“Effect ofthe Methanol Extract of the Leaves of P.guajava on lipid peroxidation of indomethacin-ulcerated rat:- Oko, Rachel O.

ABSTRACT

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 P. guajava. 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 P. guajava on MDA concentration of Indomethacin-ulcerated rats. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that the extract contained alkaloids, flavonoids, reducing sugars, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, proteins, steroids, terpenoids and fats and oil but resins, glycosides and acidic compounds were not detected. The extract at the tested doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w) caused significant (p < 0.05) and dose-dependent decreases in the MDA concentrations of the rats in the test groups when compared to the value obtained for the rats in the control group. The effect of the 400 mg/kg b.w of the extract was similar to that of the standard anti-ulcer drug, famotidine at the dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. The results indicate that the methanol extract ofthe leaves ofP. guajava contains some pharmacological active principles which may help support the use ofthe leaves of the plants in traditional medicine for the treatments ofgastric ulcer.