Both leaves and bark of Senna singueana (Del.) Lock(Fabaceae) are traditionally used, in some parts of Ethiopia, for the treatment of a form of skin cancer. Also the inner bark of the plant is chewed fresh to soothe stomach spasm and smoke from the wood and bark is used as smoke baths. The objective of this work was to study the antioxidant properties, of this plant using an erythrocyte haemolysis inhibition assay, because one way to justify the traditional anticancer uses can be through the concept of antioxidant effect. Crude extracts from leaves and bark of S. singueana were prepared by maceration with 80% methanol. Fractions were prepared from both leaves and bark using solvents of different polarity (diethyl ether, chloroform, and 80% methanol). The 80% methanol fraction was partitioned using ethyl acetate. These crude extracts and solvent fractions were then evaluated for their capacity to inhibit H 2 O 2 induced erythrocyte haemolysis. Also to evaluate the presence of any intrinsic haemolysis inducing constituents such as saponins, foaming index determination and preliminary haemolysis activity determination tests were performed on extracts from the bark and leaves of the plant. The results revealed that the ethyl acetate solvent fraction from the bark of S. singueana exhibited concentration dependent erythrocyte haemolysis inhibitory activity, with an IC 50 value of 233 g/ml. However, the other solvent fractions and crude extracts did not show meaningful haemolysis inhibitory activity. The results of the foaming index determination and preliminary haemolysis activity determination tests showed the presence of saponins; but, none of the dilutions of the extracts showed any visible haemolysis activity compared to H 2 O 2 , used as a control. The results of the ethyl acetate solvent fraction from the bark of the plant could indicate the possible presence of constituents that can inhibit erythrocyte haemolysis, which in turn, could be due to lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity.

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Cassia arereh is traditionally used as a fish poison and to manage different disease conditions including gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disorders, infertility, diabetes, insect bite, and infections. Free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a range of chronic diseases; and many medicinal plants are thought to be effective in managing such diseases, mainly through their free radicals scavenging ability. The objective of this study was to conduct phytochemical screening and investigate the free radical scavenging activity of various extracts of pods of C. arereh. Petroleum ether, ethanol, and water extracts were prepared from the pods powder and tested for their radical scavenging activity using 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The pods powder was also subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. The results revealed that ethanol and water extracts possessed strong DPPH radical scavenging activity with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) values of 8.84 and 16.76μg/ml, respectively. Ascorbic acid was used as a standard and exhibited a radical scavenging IC 50 value of 2.0µg/ml. Results of preliminary phytochemical screening indicated the possible presence of anthraquinones, carbohydrates, deoxy-sugars, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids. It can be concluded that pods of C. arereh may contain medicinally relevant constituents such as terpenoids and displayed strong radical scavenging activity, which may partly contribute to the possible scientific basis for its traditional use to alleviate different disease conditions.

Background: Medicinal plants remain the mainstay for primary healthcare. The present study evaluated the effects of sub-acute administration of Ricinus communis fresh leaves’ methanolic extract on the histopathology and biochemistry of the liver and kidney in Swiss albino mice. Methods: 24 male and female mice were randomly assigned into four equal groups. Group I (control) received 5% tween 80 orally, while the treated groups; II, III and IV received oral Ricinus communis extract at 250mg/kg/day, 500mg/kg/day, and 1000 mg/kg/day for 28 consecutive days, respectively. Tissue processing, staining and biochemical analysis were used to assess the changes induced histopathologically and biochemically on the liver and kidney tissues. Results: Female treated mice showed significant weight changes while male treated mice showed no changes. Histopathological alterations in liver and kidney sections were observed both in male and female mice. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase showed significant changes in both sexes. There were no significant changes in serum creatinine at all doses and in both sexes Conclusion: Methanolic extracts of Ricinus communis fresh leaves had hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects. Key words: Histopathology; Ricinus communis; liver; kidney; biochemical