ABSTRACT
Ekebergia senegalensis A Juss (Meliaceae) is a medicinal plant employed in the treatment of dysentery, epilepsy, gastritis, abdominal pain, cough, headache and fever. It is also used to facilitate parturition. This study was aimed at determining the short-term toxicity of the methanol leaf extract of Ekebergia senegalensis.
The acute toxicity was evaluated using Lorke’s method. Animals were observed for obvious signs of toxicity or mortality. The sub-acute toxicity was evaluated after administering daily oral doses of 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg of E. senegalensis extract for 28 days to the rats. Anthropometric, hematological and biochemical parameters were assessed using standard procedures.
Results showed that there was no mortality up to the highest dose of 5000 mg/kg in both the mice and rats on oral acute administration of E. senegalensis. Administration of E. senegalensis produced no significant change (p>0.05) in organ weight at all doses. E. senegalensis did not produce significant alterations (p>0.05) in serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, total bilirubin, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, and electrolytes in the treated rats compared to the control. E. senegalensis did not also produce significant alterations in haematological indices in the treated rats compared to the control. The results of this study suggest that the methanol leaf extract of Ekebergia senegalensis can be considered safe on short-term administration.
