EFFECT OF METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF ACALYPHAWILKESIANA ON WEIGHT PARAMETERS IN PARACETAMOL INDUCED HEPATOXICITY IN MALE WIBSTAR RATS

EFFECT OF METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF ACALYPHAWILKESIANA ON WEIGHT PARAMETERS IN PARACETAMOL INDUCED HEPATOXICITY IN MALE WIBSTAR RATS

ABSTRACT

The possible effect of methanolic extract of the leaves of Acalypha wilkesiana on the weight of wistar rats was examined. To provide doses of 500,500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight of paracetamol, vitamin C, and leaf extract, respectively, a calculated amount of methanolic Acalypha Wilkesiana leaf extract was made in distilled water from the stock solution and given to the different groups (A, B, C, and D). The animals’ body weights were noted before the methanolic leaf extract of Acalypha Wilkesiana was given at seven-day intervals. Male rats did not exhibit any overt morphological alterations or die during the trial period when the aqueous leaf extract of Acalypha wilkesiana was administered acutely. The average body weight of the animals given the extract differed significantly (P>0.05) from that of the group treated with paracetamol. Additionally, the weight of the kidney, brain, heart, lung, and pancreas revealed no significant differences (P<0.05), with the exception of the liver, which showed an increase in weight when treated with extract compared to the rats treated with paracetamol. According to the data, the extract changed the weight of the liver and is therefore not hepatoprotective. Therefore, more research should be done on this extract before oral administration is advised.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 MEDICAL VEGETABLES

Human culture has long included the use of plants for therapeutic purposes, and in Nigeria, this practice is becoming more and more common. In Nigeria, Acalypha wilkesiana is used for a variety of ethnobotanical purposes and is one of several medicinal plants. Acalypha wilkesiana is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family.

Stem cuttings can be used to propagate it at any time of year. Under favourable circumstances, it develops into a spreading evergreen shrub with upright branches that typically start close to the base and reach a height of 3.1 m with a comparable spread.

It features small, inconspicuous flowers (10.2-20.3 cm) that hang in catkin-like racemes beneath the foliage, as well as alternating, elliptic to oval, serrated, and multicoloured leaves (12.7–20.3 cm long).

Al-Attar (2010).

In some regions of southern Nigeria, aqueous leaf extract of Acalypha wilkesiana has long been used in place of diuretics for the treatment of hypertension. Since 1 ml of water has a mass of 1 g, changes in body mass can be used to quantify water gain or loss.

Therefore, acute variations in body mass over a brief period of time are often considered to be caused by body water gain or loss. Weight characteristics were assessed and used as indicators of the male Wistar rats’ hydration condition because no other body part would be lost at such a pace during a brief period of time (Shirreffs, 2003).

Kingdom of ACALYPHA Species: Plantae

Malpighiales is the order.

The Euphorbiaceae family

The Acalyphoideae subfamily

The Acalypheae tribe

Genus Acalypha, Subtribe: Acalyphinae

Acalypha is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the solitary genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. With 450 to 500 species of shrubs, trees and annuals, the genus is only behind Euphorbia, Croton and Phyllanthus in terms of Malpighiales variety. The common name is copperleaf, three-seeded mercury or cat’s tail (Pax et al, 1924).

A small number of these plants are found in temperate regions, but the majority are tropical or subtropical. Two-thirds of the known species are found in the Americas, which range from the southern United States to Uruguay and northern Argentina.

Some species, like Acalypha ecuadorica, Acalypha eggersii, and Acalypha raivavensis, are almost extinct. Acalypha rubrinervis, also known as the “stringwood” or St. Helena Mountain Bush, has already won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. (Grubben et al., 2004).

Acalypha rubrinervis, also known as the “chenille plant” or red-hot cat’s tail, is cultivated as a houseplant due to its vibrant and texturally stimulating flowers.

Others are grown for their foliage and a number of cultivars have been developed, such as Acalypha wilkesiana ‘Obovata Cristata’ and Acalypha wilkesiana Acalypha wilkesiana “Hoffmannii’. Acalypha bipartita is eaten as a vegetable in various parts of Africa.