ABSTRACT

Sphenocentrum  jollyanum is used in West Africa as a folkloric medicine. It has been documented to possess hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, anti–allergic activities. This study investigated the safety of the ethanolic extract of S. jollyanum stem on normal Sprague dawley rats. S. jollyanum extract was administered orally at 200 mg, 500 mg, 1000 mg, 3000 mg and 5000 mg/kg body weight (Group 1- 5 respectively) to thirty (30) Sprague dawley rats. The body weight and fasting blood sugar were monitored weekly over this period. The food consumption was measured on a daily basis. At the end of the 28-days experiment, the liver, kidney, heart and pancreas were harvested and weighed. The effect of the extract on the body and organ weight, blood glucose and feed intake were compared with the control. There was a shown significant (P<0.05) increase in body weight, decrease in the blood glucose concentration, no significant difference in the organ weight and the food consumption decreased in a dose- dependent manner. S. jollyanum showed mild toxic effect as the relative heart, liver and pancreas weights were significantly reduced and so it may not be safe for a prolong  administration. The hypoglycemic effect validates the folkloric use of this part of the plant as an Anti-diabetic agent.

KEYWORDS: Sphenocentrum jollyanum, Sprague dawley rats, Hypoglycemic.