ABSTRACT
This study was
designed to compare the effect of fresh stem juice and aqueous stem juice
extract of Costus afer on the stomach of paracetamol treated rats. Ld50 of the
fresh stem juice and aqueous stem juice extract was determined by the modified
Lorke’s method using twenty one (21) male mice and was determined to be 223.61
mg/kg and 353.55 mg/kg respectively. Twenty eight (28) adult male Wistar rats
were used for the experiment. The animals were weighed before and after the
experiment. They were randomly divided into seven groups of four animals in
each group as follows. Group A: the control group was given feed and water ad
libitum. Groups B – G served as the experimental groups. Group B was
administered with 28.57 mg/kg of paracetamol. Group C was administered with
44.72 mg/kg of fresh stem juice extract of Costus afer. Group D was
administered with 70.71 mg/kg of aqueous stem juice extract of Costus afer.
Group E was administered with 28.57 mg/kg of paracetamol and 44.72 mg/kg of
fresh stem juice of Costus afer .Group F was administered with 28.57 mg/kg of paracetamol
and 70.71 mg/kg of aqueous stem juice extract of Costus afer. Group G was
administered with 28.57 mg/kg of paracetamol and 100 mg/kg of silymarin. All
administrations were carried out within 21 days. Administration was done orally using an
orogastric tube. After the 21 days the animals were sacrificed by chloroform
inhalation anesthesia and their stomach harvested, fixed in 10 % buffered
formalin, processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin staining technique.
They were observed under a light microscope and the following observations were
made. Group A showed normal
histoarchitecture of the gastric epithelium. Group B showed severe atrophy of
the gastric epithelium tissues. Degenerations in the stomach tissues where also
mildly observed in groups C, D, E, F and
G as compared to the paracetamol treated group. In conclusion, from this
research it has been observed that oral administration of C. afer is toxic at
the dosage above 223.61 mg/kg at fresh juice and 353.51 mg/kg at aqueous
extract for of 21days, and it offered little protective effect on the stomach
treated with paracetamol.