Project Abstract

Abstract
Desmodium velutinum is a plant traditionally used in African herbal medicine for various ailments. This study aimed to investigate the cardio-protective activities of the n-hexane extract of Desmodium velutinum stem on albino Wister rats. The study involved the extraction of plant material using n-hexane, followed by phytochemical screening to identify the presence of bioactive compounds. Acute toxicity testing was conducted to determine the safety of the extract. In the main experiment, rats were divided into five groups Group I (control), Group II (negative control - induced with Isoproterenol), Group III (positive control - treated with Metoprolol), Group IV (treated with 200 mg/kg of extract), and Group V (treated with 400 mg/kg of extract). The rats were pretreated with the extract for 14 days before induction with Isoproterenol. Various parameters including electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac biomarkers (CK-MB, LDH), lipid profile, antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GSH), and histopathological examination were assessed. The results showed that the n-hexane extract of Desmodium velutinum stem demonstrated significant cardio-protective effects. Both doses of the extract (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the Isoproterenol-induced alterations in ECG patterns, cardiac biomarkers, and lipid profile. Furthermore, the extract restored the antioxidant enzyme levels in the heart tissue, indicating its ability to reduce oxidative stress. Histopathological examination revealed that the extract protected the myocardium from Isoproterenol-induced damage. The findings of this study suggest that the n-hexane extract of Desmodium velutinum stem possesses cardio-protective properties, possibly due to its antioxidant effects. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the exact mechanisms of action and to explore the potential of this plant extract as a therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases.

Project Overview

1.0 INTRODUCTIONThe heart is a hollow muscular, cone-shaped organ, lying between the lungs in a block of tissue called the mediastinum (Khader, 2004). The heart begins beating some few weeks following conception and beats throughout life (Khader, 2004). It is also the strongest muscle in the human body and functions to maintain a constant circulation of blood throughout the body, it also acts as a pump and its action is composed of a series of events known as the cardiac cycle. The heart is composes of three layers of tissue which are; the pericardium, the myocardium and the Endocardium. The heart acts as a pump which drives blood into and through the arteries, but the right and the left side of the heart functions separately from one another some of the diseases associated with the cardiovascular system includes coronary heart diseases (CHD) which is the most common of heart diseases and it occurs when the arteries supplying blood to the heart narrow or harden from the build-up of plaque (Gina, 1996.),Ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease( CeVD),peripheral vascular disease, Heart Failure etc and some of the pharmacological treatment includes Angiotesin commonly prescribes includes Benazepril, Captopril, Moexipril, Beta Blockers which includes, Acebutolol, Betaxolol,etc.The heart marker enzymes includes creatine kinasse(CK-MB)which is the enzyme used as the definitive serum marker for the diagnosis or exclusion of acute myocardial infarction (Andreas,2009).Troponin 1 Rapid test which is a lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of cardiac Troponin 1(CTn1)and its complex in human serum or plasma at the level equal or higher than 1ng/ml. Myoglobin which is also designed for qualitative determination of myoglobin in human whole blood serum or plasma as an aid in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) and myoglobin is also a low molecular weight cytoplasm protein which is released into the blood stream when muscle cells are damaged and this protein is released into the blood stream more rapidly than any other myocardial marker and elevated levels can be detected as early as one (1) hour after the onset of AMI(Penttila,2002). Demodium velutinum has been suggested to have some therapeutic effect in the treatment of cardiovascular disorder and in the reducing of high cholesterol content in the body. Demodium Velutinum is one of the few shrubs species that has been identified as a well adapted to acid tropical soil and a good nutritive value(Schultze-Kraft, 2002).Every culture has relied on the variety of natural medicines found in healing plants for the therapeutic properties(Armstrong,2004).Researchers find that food and their individual constituents perform similar fashion to modern drugs and sometimes better without the dreaded side effect. The leaves and young stems are rich in crude protein and mineral elements and can provide higher levels of some nutrient (Bakker, 1994). Natural plants have been valuable sources of mineral agent with proven potential of treating infectious diseases and with lesser side effects compared to the synthetic drug agents(Guyton, 2002).Hence potentially useful drugs can often be recognized from their relative importance and uses in folk medicine. Extract of Desmodium velutinum stem are used traditionally in some diseases condition particularly headache and may be a source of a pharmacological active agent useful in the treatment of aches and pain(Anowi,2012). This work aimed at investigating any hypocholesterolemic activity in the N-hexane extract of Desmodium Velutinum stem.