Anatomical And Biochemical Stress of The Small Intestine Caused by Castor Oil: An Insight on The Effect of Uvaria Chamae Root Extract in Ameliorating the Stress

Background: Uvaria chamae is rich in antioxidants which is very useful in the management of stress related health issues thereby protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ethanol root extract of Uvaria chamae in ameliorating stress in the small intestine induced by castor oil. Method: Twenty-five (25) adult male albino rats, weighing between 146-375g were divided into five (5) groups of five (5) animals each. Group 1 served as control and was given feed and water ad libitum, while group 2 to 5 served as the experimental groups. Group 2 was administered 2ml/kg of castor oil for five (5) days; Group 3, Group 4 and Group 5 were administered 2ml/kg of castor oil for five days followed by the administration of 500mg/kg, 1000mg/kg, 1500mg/kg of ethanol root extract of Uvaria chamae respectively for 28 days. All administration were done orally. By the end of administration, all the rats were sacrificed after chloroform inhalation and their small intestine harvested, fixed in 10% buffered formalin, processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Portions of the intestine were collected in plain sample bottles for analysis of tissue levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) while the other portions were subjected to histological analysis and later observed under the light microscope. Results: The biochemical analysis of oxidative stress in all the groups showed that ethanol extract of Uvaria chamae was able to significantly cause an increase in the tissue levels of superoxide dismutase when compared to control and group 2, Histologically, the following observations were made; the control group showed well defined finger-like intestinal villi with normal intestinal glands and well-defined crypts of Lieberkuhn. Group 2 showed prolapsed crypt of Lieberkuhn with eroded intestinal villi, muscle hypertrophy and presence of inflammatory cells in the muscle layer. Group 3 to 5 showed positive and significant dose-dependent changes in the intestinal villi, glands and crypts of Lieberkuhn. Conclusion: The ameliorating effect of Uvaria chamae root extract, thus affirm the dose-dependent efficacy of the plant in ameliorating castor oil induced stress in the small intestine.