Effect Of The Methanol Extract Of The Leaves Of Anacardium Occidentals On Lipid Peroxidation Of Indomethacin-Ulcerated Rats:- Anyanwu Enoch C

ABSTRACT Vi Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history and such traditional medicine is still widely in use today such as the leaves of Anacarduim occidentale. The objectives of this work were to examine the phytochemical constituents, acute toxicity and lethality and effect of the methanol extract of the leaves of A. occidentale on lipid peroxidation. 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. The extract at the tested doses [100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight (b.w)] caused significant (p < 0.05) and dose-dependent decreases in the MDA concentrations of the rats in the test group when compared to the value obtained for the rats in control group. The effect of the 400 mg/kg b.w of the extract was similar to those of the standard anti-ulcer drug, famotidine at the dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. The results indicate that the methanol extract of the leaves of A. occidentale contains some pharmacological active principles which may help support the use ofthe leaves of the plants in traditional medicine for the treatments of gastric ulcer.