Ameliorative effects of aqueous seed-extract of Dacryodes edulis on doxorubicin-induced cardiac tissue damage in albino rats

Abstract

Ameliorative effects of aqueous seed extract of D acryodes edulis on doxorubicininduced cardiac tissue damage in albino rats were investigated. The animals were divided into groups and fed for 14 days to acclimatize. A single dose of 15 mg/kg body weight doxorubicin was given intraperitoneally to each group except the control group. After 48 hours, two animals were randomly selected from each group and sacrificed under ethylether anesthesia, to harvest their hearts for histological studies. Subsequently, groups 1 and 2 were given normal saline, while groups 3 and 4 were treated with 25 and 100 mg/kg body weight of aspirin and vitamin C respectively. Groups 5-8 received different doses of aqueous seed extract (200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg body weight). Treatments lasted for 21 days and the rats were sacrificed under anesthesia, and their hearts harvested and fixed in 10% formol saline for examination. The photomicrograph revealed severe and focal loss of cardiac fiber, intra-myocardial hemorrhages, fragmentation of cardiac muscle, and disorganization of histoarchitecture in the induced but untreated animal groups. Micrographs showed significant ameliorative effects of the extract in a dose-dependent way and healing effects of the standard drugs. These results showed that aqueous seed extract of Dacryodes edulis exhibits therapeutic potentials for cardiac disorders.