxicity effects associated with Corchorus olitorius.

Conclusions and Recommendation: Corchorus olitorius is traditionally used to treat joint and bone related ailments. It is bioactive against bacteria and a moderate antihyperglycaemic agent with no toxic effects. Further pharmacological investigations and possible pharmaceutical development should be considered.

List of publications

Nakaziba, R., Anyolitho, M. K., Amanya, S. B., Sesaazi, C. D., Byarugaba, F., Ogwal-Okeng, J., & Alele, P. E. (2021). Traditional medicinal vegetables in northern Uganda: An ethnobotanical survey. International Journal of Food Science, 2021. Volume 2021 | Article ID 5588196 | https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5588196

2. Nakaziba, R., Lubega, A., Ogwal-Okeng, J., & Alele, P. E. (2022). Phytochemical Analysis, Acute Toxicity, as well as Antihyperglycemic and Antidiabetic Activities of Corchorus olitorius L. Leaf Extracts. The Scientific World Journal, 2022.Volume 2022 | Article ID 1376817 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1376817
3. Rebecca Nakaziba, Sharon Bright Amanya, Crispin Duncan Sesaazi, Frederick Byarugaba, Jasper Ogwal-Okeng, Paul E. Alele, “Antimicrobial Bioactivity and GC-MS Analysis of Different Extracts of Corchorus olitorius L Leaves”, The Scientific World Journal, vol. 2022, Article ID 3382302, 9 pages, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3382302