Effect Of The Ethanol Extract Of The Leaves Of Annona Muricata On The Activity Of Superoxide Dismutase (Sod) Of Aspirin-Ulcerated Rats

ABSTRACT

Since ancient times, plants have been the basis for trado-medical treatments and such traditional medicine is still widely in use today such as the leaves of A. muricata. 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 activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) 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 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) caused significant (p <0.05) and dose-dependent increases in the activities of SOD of the rats in the test groups compared to the value obtained for the rats in the positive control group. The effect of the 400 mg/kg b.w of the extract was similar to that of the 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 A. muricata contains some pharmacological active principles which may boost the activity of SOD in ulcerated rats.