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Senna alata is a medicinal plant that belongs to Leguminosae family. Different parts of the plant are used in folklore medicine for curing skin infections, abdominal pain, and gonorrhoea. Despite the use of S. alata in the treatment of various ailments, there is limited or no comprehensive scientific information on the toxicological evaluation of the dried leaf extract in the folklore medicine in Africa. This study therefore evaluated the extensive toxicological effects of the aqueous dried leaf extract of S. alata in wistar rats. In acute toxicity test, aqueous dried leaf extract of S. alata were administered orally up to 10 g/kg body weight to male wistar rats. In sub-acute study, the wistar rats were daily administered orally with aqueous dried leaf extract of S. alata at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg for 14 days and haematological and biochemical parameters were determined and a histopathology of the liver and kidney were analysed. The results revealed that in acute toxicity study, no death was recorded within 24 h after oral administration. In the sub-acute study, the extract did not exhibit any significant difference (p > 0.05) on haemoglobin, red blood cells and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration in all the tested doses. Significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed on white blood cell, platelet, urea, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The histopathology of the liver and kidney did not reveal any pathological changes. Our findings revealed that aqueous dried leaf extract of S. alata is not toxic at the tested doses, indicating that it is safe for therapeutic uses at the tested doses.

The in vitro effects of aqueous extracts of Zanthoxylum macrophylla roots on the activities of three ATPases (Na + , K + -; Ca 2+ -; and Mg 2+ -ATPases) were investigated in membrane preparations from human erythrocytes of HbAA, HbAS and HbSS bloods. The activities of these membrane-bound enzymes were determined in the presence of varying concentrations of the plant extract. The results indicated that for Na + , K + -and Ca 2+ -ATPases, a dose-dependent activation of the three enzymes by the aqueous plant extract occurred. The trend for the different genotypes was HbSS>HbAS>HbAA. The activations were significant (p<0.05) when compared with activities obtained in the absence of the plant extract. Phenylalanine, a known anti-sickling agent, at varying concentrations (200-800µM) produced similar activating effect. In contrast, the extract inhibited the Mg 2+ -ATPase activity in a dose-dependent manner with a trend of HbSS>HbAS>HbAA. The inhibitions seen were significant (p<0.05) in comparison with activities in the absence of the plant extract. Phenylalanine produced similar effect for Mg 2+ -ATPase. These findings in this study suggest that differences in the ATPases of the different genotypes may account for the reports of other workers on the involvement of ion transport as a factor in the physiological manifestation of sickle cell disease. The findings are also significant to an understanding of the molecular basis for the use of the aqueous extract of Z. macrophylla roots in the management of sickle cell disease.

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Background Coconut water is a relished beverage traditionally used as a remedy for childhood diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. It can be given to an individual who has hangover or suspected to have ingested a toxic substance. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of coconut water against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced toxicity in rats. Results Administration of coconut water decreased significantly albumin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), urea, creatinine, bicarbonate (HCO3−), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to the non-pretreated group. Furthermore, high-density lipoprotein, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased significantly (p < 0.05) in coconut water-pretreated groups compared to the negative control. There were no observed pathological changes in the coconut water-pretreated groups, but slight enlargement of the central veins and tubules was evident when compared to the negative control. Conclusions Therefore, intake of coconut water may be protective against toxicity induced by CCl4 as its pretreatment elevated antioxidant parameters (GSH, SOD and CAT) and did not alter biochemical parameters in rats.