Effect of leaf extracts of Carica papaya (Paw paw) and Pakia biglobosa (African locust bean) on some biochemical parameters of albino rats

Abstract

In spite of the advances made in orthodox medicine, there has been an increasing interest in herbal medicine. The leaves of Carica papaya and Pakia biglobosa have been reported to contain lots of beneficial medicinal compounds, hence their use in the traditional prevention, management and treatment of ailments/diseases. In this study, the effect of varied concentrations of the ethanol leaf extract of the plants on some biochemical parameters of albino rats was assessed. The phytochemical compositions of the leaves were determined using established standard laboratory methods. Fifty four male Albino rats weighing between 150g-200g were randomly distributed into nine groups of six animals each. A daily single dose of 500mg/kg, 1000mg/kg, 1500mg/kg and 2000mg/kg body weight of either of the extracts was respectively, administered to the eight test groups for fourteen days. The control group was given only feed and water. Biochemical parameters such as the serum activities of Aspartate Aminotransferase, Alanine Aminotranferase and Alkaline phosphatase as well as the serum concentrations of Bilirubin, Albumin, HCO3-, Urea, Creatinine and Na+ were assessed. Result of the analyses showed that the administration of the extracts did not significantly raise the serum activity of ALT. The decreases in serum concentrations of Urea and increase in the concentration of HCO3- were directly proportional to the concentration of the extracts. It can be deduced from this study, that 500mg, 1000mg 1500mg and 2000mg/kg bw of either C. papaya or P. biglobosa did not elicit any marked hepatotoxicological or renotoxicological effect on the experimental animals