ABSTRACT
The liver and kidney are very important organs of the body that play vital roles of detoxification of compounds and removal of waste products respectively. In this research, some liver and kidney function tests were carried out on albino mice infected with malaria parasite to know the effect of treatment with extract on them. Pulverised dried seeds of Picralima nitida were extracted using ethanol. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, total bilirubin, total protein, urea and creatinine levels and histopathological studies on liver and kidney tissues were performed. From the results of the experiment, significant (p < 0.05) reductions were observed in serum levels of urea, creatinine of the treated groups compared to the positive control (group infected with malaria parasite and treated with 3% tween 80) on days 3 and 5 post treatment. There was non-significant (p > 0.05) reduction in serum AST and ALT activities of the groups treated with 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg b.w. of the extract on days 3 and 5 post treatment compared to the positive control. Groups treated with 20 and 40 mg/kg b.w. of the extract showed significant (p < 0.05) reduction in bilirubin level on days 3 and 5 post treatment compared to the positive control. All the treated groups showed significant (p < 0.05) elevation in serum total protein on day 3 post treatment while the group treated with 80 mg/kg b.w. of the extract showed significant (p < 0.05) elevation in total protein on day 5 treatment compared to the positive control. Histopathological studies on the hepatic tissues of the treated mice showed lesser inflammatory cells around the portal areas than the untreated. No lesions were noticed in the renal tubules of both the treated and untreated mice. From the results of this experiment, it is now obvious that Picralima nitida seeds possess good hepato-protective properties.
ABSTRACT
Aims: To evaluate the protective effects of methanol extract of Ceiba pentandra leaves on indomethacin and ethanol induced gastric ulcer and on oxidative stress indices of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Study Design: Extraction and administration of graded doses of the extract Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Enugu State, Nigeria, between May, 2011 and October, 2011. Methodology: Extraction of Ceiba pentandra leaves was done using methanol. Twenty adult rats divided into five groups of four rats each were used for each of the ulcer studies. Gastric ulceration was induced in the rats by oral administration of indomethacin (50 mg/kg) and 95% ethanol (0.5 ml) thirty minutes after extract treatment, and the animals sacrificed 8 h later. For the diabetes study, thirty (30) albino rats divided into six (6) groups of five (5) rats each were used. Diabetes was induced by i.p injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg) in overnight-fasted animals and the animals treated with varied doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of the extract for two weeks. Serum obtained from the diabetic rats was used for the determination of lipid profile and liver marker enzymes. Results: Significant and dose dependent ulcer inhibition (70, 82 and 84 %; 19, 53, and 58 % for 100, 200 and 400mg/kg of the extract respectively) was produced in all the extracttreated groups for the ulcer models used. There were significant decreases (p<0.05) in fasting blood glucose levels, liver marker enzymes, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein and triacylglycerides in the serum of extract-treated groups compared with that of the diabetes-untreated group. Conclusion: The findings in this study show that methanol extract of Ceiba pentandra leaves possesses potent anti-ulcerogenic and anti-oxidative properties and has potential for use as an herbal remedy for the treatment of gastro-intestinal ulcer and management of diabetes.