EFFECTS OF Alafia barteri AQUEOUS AND ETHANOL LEAF AND ROOT EXTRACTS ON OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS IN THE BRAIN & HEART OF ARTHRITIC MICE.

Abstract

Alafia barteri (Apocynaceae)is an indigenous plant which has been widely used as traditional medicine for treatment of inflammation and arthritis. Natural products from plants are the basis for treating human diseases. The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diseases dates back to the history of human life, since human beings have sought a tool in their environment to recover from a disease, the use of plants was their only choice of treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of the aqueous and ethanol leaf and root extracts of A. barteri against heart and brain oxidative stress in formaldehyde-induced arthritic rat model. 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg was given orally for 10 consecutive days after induction by injecting 0.1ml of 2% formaldehyde into the left hind paw of the mice. GSH activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, MDA were measured. Treatment with aqueous and ethanol leaf and root extracts significantly increased SOD and GSH levels in both heart and brain while MDA levels reduced in arthritic mice compared to the control. These results indicate that Alafia barteri leaf and root showed an ameliorative effect against heart and brain oxidative stress in formaldehyde-induced arthritic rats by reducing the generation of free radicals as well as the occurrence of lipid peroxidation.