Effect Of The Ethanol Extract Of The Leaves Of Carica Papaya On Total White Blood Cell (Twbc) Count Of Aspirin Ulcerated Rats:- Onyenma Humble C

ABSTRACT Vi Plants used in traditional medicine contain a wide range of substances which arc effective in treating various diseases and such plant in use today for the treatment of gastric ulcer is Caricapapaya. This study therefore, evaluated the phytochemical constituents, acute toxicity and lethality and effect ofthe ethanol extract ofthe leaves of C. papaya on total white blood cell (tWBC) count of aspirin-ulcerated rats. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that the extract contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, steroids, terpenoids and fats and oil but resins, reducing sugars and acidic compounds were not detected in the extract. The extract at the tested doses [100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight (b.w)] caused significant (p < 0.05) and dose-dependent increases in the tWBC count of the rat in groups 4 [(1.13 ± 0.02) x 104 per microlitre of blood], 5 [(1.26 ± 0.01) x 104 per microlitre of blood] and 6 [(1.36 ± 0.02) x 104 per microlitre of blood] when compared to the value obtained for the rats in group 2 [(1.01 ± 0.04) x 104 per microlitre of blood]. The effect of the 400 mg/kg b.w of the extract was comparable to that ofthe standard anti- ulcer drug (ranitidine at the dose of 150 mg/kg b.w). The results indicate that the ethanol extract of the leaves of C. papaya contains some pharmacological active components which may support the use of the leaves of the plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcer.