Toxicity study of ethanol root extract of Terminalia macroptera Guill. Perr. (Combretaceae) and assessment of some heavy metals

The extract of Terminalia macroptera Guill. & Perr. has been used in the management of pile and other ailments across West Africa. This has necessitated the evaluation of the toxicity of this plant in Sub-chronic and acute administration as well as heavy metal analysis. The root of T. macroptera was extracted with ethanol and analyzed for the presence of phytochemicals. The powdered root was digested and analyzed for presence of Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni and Zn using spectrophotometric technique. The sub-acute toxicity on some liver parameters was evaluated following the administration at doses of 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 g/kg respectively. The phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, glycoside, resins and saponin. No death of a single animal was recorded after the acute toxicity study. The effect of sub-chronically administered extract was P< 0.05 of ALT, AST and ALP at different doses when compared to the control. The quantity of metal detected was; Cd (0.0830 ppm), Cr (0.3516 ppm), Pb (0.8809 ppm), Ni (0.6438 ppm) and Zn (0.7340 ppm), which are all within the normal range (1 ppm) as recommended by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria.   Key words: Acute toxicity Heavy metals phytochemicals Terminalia macroptera Guill. & Perr., Sub-chronic toxicity.