ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF METHANOL ROOT EXTRACT OF Andropogon gayanus (GAMBA GRASS) ON SOME INDICES OF TOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS
UCHE MELFORD ELENDU1, EWA OGBONNAYA2,3*, OBIOMA ELIZABETH NWEKE4, EJIOFOR DOMINIC CHINEDU1, OBIOHA KENNEDY CHINONYE5, IBEZIM EBERE OTUOMASIRICHI6 JOHN WASSAGWA7, FAVOUR CHINEMEREM JOHNSON8, ONWUKA, KELECHI COLLINS9, AZUNNA UCHENNA9
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
- International Institute for Toxicology, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli Anambra State.
- Department of Pediatrics, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri Nigeria.
- UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology, Nsukka 410001, Enugu State, Nigeria.
- Chemical pathology in Medical Laboratory science, Faculty of Health sciences, Imo state university Owerri, Nigeria.
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu Abia Statea
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 17(2): 138-142 ; 2025
ABSTRACT
The root of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) has long been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for certain human diseases. However, despite its ethnomedicinal relevance, scientific data on its safety profile remain limited, raising concerns over its suitability for therapeutic use. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the toxicological effects of oral administration of the methanol root extract of Andropogon gayanus on selected biochemical and haematological indices in Wistar rats. Freshly harvested roots of A. gayanus were air-dried, ground into fine powder, and extracted with methanol. Twenty adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups of five rats each. Group I served as the control and received 2 ml/kg of distilled water daily. Groups II, III, and IV received 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg of the extract, respectively, administered orally once daily for 28 consecutive days. Body weights of the animals were recorded weekly. On day 28, all animals were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected for haematological and biochemical analyses. A progressive increase in body weight was observed across all groups during the study period. However, administration of the extract resulted in a significant elevation of liver enzyme activities in the treated groups compared to the control. In addition, key haematological parameters including PCV, Hb, and MCHC were significantly reduced in rats that received the extract. The findings suggest that prolonged oral administration of Andropogon gayanus root extract may adversely affect liver function and haematological parameters. While these results indicate potential toxicity risks, definitive conclusions on its safety require further detailed investigations, including histopathological and mechanistic studies.
Keywords: Blood, Hematology, Andropogon gayanus, Biochemical, Liver
Email of correspondence: ewahalfred@gmail.com;
https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2025.2.3 ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)