In vitro Detoxifying Effects of Catunaregam nilotica(STAPF) Root Extracts against Naja nigricollis Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) Enzyme

Abstract

Snakebite is a severe public health problem across the globe, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where most victims live in rural areas where their livelihood depends on farming and rearing animals. Catuneragamniloticahas been used in ethnomedicine to treat snakebites, and diarrhea among others. The study aims to evaluate the phospholipase A2 inhibition potential of C. niloitca using in vitro model. The plant was collected, authenticated, and sequentially extracted using solvents of increasing polarity starting from n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The extracts were screened in vitro for their inhibitory activity against N. nigricollisvenom using PLA2 assay, and polyvalent serum-base antivenin was used as a standard. The phytochemical screening conducted using standard procedures revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, polyphenols, tannins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, and steroids which varies in the extracts. The extracts of the plant have demonstrated significant (p<0.05) and concentration-dependent antisnake venom activity by combating the hydrolytic actions of N. nigricollisPLA2 enzyme; methanol extract was the most active with PLA2 inhibition of 83.01 to 63.01% at1.0mg/mL to 0.125mg/mL respectively while hexane extract was the least active with percentage inhibition of 45.04 to 30.00% at 1.0mg/mL to 0.125mg/mL. In conclusion, the plant C. niloticahas demonstrated good antisnake venom activity and could be studied further for development as safe and affordable antivenom by subjecting it to bioassay-guided isolation and purification of bioactive compound(s) responsible for the observed activity.