Abstract
Vegetables consumption has been associated with lower risk of pre eclempsia in pregnancy. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of <em>Leptadenia hastate</em> (Pers) Decne on some biochemical parameters in pregnant rats. <em>Leptadenia hastate</em> (Pers) Decne is a tropical herb widely used by pregnant women in northern Nigeria with so much nutritive and therapeutic claims attributed to it. The effect of different doses of the plant on metabolic profile of pregnant rats was determined. Results obtained showed significant decrease (p≤0.05) in Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) values. Urea, creatinine and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels increased significantly (p≤0.05) in a dose depended manner while aspartate aminotranferase (AST) activity showed little or no change in activity. The study proved the hypolipidemic effect of <em>L. hastate</em> and provided a scientific support for the ethno medical uses of <em>L. hastate</em> in the management of pre eclempsia in the study area.
Highlights
Malnutrition during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality (UNICEF, 2009)
Vegetables provide important components such as ascorbic acids, βcarotene and folic acid that play important role in pregnancy, but are sources of bioactive compounds that are directly associated with the prevention of disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Flavia et al, 2012)
Collection of plant materials: Fresh leaves of L. hastata were obtained from farms around the Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Summary
Malnutrition during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality (UNICEF, 2009). Nutritional factors during pregnancy have been related to health in later stages of life such as infancy and adulthood (Ramon et al, 2009). Improving maternal nutrition could improve fetal and subsequent health (Loy et al, 2011). Among the low income earners, leafy vegetables contribute much in alleviating the protein deficiency symptoms associated with starchy diets and so play a vital role in providing the health and well-being of the people (Badi et al, 2012). Vegetables provide important components such as ascorbic acids, βcarotene and folic acid that play important role in pregnancy, but are sources of bioactive compounds that are directly associated with the prevention of disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Flavia et al, 2012)
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