INFLUENCE OF DIETARY SPINACH (AMARANTHUS HYBRIDUS LINN) AND BITTERLEAF (VERNONIA AMYGDALINA) ON THE BLOOD LEVEL OF ORALLY ADMINISTERED CHLOROQUINE IN THE RABBIT

Abstract
Blood level data are widely employed to avaluate the absorption route of drugs as a function of dosage form, route of administration and similar variables. In the majority of individuals, the biological properties of a drug such as apparent volume of distribution, elimination and activity are usually unchanged so that differences in blood levels are a direct reflection of differences in absorption rate. Food does influence the absorption of some drugs and this may be due to absorption of drug onto food components chelation of drug by polyvalent metal ions or complexation with proteins in the food, Food is also known to reduce delay and increase the absorption of some drugs. Vegetables like African spinach (Tete) and bitter leaf (Ewuro) are commonly consumed and Nigeria being a malaria endemic area, chloroquine in its various forms is also taken frequently* It will therefore be interesting to see what influrence these vegetables may produce on the blood level of chloroquine when orally administered to rabbits feeding on these vegetables. The animals were fed ad libitum their normal diet containing 25% of the powdered leaves for 7 days with free access to water before oral dosing with chloroquine. A double dose was initially given followed by single doses at 6 and 2I4. hours after. Following the last oral dose blood samples were obtained through vein puncture, hemolyzed and assayed spectrophotometrically for chloroquine. Results obtained showed higher initial blood levels in those rabbits fed on bitter leaf and spinach compared to the control. The peak in the animals fed on normal diet, bitter leaf and spinach were observed at 3,2, and 4 hours respectively. The peak in the animals fed on spinach was one hour delay compared to the peak in the animals fed on normal diet. The levels at the eighth hour were almost the same as the initial blood level. It was also noticed that the presence of bitter leaf has resulted in an early peak which how-ever is not significantly different in magnitude as compared to the control which peaked at 3 hours. Nevertheless the total amount of ehloroquine passing into the blood was lower in the animals fed on bitter leaf. With respect to rabbits fed on spinach there was a delay in the peak. , The peak was not significantly different from that of the control when compared. However the total amount of chloroquine in the blood was higher than in the control. In terms of maintaining high chloroquine blood level, spinach diet appears to be superior to normal fed and more so to bitter leaf.
Description
A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ANALYTICAL. CHEMISTRY
Keywords
INFLUENCE, DIETARY SPINACH, AMARANTHUS HYBRIDUS LINN, BITTERLEAF, VERNONIA AMYGDALINA, BLOOD LEVEL, BLOOD, ORALLY ADMINISTERED CHLOROQUINE, RABBIT
Citation
Collections