PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING USING ETHYL ACETATE AND DISTILLED WATER, TOTAL TANNINS CONTENT, ACUTE TOXICITY AND HAEMATOLOGICAL STUDY ON PLATELET, IN PYRENACANTHA STAUDTII HUTCH AND DALZ LEAVES

ABSTRACT

Pyrenacantha staudtii hutch and dalz is a plant indigenous to the lush rainforests of Central and West Africa. It is a traditional medicinal plant used in Nigeria and various West and Central African regions to treat a variety of diseases and ailments. This project presents a comprehensive investigation into Pyrenacantha staudtii leaves, encompassing phytochemical screening using ethyl acetate and distilled water, quantification of the total tannins content, acute toxicity assessment and the hematological study. These studies were carried out using already established procedures. Phytochemical analysis using ethyl acetate as a solvent revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids in Pyrenacantha staudtii leaves. When distilled water was used as the solvent, all the mentioned compounds were present except for steroids. The total tannins study of Pyrenacanta staudtii leaves shows that the absorbance of different concentrations, increases with increase in concentration. This suggests that the total tannins is dosage dependent. The acute toxicity study shows that the plant has no toxicity effects. The hematological studies on platelets using the plant leaves, shows that the plant has good effects on platelets levels. The presence of these bioactive compounds, the total tannins determination, favorable acute toxicity profiles and hematological data contribute to the growing body of knowledge about this rainforest plant's pharmacological properties and safety.