DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 429-435

Blighia unijugata is a plant used in traditional medicine to treat many pains and diseases such as fever, headaches, kidney pain and stiffness, dizziness and high blood pressure. No or few studies were carried out on its effects on cardiovascular system. So, the present work was aimed to evaluate the effects of a butanol fraction from the leaves of this plant on the electrocardiogram of rabbits and to assess the acute toxicity in mice. The registration of electrocardiogram was implemented by an electrocardiograph (CARDIOFAX ECG-6851K Nihon Kohden, Japan) and the acute toxicity was determined by the methods of Miller and Tainter and Dragsted and Lang. The results showed that the butanol fraction from the leaves of Blighia unijugata (BFBu) was not toxic by oral and intraperitoneal administrations. The LD50 determined by oral tract was 20.14 ± 0.44 g/kg b.w. by the graphic method and 21 ± 0.54 g/kg b.w. by the calculation method. The intraperitoneal administration of the extract permitted to determine the LD50 of 5.628 ± 0.29 g/kg b.w. by the graphic method and 5.044 ± 0.28 g/kg b.w. by the calculation method. On rabbit electrocardiogram, BFBu elicited decreases of P, QRS, T waves and cardiac frequency. It caused increase of QT interval and. PQ interval was not affected. The effects induced by BFBu were partially inhibited by atropine suggesting the presence of cholinomimetic substances in the extract. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of sterols and polyterpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids and saponins. These compounds particularly polyphenols and flavonoids could be responsible for the inhibitory effects on the electrocardiogram of rabbit justifying the use of this plant in traditional medicine on the cardiovascular system.