Effect Of The Ethanol Extract Of The Leaves Of Carica Papaya On Packed Cell Volume (Pcv) Of Aspirin-Ulcerated Rats:- Dimgba Akachukwu J

ABSTRACT vi Medicinal Plants which are used as natural medicines have been identified and used throughout human history and such practice has remained up till this present time. The leaves of Carica papaya is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcer and hence, 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 C. papaya on Packed Cell Volume (PCV) of aspirinulcerated rats. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that the plant leaves contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins,steroids, terpenoids and fats and oil but resins, reducing sugars and acidic compounds were not detected. The extract at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight significantly (P< 0.05) and dose-dependently increased the PCV ofthe rats in groups 5 and 6 when compared to the value of the rats in the ulcer-untreated group (group2). The effect of the extract at the dose of 400mg/kg body weight was comparable to that of the standard anti-ulcer drug, ranitidine at the dose of 150mg/kg body weight. The result indicate that the ethanol extract of the Leaves of C. papaya contains some pharmacological active principles and arc in support ofthe local application ofthe plant for the cure of ulcer.