SOME NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE ETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF CUSSONIA BARTERI SEEMAN (ARALIACEAE) IN LABORATORY ANIMALS
SOME NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE ETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF CUSSONIA BARTERI SEEMAN (ARALIACEAE) IN LABORATORY ANIMALS
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Date
2014-10
Authors
YAKUBU, Musa Itopa
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Abstract
Cussonia barteri is used in traditional medicinefor the management of convulsion and
epilepsy, especially in children in Ghana and Nigeria. Literature survey revealed that the
safety and efficacy of such important medicinal plant have not been scientifically validated.
In the present study, ethanolic leaf extract of the plant was subjected to toxicological and
some neuropharmacological studies in laboratory animals (mice, rats and chicks) to
determine its safety and justify its use in traditional medicine for the management of
epilepsy. Theacute toxicity study was carried out in mice (i.p) and rats (oral) using method
of Lorke (1983)and 28 days sub-acute toxicity study was performed in rats. Effects of the
extract on body weight, relative organs weight, haematological and biochemical parameters
were examined following 28 days of daily oral administration of graded doses of it in
rats.The extract was evaluated for anticonvulsant activities using maximal electroshock test
in chicks, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), picrotoxin, strychnine, isoniazid and aminophyllineinduced
seizure in mice.The sedative and anxiolytic effect of the extract was tested on
diazepam-induced sleeping time, hole-board, beam walking assay and open field test in
mice. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that the extract suggested contains
flavonoid, saponin, cardiac glycosides, tannins, steroids/terpenoids and glycosides. The oral
median lethal dose (LD50) of the extractwas estimated to be greater than 5,000 mg/kg body
weight while the intraperitoneal median lethal dose (LD50) was estimated to be 2,154.1
mg/kg in mice.The extract neither produces significant changes in body weights nor
affected the haematological and biochemical parameters, but slightly increased the relative
weight of the brain, liver and heart. Histopathological evaluation of the organs showed that
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the morphology of kidney, liver and lungs were adversely affected, suggesting that the
extract could be toxic to the liver, kidney and lungs.The extract did not protect the chicks
against maximal electroshock seizure; neither didit shorten the mean recovery time.
Similarly, the extract did not significantly protect against picrotoxin, isoniazid and
aminophylline induced seizures in mice. The extract produced 66.67% and 83.33%
protection against strychnine and pentylenetetrazole induced seizures respectively at the
highest dose (400mg/kg) tested which suggests that the extract may contain compound(s)
that may be beneficial in the management of absence or myoclonic seizures. The extract
decrease the number of head dips in hole-board test, suggesting its sedative property which
was confirmed by the ability of extract to prolonged diazepam sleeping time.The extract did
not significantly increase the time spent on the beam but at the highest dose tested
significantly increased the number of foot slips, an index of motor coordination deficit. The
extract insignificantly decreased number of rearing, Total Square and Central Square
crossedin an open field test.
These findings suggest that the ethanolic leaf extract of Cussonia barteri contain bioactive
compound(s) that possesses anticonvulsant and sedative activities, thus supportingthe
ethno-medical use of the plant for the management of epilepsy. However, the ethanolic leaf
extract of Cussonia barteri may have some adverse effects on the liver, kidney and lungs
and should be used with caution.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA-NIGERIA
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
MASTERS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN PHARMACOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA-NIGERIA
OCTOBER, 2014
Keywords
NEUROPHARMACOLOGICAL,, TOXICOLOGICAL,, STUDIES,, ETHANOLIC,, LEAF,, EXTRACT,, CUSSONIA BARTERI., SEEMAN,, ARALIACEAE),, LABORATORY ANIMALS.