Nigeria’s Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) announced that it has developed a cardiovascular drug from oyster mushrooms.
The innovation is through patents created by the agency’s researchers and developed at the Professor Hussaini Ibrahim Technology and Innovation Center.
According to Engr. Florence Madueguna, the Project officer at the centre, the drug known is known as Lovastatin and it is used for the reduction of cholesterol in the body.
She added that “This innovation was key to the agency’s first-place win at the 7th Science, Technology and Innovation Expo which also came with a substantial price win. The Lovastatin drug can be produced from oyster mushrooms and red-yield rice. The patent was created by our scientists, developed in this lab and we are partnering with the private sector for mass production.”
Found naturally in foods like oyster mushroom and red yeast rice, lovastatin is a drug that serves as the active ingredient in Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), which thrives in Nigeria. The oyster mushroom typically contains approximately 2.8% lovastatin, with the amount depending on factors such as fruiting size, age, and substrate composition.
Lovastatin belongs to the statin drug class, which is widely used to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. This white non-hygroscopic crystalline powder is soluble in water and sparingly soluble in ethanol, methanol, and acetonitrile. It serves as a secondary raw material and is compounded with other drug carriers and nutritional elements for the formulation of some statin drugs that come in varying doses and are sold under different names.
According to statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 17.9 million individuals die from Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) every year, accounting for worldwide fatalities of 31 per cent.
More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one-third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Corporate Services Department, Chukwuma Ngaha, said the center houses about 21 different plants which produce different raw materials sourced within the country with most of the machines designed and fabricated by scientists within the agency.
He said one of the agency’s pride is the soap noodles making, shea butter, and caustic soda machines designed and fabricated by their scientists and has so far been catering to local entrepreneurs in the country.
