SOLAMIN®

Clinical studies on the anti-sickling properties of Solamin have been carried out. Solamin is a honey-based herbal product comprising about three plant materials. Phytochemical investigation of the herbal preparation revealed the presence of the secondary metabolites of the groups: saponins, steroidal glycosides, anthraquinone glycosides, alkaloids. Phenolics were not confirmed

The sickle cell group at the Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, University of Lagos, have been involved in a focused – screening and bioassay of a series of plants materials, marine-based extracts and environment species hoping that these extracts and isolates would serve as leads in the quest to discovering the potent anti-sickling remedies that would enable our unfortunate brothers suffering from sickle cell disorders live a normal and more productive lives.

The in-vitro technique adopted in the screening exercise was based on the stimulation of major in-vivo sickling-precipitating factor (that is, reduction of oxygen tension), using sodium metabisulphites as a physiologically acceptable reducing agent. The use of crythrocyte suspension instead of whole blood was particularly essential in ruling out the possibility of interactions of plasma components and products of their several immunological reactions with the red blood cells and certain metabolic co-factors in general. Such interactions could significantly affect the shape and size of red blood cells, and in the process inadvertently produce false negative or false positive results. However, removal of the plasma also means removal of ions and nutrients essential for the maintenance of the integrity of ion channels like the Ca2+ – dependent K+ channel (also known as Gardos channel) and K+ – CL- co-transport channel – both of which have been associated with the dehydration that precedes andmedium whose formulation is as described by Acquaye et al.

Osmotic fragility was originally a clinical diagnostic test for Spherocytosis or congenital haemolytic icterus. It gradually metamorphosed into a research tool used in monitoring the haemolytic effects of some diseases like malaria. Today, it has been greatly modified to study the haemolytic tendencies of chemical agents, drugs inclusive, and toxins.

Chemical agents induced lysis of red blood cells by modifying their membrane permeability. This they do either via peroxidation of the unsaturated bonds of lipid molecules of the membrane lipid bilayer or via interference with the normal functioning of membrane integral proteins (ion channels in particular) associated with regulation of electrolyte and fluid movements across the membrane. In both cases, there is a sub-haemolytic increase in size and fragility of the red blood cells. Osmotic fragility measurements, therefore, are adequate for evaluating haemolytic tendencies of chemical agents and xenobiotics.

The most common and widely used quantitative measure of Osmotic fragility is the Median Corpuscular Fragility (MCF), obtained by extrapolation on the Osmofragiligraph as the saline concentration at which 50% haemolysis is produced. The MCF was used in this study to quantify Osmotic fragility and hence as a measure of haemolytic tendencies of the various extract concentrations of Solamin: Increase in MCF relative to that of the negative control meant increase in Osmotic fragility and hence an increase in the haemolytic tendency of the respective extract concentration relative of the negative control.

The average MCF of 0.409% ± 0.01 obtained for the HbSS blood samples treated with the negative control (that is, no extract) falls within the 0.40 – 0.42% normal range for an HbAA blood, though HbSS blood is expected to have a lower MCF value because of associated dehydration. The result is, however, possible as there might not be any dehydration at all in HbSS erythrocytes used because dehydration itself depends on the donor’s physiological condition. This is corroborated by the fact that none of the donor’s was under crisis, neither was any of them known to have suffered any crisis in the recent past.

The average MCF obtained with each of the herbal concentrations (0.25mg/ml : 0.402%; 1mg/ml : 0.390%; 2mg/ml : 0.40%; 3mg/ml : 0.42%; 4mg/ml : 0.410%; 5mg/ml : 2%); was not statistically significantly different from that of the negative control. This indicated that there was no increase in fragility of the HbSS erythrocytes following incubation with the 0.25 – 5mg/ml Solamin extract.