EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS LEAVES EXTRACT OF ABRUS precatorius ON SERUM LEVEL OF INTERLEUKIN-4 IN FEMALE WISTAR RATS

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of aqueous leaves extracts of Abrus precatorius on serum level of interleukin 4 in female Wistar rats. Twenty (20) female Wistar rats were used. The Wistar rats were divided into four groups. Group I which is the Normal control (NC) received 10 ml of distilled water. Group II which is treatment at 200mg (T200), group III which is treatment at 400mg (T400) and group IV which is treatment at 800mg (T800) group received the extract at dose of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kgbw, respectively for 14days, orally. Serum level of IL-4 was measured using ELISA. The serum level of IL-4 determined is as follows normal control is 0.14pg/ml, lower dose is 0.34pg/ml, medium dose is 0.56pg/ml, and higher dose is 0.13pg/ml. There was significant increase in serum level of IL-4 at lower and medium doses of the extract compared with normal control group (p<0.0001). However, comparison between NC and T800 showed no significant mean difference (p>0.05). The increased in the serum level of IL-4 indicates immunomodulatory activity. Therefore, Abrus precatorius effectively modulate serum level of IL-4 in female Wistar rats. Recommending further study to identify and quantify the specific bioactive compound(s) responsible for the activity