Antipyretic and antioxidant activities of Eleucine indica

Eleucine indica is a medicinal plant used by the Ibibios of southern Nigeria in the treatment of malaria fever and also as a tonic. This study was to evaluate the antipyretic activities of the ethanol extract and the antioxidant activities of the extract, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous fractions of the whole plant. Basal rectal temperatures of adult albino rats of both sexes were recorded and the animals fasted for 24 h but allowed access to water ad libitum. They were then treated with DNP (10 mg/kg) and amphetamine (5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Within 30 min following the administration of amphetamine, animals with increased temperature of 1◦C were selected and randomized into five groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 10 ml/kg of distilled water orally. Group’s 2 4 animals were administered 200 – 600 mg/kg of the extract intraperitoneally respectively. Group 5 animals received 100 mg/kg of acetyl salicylic acid orally. Yeast-induced pyrexia was achieved using 10 ml/kg of Brewer’s yeast suspension injected subcutaneously in the back below the neck. Rectal temperatures were then obtained at 0.5 h and thereafter hourly for 5h. Superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, catalase, free radical scavenging with 1, 2-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl, lipid peroxidation and methaemoglobin were measured in rats using standard methods. The result showed a significant (p < 0.05 – 0.001) and dose-dependent reduction in the elevated body temperature in rats pre-treated with the extract compared to control. There were also significantly high levels of superoxide dismutase and increased levels of reduced glutathione, catalase, free radical scavenging activity with DPPH, lipid peroxidation and methaemoglobin in both serum samples and liver homogenates of rats relative to control. These results corroborate with the ethno botanical use of the plant as antipyretic and depicts that the plant has both antioxidant ad pro-oxidant properties.