Browsing by Author "Mwavu, E. N."

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    Immunomodulatory Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Auricularia sp and Pleurotus sp Mushrooms in Cyclophosphamide- Immunosuppressed Wistar Rats
    (British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2013) Kyakulaga, A. H.; Ogwang, P. E.; Obua, C.; Nakabonge, G.; Mwavu, E. N.
    To determine the immunomodulatory effect of aqueous extracts of Auricularia sp and Pleurotus sp mushrooms using an immunosuppression animal model. Study Design: Pre-clinical experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Health Sciences and Division of Pharmacology, Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, between August 2010 and December 2011. Methodology: A total of 80 Wistar rats divided into 8 groups (n=10) were used in the experimental study. Cyclophosphamide (10mg/kg) was administered orally (p.o) to fifty (50) Wistar rats in the first 5 groups for 28 days. In addition, rats in Group I received distilled water, groups II & III received 300mg/kg & 600mgkg of Auricularia sp extract respectively and Groups IV &V received 400mg/kg & 800mg/kg Pleurotus sp extract respectively. Wistar rats in Group VI received only 300mg/kg Auricularia sp extract, group VII received 400mg/kg Pleurotus sp extract and Group VIII received only distilled water. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 14 and 28 to determine the total and differential WBC counts. Data is presented as mean±SEM and analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by a student’s t-test for statistical significance. Mean values are compared with initial values and the control group (Group VIII). Results: No mortality of Wistar rats was observed over the 28-day experimental period. Cyclophosphamide though caused statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in total WBC on day 14 and 28 compared with day 0 in control group from 11.26±0.59 on day 0 to 6.11±0.41 day 14, & 4.12±0.22 on day 28. Lymphocytes and Neutrophil counts were also significantly reduced in control group by day 28 compared to mushroom extract treated rats. Results show that aqueous extracts of Auricularia sp & Pleurotus sp mushrooms significantly (p<0.05) moderated the reductions in total & differential WBC on day 14 and 28 as compared to the control group. The mushroom extracts also increased total and differential WBC in normal rats as compared to the normal group (Group VIII). Conclusion: Aqueous extracts of Auricularia sp and Pleurotus sp mushrooms moderated cyclophosphamide-induced reduction in WBC in Wistar rats indicating potential benefit in chemotherapy induced immunosuppression. Application of these mushrooms in immune suppression research appears to be new as reflected in the literature. These are however preliminary data to be more completely documented by further experiments, possibly investigating also some aspect of immune cell functions (e.g. cytotoxicity or cytokine production).
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    Land-Use and Cover Changes (1988–2002) around Budongo Forest Reserve, NW Uganda: Implications for Forest and Woodland Sustainability
    (Land degradation & development, 2008) Mwavu, E. N.; Witkowski, E. T. F.
    Land-use and cover changes around Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR) were analysed from multi-temporal LandSat images (1988 and 2002) and associated field-based studies in 2003–2004. Three major land-use and cover classes: forest/woodland, sugarcane plantations and grassland/shifting-cultivation/settlements were clearly discriminated. The area under sugarcane cultivation increased over 17-fold, from 690 ha in 1988 to 12729 ha in 2002, with a concomitant loss of about 4680 ha (8 2 per cent) of forest/woodland, mainly on the southern boundary of BFR. Land-use and cover changes were a result of (a) agricultural expansion, (b) increasing human population, exacerbated by large influxes of refugees, (c) conflicts of interest and political interference in the management of BFR and (d) unclear land tenure. Agriculture is the main land-use practice and source of income to local people, with commercial sugarcane and tobacco as the primary cash crops. Individual smallholder sugarcane plantations covered distances ranging from 30 to 1440m along the BFR edge, with no buffer zone, resulting in direct conflicts between farmers and forest wild animals. There is an ever-increasing need for more land for agricultural expansion, resulting in continued loss of forest/woodland on private/communal lands and encroachment into BFR. This unsustainable agricultural expansion and the local people’s perception of BFR as an obstacle to agriculture, threatens the conservation of its threatened wild plants (e.g. Raphia farinifera) and the endangered chimpanzees. Therefore, their sustainable management for both development and conservation will require strong and incorruptible institutions that will seek a balance between resource exploitation and conservation.
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    A New Method for Post-introduction Risk Assessment of Biological Invasions Among Introduced Shrubs in Developing Countries
    (Environmental management, 2016) Seburanga, J. L.; Bizuru, E.; Mwavu, E. N.; Kampungu, K. G.; Gatesire, T.; Kaplin, B. A.
    Risk-assessment methods are useful in collecting data that can help decision making to prevent the introduction of new species that have the potential of invading as well as in management of established taxa. Not only the complexity and unaffordability of available preintroduction risk-assessment models make them rarely or inconsistently applied in the least-developed countries, but also there is lack of tools to assess the status of already introduced plant species. In this study, an affordable and rapid method of assessment of invasiveness among introduced plant species was developed and tested in Rwanda. This method defines three invasion stages (potential, effective, and suppressive invaders) and four levels of risk assessment: post-introduction assessment of species inherent invasive potential (Level 1), post-establishment assessment of species capacity of regeneration (Level 2), post-naturalization assessment of species range of occurrence and ability for long-distance dispersal (Level 3), and post-naturalization assessment of species ability to outcompete other plants in the community and transform the landscape (Level 4). A review of invasive species in Rwanda was developed through desk review, examination of herbarium records, and vegetation surveys. This method should be applicable in other countries that lack the means for a more conventional scientific investigation or under any circumstance where a quick and inexpensive assessment is needed. The method could be useful to environmental managers for timely intervention with strategies specific to different stages of invasion (post-introduction, post-establishment, or post-naturalization) and allocate resources accordingly.