PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 3, No. 1, 2019
Pages 151-156
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/9102/30(0160)
Toxicity and Sedative Effect of Voacanga Africana Ethanolic Leaf Extract
Ahmed I. Omotayo1*, Qudus A. Ojomo2, Subair Hassan2, Mutolib Olatunbosun3, Monsurat Fakayode4
1Vector Biology and Control Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
2Department of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
3Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
4Departement of Science Education, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
Abstract
Background: Traditional plants have been good sources of alternatives for conventional drugs in recent years. The search for alternatives for conventional drugs becomes imperative most especially because of their high cost demand and side effects. The search for alternatives from traditional medicinal plants sources has been fruitful for many ailments and this has led to intense research on the potentials of many other plants that are used traditionally in different part of the world. This study assessed the sedative potentials of ethanol extract of Voacanga africana leaf (VAEE) as well as its toxicity.
Methods: Toxicity of the Voacanga africana leaf was examined using Lorke’s method while its sedative activity was evaluated using phenobarbitone and ketamine-induced sleeping time models in mice. The doses used in this study were 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg, administered intra-peritoneal.
Results: Results revealed that the LD50 of VAEE was greater than 5 g/kg. Using phenobarbitone-induced sedation, the sleep latency was found to be dose dependent and significantly decreased at higher dose when compared with normal saline while the total sleeping time was found to be significantly in-creased (p<0.05) as dosage increases.
Conclusion: The increase in total sleeping time using the two models showed that VAEE possesses marked sedative ability and can serve as a good alternative to conventional sedatives.
Keywords: Voacanga africana, Traditional medicine, Sedation, Phenobarbitone, Ketamine