#59 Effects of Aloe Vera Gel on the Release of White Blood Cells in Mus musculus Crisron Rudolf G.

Lucas, Mark Jason B. Quintana ABSTRACT The study was to observe the effects of Aloe Gel on the release of white blood cells. Aloe Vera, which is popular for having lots of healing characteristics, is proven to have immunologic effects on an organism. A certain ability of which is that it can stimulate an immune response to an antigen. The project was conducted to test the effects of Aloe Vera Gel, a pure extract from Aloe Vera plant, in the release of leukocytes/white blood cells. First, the experiment has five different experimental setups: the first setup being the control group, an experimental group treated every 6 hrs, and three other groups treated every 12, 18 and 24 hours respectively. Each setup was treated with a dosage of Aloe Gel

which is standardized to 0.2mL. There were 3 replicates of mice per setup except for the control group which was limited to only two mice. The experiment was done within 48 hours. Initially, a blood test was conducted for the baseline data. Blood samples collected from each mouse were analyzed to determine the white blood cell count and differential count. Results of the experiment showed high increase for most of the mice setups. Also, a decrease in neutrophils and increase in lymphocytes and monocytes were observed. The change in the WBC of the mice setups were attributed to Aloe Vera though a possible contamination of the mice setups may be attributed to the rapid increase of the WBC. It was concluded that Aloe Vera could possibly increase the release of WBC although it is not different with other setups as shown by the Analysis of Variance. We recommend that this research be further revised and replicated.

#10

The Feasibility of Leaf Extract From Sugar Apple (Annona Squamosa) as an Inhibitor of Blood Glucose Patricia V.Angulo, Agnetha Y. Ayson, Arianne Antonette O. Libed ABSTRACT Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the world today. This disease is characterized by high glucose concentrations in the blood caused by the production of little or no insulin in the body. This abnormality occurs when the beta cells, which are responsible for insulin production, are destroyed by free radicals. Free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants. The leaves of Annona squamosa are found to have these antioxidants. Our project aimed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the aqueous extract from the leaves of Annona squamosa as a blood glucose inhibitor. The leaves of Annona squamosa were subjected to Soxhlet extraction after air-drying. The solvent was evaporated through simple distillation. The extract was filtered and liquid-liquid extraction was used to separate the aqueous and organic layers. The aqueous extract was purified using rotary evaporation. The semi-purified extract was used to treat

diabetic mice. Their blood glucose concentrations were measured and compared with the results from mice treated with a commercially-available drug. The results prove that the extract is effective in reducing blood glucose levels in diabetic mice. Further research extending this project can find the correct dosage of the extract for maximum effectiveness. Further research can also calculate for the cost effectiveness of the extract and other methods of extraction.