Annona senegalensis is an evergreen shrub that is used for ethnomedicinal purposes and as a source of food. The toxicological potential of dried carpels of Annona senegalensis was investigated by determining the acute toxicity and the effect of the plant extract on body weight, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) serum level. Cold methanolic extract of the plant was concentrated using steam bath. Acute toxicity testing was carried out to determine LD50. While sub chronic toxicity screening was conducted on the animals grouped in to 3 test groups and a control group comprising of 12 animals per group treated with 100, 300, 500 mg/kg concentrations of the extract and distilled water, respectively. The body weights of the animals were taken at regular intervals and their serum analysed weekly to ascertain the biochemical activities of ALP, ALT and AST. The LD50 of the extract indicated a very high safety profile with no mortality. There was no significant (P ˃ 0.05) difference in the weights of the animals after treatment except for 500 mg/kg which exhibited a significant (P ˂ 0.05) decrease from day 8 up to day 23. Generally, there was a significant increase in the serum level of ALP and ALT with respect to time and concentration in the test groups except for AST which showed a concentration dependent decrease. However, the control had the highest serum level of the analyzed enzymes which were significantly (P˂0.05) higher than the test groups. The result concludes that dried carpels of A.senegalensis possess no significant toxic effects which justifies why the local dwellers in northern Nigeria have been utilizing it as part of their foodstuff without obvious complaints or toxicity. The consumption dried carpels of Annona senegalensis as part of their food stuff for its hepatoprotective property and hypolipidemic effect should be encouraged.
Keywords: Annona Senegalensis, Carpels, Enzymes, Methanolic Extract, Toxicity
