Abstract
This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of Uvaria chamae extract in protecting against Naja nigricollis envenomations. Uvaria chamae is a well-known medicinal plant in Nigeria traditional medicine for the management of snakebite. Freshly collected Uvaria chamae leaves and stems were air-dried, powdered and extracted in methanol. The median lethal dose of the extract was determined and further fractionated with n-hexane, n-butanol, and ethyl acetate. Each fraction was tested for neutralizing effect against venom-induced haemolytic, fibrinolytic, hemorrhagic, and cytotoxic activities. The result obtained showed significant (p<0.05) antihaemolytic activity of Uvaria chamae in n-butanol 31.40%, aqueous residue 39.60% and ethyl acetate 40.70% fractions when compared to positive controls, but in n-hexane, the activity 33% was not significantly (p>0.05) increased. Antifibrinolytic activity was significantly (p<0.05) increase in n-hexane 73.88%, n-butanol 72.22% and aqueous residue 72.22% fractions. Antihaemorrhagic significant (p<0.05) increase in all the concentrations of each fraction except for n-butanol and aqueous residues at 400 mg/kg; antihaemorrhagic effect was more at 100 and 200 mg/mL concentration following experimental envenomation. Uvaria chamae fractions were found to possess a high level of protection against Naja nigricollis venoms-induced lethality, compared to positive controls. The results apparently provide the pharmacological rationale for the use of the leaves of Uvaria chamae in the management of snakebite envenomation.
Highlights
Snakebite envenoming is a major public health problem among rural communities of West Africa, notably Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroun, Ghana and Nigeria (Habib, 2013)
The crude fractions at 100 mg/mL inhibited haemolytic effect of n. nigricollis at ethyl acetate (40.70%), aqueous residue (39. 60%), n-hexane (33. 40%), nbutanol (31. 40%), respectively as compared with control group (0. 00%) within 60 min
The results of this study showed that the median lethal dose (LD50) of the leaf and stem extract of Uvaria chamae was determined to be 2154.07 mg/kg (2.2 g/kg) using the method of Lorke (1983)
Summary
Snakebite envenoming is a major public health problem among rural communities of West Africa, notably Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroun, Ghana and Nigeria (Habib, 2013) It is a global priority and neglected tropical disease (Potet et al, 2019). The record of snakebites the obtained from West Africa sub region, notably in Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria, is skyrocketing yearly (Habib, 2013) It is an environmental and occupational disease that affects mostly agricultural workers and their children in rural settings of third world countries of Africa and parts of Asia, Latin America and Oceania (Potet et al, 2019). Over 5 million people are bitten by venomous snakes annually with about 100,000 mortality, mostly in Asia and Africa the reverse is the case in the United States of America, with 6000-8000 envenomation, resulting in 15-50 mortality (Ruha et al, 2017)
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