Comparative studies of the pharmacological activities of Prosopis africana fruits and its fraction
J. A. Bosha1* and I. U. Asuzu2
Research Article | Published February 2015
Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Research Journal, Vol. 3(1), pp. 1-8
1College of Veterinary Medicine University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria.
2Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: boshajoel@yahoo.com.
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The pharmacological effects of the methanolic extract of Prosopis africana (Guill and Perr) Taub fruits (PA) and one of its fraction (FPA) were investigated. The extract was prepared by cold maceration using 80 % methanol at room temperature to obtain a yield of 4.2% w/w dry extract. Nine (9) fractions of the extract were obtained by accelerated gradient chromatography. FPA was most active and was selected for further in vitro/in vivo studies with the parent extract. Its yield was 7.3% w/w. The extract (PA) showed 5 spots with Rf values of 0.07, 0.24, 0.39, 0.54 and 0.69. while FPA showed 3 spots with Rf values of 0.19, 0.39 and 0.54. The extract and FPA showed both concentration and time-dependent inhibitions of the intrinsic peristaltic contractions of the isolated rabbit jejunum, as well as induced concentration-dependent inhibitions
of the contractions induced by Ach (2.5 µg/ml) on the isolated rabbit jejunum. These inhibitions were reversible after washing. Phytochemical spot tests revealed that PA contained alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, polyuronoids, sterols, terpenes and reducing sugars while FPA contained all constituents of PA except flavonoids, polyuronoids and reducing sugars. The findings of this study have shown that PA and its fraction FPA has good local anaesthetic activities comparable to 2% lignocaine hydrochloride as seen in the guinea pig wheal test and other comparable pharmacological activities like inhibitions of rabbit jejunum contractions, though in varying degree. These may be due to a combination of constituents since both of them showed similar phytochemical constituents with little variation.
Keywords: Methanolic extract, fractions, local anaesthetic, inhibitions, Prospis africana, phytochemicals.
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Citation: Bosha JA, Asuzu IU (2015). Comparative studies of the pharmacological activities of Prosopis africana fruits and its fraction. Med. Aromat. Plant Res. J. 3(1): 1-8.
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