DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2020.v08i06.003

Pages: 153-160

Pumpkin leaves (Telfairia occidentalis) are extensively used in homes in Nigeria and some West African Countries for soup making and sometimes extracted in water for drinking as medicament for stimulating erythropoiesis. The present study aims at evaluating the in-vitro effect of pumpkin leaves extract on human erythrocytes with an interest in obtaining base data on the phyto-toxicity as a measure to determine the toxicity of other trado-phyto extract on human erythrocyte. Human erythrocytes of the A,B,O blood groups and Rhesus positive and negative were obtained from blood donors in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Pumpkin leaves weighing 250g was extract in 250ml cold distilled water to obtain a stock solution of 1gm/ml pumpkin leaves extract. The stock solution was further diluted in sterile test tubes to obtain a concentration range of 10µg/m/, 20µg/m/, 40µg/m/ to 640µg/m/ using cold sterile distilled water. The heamolysis occurring in the tubes was read spectrophometrically (Cornings) at 540nm wavelength along with the neat and saline control. A drop of erythrocyte suspension (0.02ml) from each tube was placed on a clean grease- free slide, covered with a coverslip and examined under the microscope (Olympus) using X10 and X40 objective lenses. Then photomicrographs to show cell structures were obtained using a motic camera with extension lense. The lowest concentration of pumpkin leaves extract to yield heamolysis was 125 µg/m/ irrespective of blood group and Rhesus status. To determine the equivalent of other phyto-product using the equivalent is calculated using the least concentration which had the least hemolysis on Telfaira occidentalis divided by the least concentration of other phyto-extract. The equivalent greater than one (1>) shows that the toxicity is higher than Telfaira occidentalis, the equivalent (<1) less than one shows a toxicity lower than pumpkin equivalent but the when it is equals to one (1), it is equals to that .....