The short-term toxicity of Ficus thonningii Blume (FT) was studied in Wistar rats following daily oral administration of the leaf extract (250-500 mg kg )1 ) for 15 days. Acute toxicity, body weight changes, organ weight, food intake, clinical signs, haematology, gross and tissue histology were monitored. The body weights of treated rats increased progressively, but the changes were not significantly different from control. The relative weights of the essential organs of treated rats were unaffected in both male and female rats. Of the sixteen haematological parameters studied, only the total leukocyte counts and plateletcrit values in male rats fed 500 mg kg )1 of FT were significantly greater than similar parameters in controls. Histological findings indicated possible testicular, lung and hepatic toxicities. The LD 50 of FT was estimated to be >3000 mg kg )1 . The results suggest that short-term oral application of F. thonningii may not exert severe toxic effects in rats at doses lower than 500 mg kg )1 .
Objective. Mallotus oppositifolius (Geiseler) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) is folklorically used to “treat” diabetic conditions in some parts of Nigeria therefore the study, to investigate the extract of the leaves for activities on hyperglycaemia, lipid peroxidation, and increased cholesterol levels in vivo in alloxan diabetic rats as well as its potential antioxidant activity in vitro. Methods. Albino rats (240–280 g) were given an injection of 120 mg/kg body weight, i.p. of alloxan monohydrate. After 8 days, diabetic animals with elevated fasting blood glucose levels (>9 mmol/L) were considered and selected for the study. Results. Oral treatment with the extract administered every 12 h by gavage at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of the extract to the test rats, for 14 days, resulted in a significant dose-dependent decrease in blood glucose levels from 12.82 ± 1.02 mmol/dL to 4.92 ± 2.01 mmol/dL at the highest dose of 400 mg/kg compared to the control drug and glibenclamide as well as attendant significant decline in diabetic rats employed in the study. Conclusion. The extract also showed in vitro concentration-dependent antioxidant activity following the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing assays. Findings further suggest the presence of active antidiabetic and antioxidant principles in M. oppositifolius leaves.
Background
The aqueous methanolic extract of Andira inermis(A. inermis) stem bark was screened for phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity, acute oral toxicity, and preliminary prophylactic normoglycaemic test and effect on Oral Glucose Tolerance in albino rats.
Methods
Andira inermis was double macerated and extracted with 80% methanol. Phytochemical analysis and acute toxicity were performed using standard methods. The extract was screened for in vitro antioxidant activity using Ferric Reducing/Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging spectrophotometric assays. Prophylactic control of glucose was evaluated in normoglycaemic and glucose-challenged albino rats. Graded test doses (100–400 mg/kg body weight) of the extract were used in the investigation. The effects observed were compared with that of glibenclamide (0.2 mg/kg) and distilled water control groups.
Results
The stem bark extract of A. inermis was found to contain saponins, terpenes, tannins, steroids, flavanoids, anthraquinones, carbohydrates and alkaloids. The extract was found to have a significant in vitro antioxidant activity in both methods. The oral acute toxicity study showed the extract had LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg. The extract significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced blood glucose levels in normoglycaemic animal model (the control group seen to have − 5.6(− 8.7%) poor glucose handling; and the glibenclamide& extract treatment group (100 mg/kg) to positively reduce blood glucose 14.8(26.8%) & 16.4(25.9%) respectively). The glucose challenged test, from the 1st hour, showed − 57.4(− 89.4%),-26.8(− 33.8%),-23.8(− 26.3%),-12.8(− 13.9%) and − 9.8(− 10.4%) for the vehicle control, glibenclamide (positive control), and the 100, 200 & 400 mg/kg extract treatment groups respectively. The extract showed mild hypoglycemic effect in the results recorded, up to the 4th hour.
Conclusion
The results of this study elucidated that the aqueous methanolic extract of Andira inermis stem bark possessed potent antioxidant phyto-constituents with potential hypoglycaemic effects that could be explored for therapeutic use worldwide following isolation and characterization of the bioactive principles. And the results also authenticate the folklore use of the plant.
The aqueous methanolic Andira inermis stem bark extract was screened in evaluation of its potential for its toxic effect in a 28 days study using the oral route only. The sub acute study was carried out in Wistar rats divided into 4 groups of 5 rats each; control group (a) received distilled water while the aqueous methanolic Andira inermis stem bark extract treatment groups (b), (c), and (d), received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of the extract respectively, for a period of 28 days, with their intake of feeds, water and signs of abnormality observed. At the end of the sub acute study, the rats were anaesthetized with chloroform and blood collected by cardiac puncture for biochemical and haematological evaluation. And the visceral organs (liver, kidneys, lungs, heart and spleen) excised for weighing and patho-morphological examination. The aqueous methanolic Andira inermis stem bark extract was found to; reduce the intake of water weekly, drop intake of feeds; significantly increased the red blood cell count (RBC), the haemoglobin concentration (HB), as well as the pack cell volume (PCV). The renal indices, showed the electrolytes sodium and chloride of the treatment groups (b, c and d) to be significantly different from the control. Urea was noticed to have reduce significantly and creatinine insignificantly. The organs weights across the Andira inermis treatment groups were noticed to be insignificantly (P › 0.05) different from the control for all the organs sampled (Lungs, Liver, Heart and Spleen) except for the kidney (organ weight which was noticed to have increased significantly). The patho-morphologies of the organs showed the heart to be normal, the kidney was normal in the control and the other treatment groups 100 mg 400 mg and 200 mg but a rat (an outlier) in one of the 200 mg group was noticed with tubular necrosis; the liver indicated a non concentration-dependent hepatitis while the lungs and the spleen presented an infective process. It was concluded that, the aqueous methanolic extract of Andira inermis is a safe medicinal plant with the capacity to; raise red blood cell count (RBC), haemoglobin concentration (HB) as well as the pack cell volume (PCV); proffers a nephro- protective property; shrunken spleen; have a hepato-protective property and as well was non toxic to the heart and lungs. These findings warrants further pharmacognostic efficacy experimental research to harness the array of benefits of Andira inermis as discovered in this study.
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