"Effects of the Ethanol Extract of the Leaves of A. muricata on Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count of Aspirin-ulcerated Rats:- Nwoche Victor U.

ABSTRACT

Natural products especially those derived from plants have been used to help mankind sustain health since the dawn of medicine. Over the past century, the phytochemicals in plants have been a pivotal pipeline for pharmaceutical discoveries. The objectives of this work were to examine the phytochemical constituents, acute toxicity and lethality and effect of the ethanol extract of the leaves of A. muricata on the red blood cell (RBC) count of aspirin-ulcerated rats. The qualitative phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, steroids, tcrpenoids and fats and oil. Resins, reducing sugars and acidic compounds were not detected in the extract. The extract was found to be safe even at a dose as high as 5000 mg/kg body weight (b.w). The extract at the tested doses (100,200 and 400 mg/kg b. w) significantly (p < 0.05) and dose-dependently increased the RBC count of the rats in the test groups compared to the value obtained for the rats in the ulcer-untreated group. These implies that the leaves of A. muricata may serve as origin of anti-ulcer drug(s) in future .