Abstract
Synthetic antipyretic drugs are not readily accessible and have adverse side effects. Herbal medicines possess bioactive compounds that are safer and efficient in the management of various diseases and disorders. Acacia hockii and Kigelia africana are traditionally used to manage pyrexia among the Embu and Mbeere communities in Kenya but lack scientific data to validate their use. The present study evaluated for the antipyretic activity of the A. hockii and K. africana in rat models to scientifically validate their traditional use. The plant samples were collected with the help of local herbalists in Embu County, Kenya and transported to Kenyatta University for cleaning, air drying, milling, and extraction. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups of 5 animals each; normal control, positive control, negative control, and three experimental groups. The antipyretic effect was assessed using turpentine-induced pyrexia method. The antipyretic activities of the extracts were compared to reference drug aspirin. The stem bark extract of A. hockii reduced the raised rectal temperature by between 0.62-3.88% while the stem bark extract of K. africana reduced the elevated rectal temperature by between 0.06-3.07%. The reference drug aspirin reduced the rectal temperature of pyretic rats by between 0.63-3.1%. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the two extracts indicated the presence of flavonoid, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, terpenoids which are associated with the antipyretic activity. The present study demonstrated potent antipyretic activities of methanolic extracts of A. hockii and K. africana in a dose-dependent manner after the second hour of the treatment period, which supports their traditional use. The present study, therefore, recommends the ethnomedicinal use of K. africana and A. hockii in the management of pyrexia.
Highlights
Pyrexia, known as fever [1], is a medical sign associated with the elevation of body temperature above the normal range (36.537.5°C), due to the cytokine-induced upward displacement of the thermoregulatory set-point of the hypothalamus [2]
In the first hour after treatment, only the group of rats treated with aspirin at the dosage of 100 mg/kg body weight showed antipyretic activity by reducing the elevated rectal temperature of pyretic rats by 1.7% (Figure 1; Table 2)
In the second hour after extract administration, the group of rats treated with extract at the dose levels of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 150 mg/kg body weight demonstrated antipyretic activity by decreasing the raised rectal temperature by 0.06%, 0.11% and 1.20% respectively (Figure 2; Table 3)
Summary
Known as fever [1], is a medical sign associated with the elevation of body temperature above the normal range (36.537.5°C), due to the cytokine-induced upward displacement of the thermoregulatory set-point of the hypothalamus [2]. The elevation of the body temperature occurs when prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases within the pre-optic region of the hypothalamus and changes the firing rate of neurons in the thermoregulatory center [3]. The impacts of secondary infection, tissue damage, neoplasm or other diseased states induce fever. Infected or damaged tissue produces cytokines such as interleukins 1 (β and α), tumor necrosis factor (β and α) and interleukin-6 which triggers the arachidonic acid pathway to initiate the synthesis of PGE2 in the hypothalamus. The increased production of PGE2 stimulates the hypothalamus to generate responses to raise the body temperature [5]
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