Idris Babatunde MOMODU

Azanza garckeana is a tropical wild plant that is found in Africa. It produces edible fruits that are used as food or herbal medicine. The fruits are used for the treatment of anemia, malaria, liver problems and infertility. This study was aimed at determining the effect of the aqueous-methanol pulp extract of Azanza garckeana fruits on biochemical, haematological and histopathological parameters of male Wistar albino rats. The effect of the pulp extract on sex hormones was ascertained and the bioactive compounds present in the pulp and seeds of Azanza garckeana fruits were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. Twenty-four (24) male Wistar albino rats were used for the study and grouped into four groups with six rats per group; Group 1 (control) and three dose groups of 50, 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight. The animals were acclimatized for two weeks. Those in the test groups were orally administered the aqueous-methanol pulp extract of Azanza garckeana fruits for twenty-eight (28) days. Analyses of biochemical, haematological and histopathological parameters, as well as sex hormone assessment were carried out using standard methods. Methanol and aqueous extracts of the pulverized pulp and seeds of the fruits were used for GC-MS analysis.
Results obtained from this study revealed no significant change (p > 0.05) between the control and test groups in the biochemical parameters assessed except for creatinine levels for 300 and 2000mg/kg bodyweight test groups, which significantly increased (p< 0.05) compared to control. The platelet crit, platelet count and RDW values were the only haematological parameters that were significantly different (p < 0.05) from the control. Histopathological study of the following organ; liver, kidney, heart, colon and testes showed no abnormalities in both test and control groups. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in the sex hormone progesterone at 300 and 2000mg/kg body weight test groups was observed. GC-MS analysis of the pulp and seeds of Azanza garckeana fruits revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds such as 5hydroxymethyl furfural, hexadecanoic acid, octadecane, heneicosane, heptacosane with varying medicinal properties. The consumption of Azanza garckeana fruits can be considered safe with no adverse effect. Moreover, identification of several bioactive compounds with medicinal properties that are present in the pulp and seeds of Azanza garckeana fruits gives credence to their ethnomedicinal uses.