Abstract

Microdesmis puberula Hook f. ex. Planch (Pandaceae) is one of the understudied medicinal plants whose pharmacological properties are beginning to be elucidated. In the present study, ethanol root extract of M. puberula was used to assess its effects on some biochemical and haematological parameters in male rats. The root extract was administered in graded doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight to groups II, III and IV, respectively while the control group received 1 ml of Tween 80 solution. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of saponins, cardiac glycosides, deoxysugars, alkaloids and terpenes. The results of acute toxicity study showed that the extract has a wide margin of safety. The extract did not exhibit any significant effect (p > 0.05) on haematological parameters such as packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red blood cell (RBC) count. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05) between control and treatment groups. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triacylglycerols (TGs) and significant (p < 0.05) decrease in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) as a consequence of the administration of this extract. Generally, the results indicate that there were no serious adverse effects associated with the use of this extract except in the case of lipid profile studies.

Key words: Microdesmis puberula, ethanol extract, phytochemicals, haematological/biochemical parameters, toxicity.