ABSTRACT

This work is aimed at evaluating the effect of Vigna subterranea (okpa) and Vigna unguiculata (akidi) on some biochemical parameters in Wistar rats. A total of fifteen ( 15) Wistar albino rats of male sex weighing between 100-120 g were used for the study. The animals were housed under normal conditions and acclimatized for a period of one week and given feed and water ad libituwm. They were grouped into 3 with five (5) rats each. Group 1 served as the normal control while groups 2 and 3 were given cooked V. subterranea and V. unguiculata only, respectively. The seeds of V. subterranea and V. unguiculata were milled and cooked. The cooked samples were then air-dried, cut into pieces and fed to the animals according to their groupings. The feeding lasted for a period of 3 weeks after which they were sacrificed and blood collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical assays. The assays carried out were done using standard methods. Results of the research show that the groups 2 (5.12 ± 0.06) and 3 (5.22 ± 0.23) had significant (p<0.05) decrease in protein concentration when compared with the normal control (5.81 ± 0.22). Also, the results of urea showed that group I ( 45.66±1.95) had a non-significant (p>0.05) and significant (p<0.05) increase when compared with groups 3 (44.41±4.95) and (36.20±2.17), respectively. Creatinine results show that group I (1.69±0.05) had a non-significant (p>0.05) and significant (p<0.05) increases when compared with groups 3 (1.60±0.18) and 2 (1.30±0.07), respectively. From the results of sodium, it was observed that group 1 (221.42±5.04) showed a non-significant (p>0.05) increase when compared with group 2 (220.02±9.61) and a significant (p<0.05) increase when compared with group 3 (213.63±12.49), while in potassium concentration, the result of group 1 (3.85±0.26) showed a non-significant (p>0.05) decrease when compared with groups 2 (4.00 ± 0.24) and 3 (4.23 ± 0.25). Furthermore, the results of cholesterol showed a non-significant (p>0.05) increase when groups 2 (2.45±0.18) and 3 (2.06±0.13) are compared against group 1 (2.01±0.12). The results indicated alterations in some biochemical indices and therefore, suggests that cooked V. subterranean and V. unguiculata may likely possess relatively low deleterious. effect on a biological system.