Implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine in normal experimental rabbits

Abstract

The leaves of Acalypha wilkesiana are eaten as vegetables as part of the traditional management of hypertension in Nigeria. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves, on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine, in normal experimental rabbits. A total of eighteen (18) rabbits were randomized into three groups (A, B and C) of six animals each and treated with aqueous (A) and ethanol (B) extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves. The extracts were administered orally at a dose of 300mg/kg body weight for a period of twenty-one (21) days. Group C animals served as control. Administration of the aqueous or ethanol extract, at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight, to normal rabbits resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum creatinine. Treatment with the aqueous or ethanol extract also resulted in a non-significantly (P > 0.05) lower serum urea, chloride, sodium and potassium, as compared with the control, in normal rabbits. Also, treatment with the aqueous extract resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) higher, while administration of the ethanol extract resulted in lower (P > 0.05) serum calcium levels of the normal rabbits, as compared with the control.