ABSTRACT
Aims: To investigate in vivo antiplasmodial activity of the stem extracts of Balanites aegyptiaca (L) Del. Study Design: Animal model infected with Plasmodium berghei. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, between March 2011 and May 2011. Methodology: Twenty healthy Swiss albino mice of either sex weighing between 20-30g were selected and divided into five groups. One group served as control, another group as standard and the others as the test groups for hexane, ethylacetate and methanolic extracts respectively. The mice were infected with Chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei and left for 72hours for the infection to be established. 600 mgkg-1 bw day-1 dose was determined as safe and used for the analysis. After 72 hours of infection, the plant extracts were administered subcutaneously once daily for 4 days from D3 to D7. The control group was given 0.9w/v of normal saline. Thick and thin blood smears from the tail blood were examined for parasites. 5mg/kg bw of Chloroquine phosphate, used as control drug, was administered to the positive control. Results: None of the three fractions (Hexane, Ethylacetate and Methanolic extracts) of B. aegyptiaca was completely able to clear the parasites in circulation. In fact, the group of mice given methanolic extract of B. aegyptiaca died before the control group while both groups given ethylacetate and Hexane fractions died on the 14th day after infection. The mice administered with hexane and ethyl acetate extracts suppressed parasitaemia on the 6th and 10th day respectively, these suggest that purification and isolation of these crude extracts to know the active compound responsible for the decrease in parasitaemia can be use as drug target in the treatment of malaria, Conclusion: Stem extracts of B. aegyptiaca have suppressive effect on Plasmodium parasites but no curative effect. Further purification and isolation active compounds can help in discovery of a new antimalaria drug. It could thus be assumed that B. aegyptiaca is useful in the herbal malarial management by other mechanism other than plasmodicidal effect .Histological studies could establish reason(s) for the death of group treated with methanolic extract before the control group
ABSTRACT
The medicinal and cultural acceptance of herbal drugs has been established since ancient time but often without any toxicological assessment. In the present study the toxicological assessment of five herbal medicinal concoctions sold in Minna, Nigeria was carried out in mice. Parameters determined included weight variations, packed cell volume (PCV), total serum protein, glucose and triacylglycerides which were compared to control groups that were administered 20ml/kg body weight of normal saline. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, glycosides and flavonoids in most of the drugs. Safe doses of the drugs in the rodents were determined to range between 150 – 800mg/Kg body weight while LD50 were in the range of 800 – 2500mg/Kg body weight. Serum glucose, total proteins and triglycerides were each significantly (p<0.05) elevated in at least three of the five drug treatments at the end of the five weeks study period. There were however consistent decline in total body weights and packed cell volumes of the experimental animal during the same period. These results constitute early indices to the potential adverse physiological effects of repeated usage of the concoctions analysed.
ABSTRACT
The effects of medium term administration of crude Diospyros mespiloformis root extracts on some biochemical parameters were investigated in mice. Forty mice were divided into two groups of twenty animals each. Animals in group I were gavaged with the root extracts at 400mg/kg/body weight for five weeks. Group II received normal saline (0.09%w/v NaCl) and served as controls. Whole body weights, fresh organ weights, packed cell volume (PCV) and some serum biochemical parameters were analysed using standard methods. Results showed minimal variation in whole body weights and packed cell volumes of animals given the extracts. Also values for some organ weights, triacyglycerides (148.25± 2.78 mg/dL), and Alkaline Phosphatase (41.50± 1.71 mg/dL) were not significantly (p > 0.05) different between test and control animals in the final week. However, heart (0.74%), lungs (4.43%), glucose (113.92 ± 2.43 mg/dL), total proteins (4.75 ± 1.25mg/dL), Aspartate Transaminase (40.50 ± 1.50 μL) and Alanine Transaminase (43.52 ± 4.50μL), were significantly (p < 0.05) different between the animals administered D. mespiliformis and controls. These results are early indications that long term consumption of D. mespiliformis could predispose to adverse tissue effects.
ABSTRACT
The effects of Thonningea sanguinea Vahl. root extracts were tested against Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium chabaudi, acetic acid induced abdominal constriction and egg albumin induced paw oedema in rodents. Eighteen mice assigned to 3 groups of 6 animals each were infected with P. berghei (NK 65 chloroquine sensitive strain). Group I was treated with 300 mg/kg bw T. sanguinea, group II with 5mg/kg bw chloroquine phosphate (standard) and group III with 20ml/kg bw normal saline (control). Another set of eighteen mice were also inoculated with P. chabaudi and treated similarly. P. berghei was significantly suppressed by the extract over the time course of the study with mice survival periods of 36, 20 and 16 days for chloroquine, plant extract and normal saline treatments respectively. T. sanguinea produced some initial suppression of parasites but subsequently resurgence in parasitaemia was observed in the case of P. chabaudi infected animals. Mice survival periods with the later were 24 days (CQ), 22 days (extract) and 10 days (normal saline). Whole body weights significantly decreased in P. chabaudi but not P. berghei infected mice. Packed Cell Volume significantly (p<0.05) decreased with both models irrespective of the treatments. The extract had a minimal (10.89%) analgesic effect and had no anti-inflammatory activity. T. sanguinea though effective only in the P. berghei model could still be further investigated.
ABSTRACT
The antiplasmodial, analgesic, antiinflammatory and chronic dose effects of methanolic extract of Chrozophora senegalenesis A. Juss were studied in mice. Plasmodium berghei (NK 65 chloroquine sensitive strain) was inoculated into eighteen mice assigned to 3 groups of 6 mice each . Group I was treated with 75mg/kg bw C. Senegalensis, group II with 5mg/kg bw chloroquine phosphate (standard) and group III with 20ml/kg bw normal saline (Control). Anagelsia and antiinflammation were analysed by the Acetic acid induced abdominal constriction in mice and egg albumin induced paw oedema in rats respectively. Another set of 40 mice were divided into two groups of twenty each (test and control) and some serum parameters studied. The test animals were gavaged with extract while controls were given normal saline over a period of 5 weeks. C. senegalensis suppressed parasitemia in mice by 51.80%, had 37.05% anagelsia, and 60.92% anti-inflammatory activity. Body weights, packed cell volume and serum triacylglycerides significantly (p<0.05) decreased in mice given C. senegalensis while serum glucose, Aspartate amino transferase (AST), Alanine amino Transferase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphase (ALP) increased significantly (p<0.05) in the test mice over the study period. In conclusion, C.senegalensis is effective in the management of malaria but long term consumption can predispose to adverse physiological effects.