Evaluation of Antisnake Venom Activities of Some Medicinal Plants Using Albino Rats

Abstract

Snakebite is a neglected public health problem in most of the countries in Africa. Its means of treatment is parenteral administration of serum-based antivenins. But due to the limitations of these antivenins, snakebite victims mostly depend on herbal antidotes. Hence, this research was designed to screen the antisnake venom activity of some medicinal plants on mixed venoms of Naja nigricollis, Echis ocellatus and Bitis arietans using Albino rats’ model. Information on the medicinal plants used for the treatment of snakebite envenomation in Zuru Local Government Area was obtained through ethnobotanical survey. Four (4) most cited plants; Parkia biglobosa stem-bark, Calotropis procera root, Sterculia setigera stem-bark and Bauhinia rufescens seed were selected and screened against the venom-induced lethal effect on albino rats. Albino rats of both sexes were randomly divided into six (6) groups of five (5) rats each and used for the antivenom screening of each plant methanol extract. Group 1 received distilled water. Groups 2, 3 and 4 received 0.8mg/kg b. wt. of the venom mixture, but 3 and 4 were treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg b. wt. of an extract respectively. Group 5 received 400mg/kg b. wt. of an extract only. Finally, group 6 received 0.8mg/kg b. wt. of the venom mixture and treated with standard antivenin. The plants’ extracts exhibited antivenom activities with varying degrees of efficacy. At 400mg/kg b. wt. of extract, the recorded mean animal survival times were 18.52 ± 1.50h, 14.04 ± 4.79h, 18.66 ± 4.32h and 5.96 ± 2.79h for C. procera root, P. biglobosa stem-bark, B. rufescens seed and S. setigera stem-bark extracts respectively. Thus, B. rufescens methanol seed extract was the most potent antivenom agent. These findings suggest that, the selected plants have potent antivenom activity on the selected snake venoms and can serve as lead for the development of safe, readily available and affordable antivenoms that can substitute the use of serum-based antivenins.