EVALUATION OF THE ACUTE TOXICITY AND IN VIVO ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF Tetracarpidium conophorum HUTCH & DALZIEL SEED AQUEOUS EXTRACT IN SWISS MICE

Herbs are useful in the management of diseases due to the reduced level of toxicity and antioxidant capacity as reported from folklore uses. Toxins harmful effect have been proven to be dose-dependent in relation to drug effects. Tetracarpidium conophorum belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, with several therapeutic benefits (anti-diarrhea, constipation, antimicrobial, pain ). This study investigated the acute toxicity of T. conophorum seeds aqueous extract using standard procedure. Graded doses (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) of T. conophorum seeds aqueous extract, the standard drug (2 mg/kg diazepam orally) and the negative control were administered at a single dose to evaluate the antioxidant activities using standard protocol. The result of the acute toxicity revealed no abnormal physical signs and recorded no mortality across the doses. The aqueous extract of T. conophorum seed at 25 and 50 mg/kg showed a significant decrease in the level of Malondialdehyde compared to the untreated control (distilled water) (p<0.05). The results obtained from catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase assays showed a significant increase in their scavenging capacity against free radicals. In conclusion, no adverse effect was observed with no mortality. This study scientifically validate the in-vivo scavenging property and acute untowards effect of T. conophorum.