http://jsrd.unilag.edu.ng/ <p>The<strong> Journal of Scientific Research and Development</strong> (<strong>JSRD</strong>) is a multidisciplinary science journal covering the following areas: Biology, Biochemistry, Botany, Computer Science, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Ecology, Mathematics, Marine Biology and Fisheries, Microbiology, Physics, Physiology and&nbsp;Zoology.</p> University of Lagos, Nigeria en-US Journal of Scientific Research and Development 1115-7569 http://jsrd.unilag.edu.ng/article/view/1949 <p>Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) consists of circular DNA molecules with about 16.5kbp, with smaller fragments of 1200bp known as the control region. Knowledge of mtDNA variation within populations has been employed in forensic and molecular anthropology studies.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>This study investigated the polymorphic nature of the two hypervariable segments of the mtDNA i.e. HVS1 and HVS2, and determined the haplogroup distribution among individuals resident in Lagos, Nigeria.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Peripheral blood was obtained from sixty maternally unrelated individuals. DNA was extracted and amplified using specific primers. DNA amplicons were sequenced, sequenced data were aligned and compared to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS)&nbsp;GenBank Accession number: NC_012920.1) using BioEdit 7.2 software.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Results showed 61 and 52 polymorphic nucleotide positions for HVS1 and HVS2, respectively. While three indels mutation were recorded for HVS1, seven were recorded for HVS2. Transition mutations (49.2%) predominate nucleotide change was observed. Genetic diversity values for HVS1 and HVS2 were estimated to be 84.21 and 90.4%, respectively while, random match probability was 0.17% for HVS1 and 0.89% for HVS2.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>The study showed mixed haplogroups specific to the African (L1-L3) and the Eurasians (U and H) lineages. New polymorphic sites obtained from the study could be used for human identification purposes.</p> Onyekachi Ogbonnaya Iroanya Samson Taiwo Fakorede Osamudiamen Jennifer Edosa Hadiat Ajoke Azeez Copyright (c) 2023-05-12 2023-05-12 22 1 1 13 http://jsrd.unilag.edu.ng/article/view/1950 <p>This study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical profiles of <em>Citrullus colocynthis</em>&nbsp;fruit extracts, assessing the nutritive value and examining the antioxidant properties. These properties were examined using standard protocols. The crude&nbsp;was extracted with 50% aqueous methanol,&nbsp;partitioned into fractions, purified with column chromatography and the eluted components were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR). The majority of the phytochemicals discovered in <em>C. colocynthis </em>were tannins (183.4 mg/100g tannic acid), reducing sugar (107.3 mg/100g glucose), and phenolic compounds (47.95 mg/100g gallic acid).&nbsp;The&nbsp;fruit contains&nbsp;81% moisture, 7% carbohydrate and 9% total ash&nbsp;from the proximate analysis.&nbsp;The hexane, ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of the crude extract when tested at a concentration of 100 µL/mL in a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay displayed high antioxidant effects comparable to that of ascorbic acid (84.24% inhibition). <em>C. colocynthis </em>offers a&nbsp;significant degree of promise for pharmaceutical companies to synthesise into potential drugs for the treatment of diseases spurred by reactive oxygen species.</p> Elizabeth A. Osibote Idris A. Olasupo Lydia C. Chilaka Copyright (c) 2023-05-06 2023-05-06 22 1 14 23