Dioscorea prehensilis Ameliorates the Features of Preeclampsia in L-NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) Preeclamptic Model

Iyabo M. Adebisi¹*, Shaibu O. Bello², Constance E. Shehu³, Musa I. Abdullahi⁴, Chinenye J. Ugwah-Oguejiofor¹, Nnaemeka Ndodo⁵, Mohammed Umar⁶

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

²Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.  

³Department of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

⁴Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

⁵Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

⁶Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

Corresponding Author: alaniyab@yahoo.com; Tel: +234(0)8033604511

Recieved Date: August 03, 2018; Accepted Date: September 05, 2018; Published Date: 21 September 2018

Citation: Adebisi IM, Bello SO, Shehu CE, Abdullahi MI, Ugwah-Oguejiofor CJ, Ndodo N, Umar M. Dioscorea prehensilis Ameliorates the Features of Preeclampsia in L-NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) Preeclamptic Model. Trop J Nat Prod Res. 2018; 2(9):422-428.  https://doi.org//10.26538/tjnpr/v2i9.3

Copyright: © 2018 Adebisi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

ABSTRACT

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Sadly, effective therapeutic strategies do not exist up to now for preeclampsia but antiplatelet agents, low dose aspirin in particular is considered as primary prevention in high risk patients. Dioscorea prehensilis (DP) belonging to the family Dioscoreaceae is used among locals in the treatment of severe inflammatory conditions. This study is aimed at studying the effect of DP on the components of preeclamptic syndrome in a rat model. The rhizome of DP was extracted by maceration in 80% methanol. Preeclampsia was induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis by L-NAME (50 mg/kg/day, orally) in pregnant rats. DP was administered at a dose of 500 mg/kg/day orally. Systolic blood pressure was measured using tail cuff method on day 20. Albumin/creatinine ratio in spot urine was assessed using standard protocol on day 19; plasma nitric oxide was quantified using commercially available kits on day 20 while histological analysis was done using standard procedures. The extract reduced the systolic blood pressure significantly when compared to the preeclamptic control (130.38±4.43 versus 92.28±23.33mmHg) and not significantly different from the normal control (108±3.41 mmHg). The mean albumin/creatinine ratio was also reduced compared to the preeclamptic control though not significantly. Histological examination of the placenta shows that the extract reduced the severity of hypoplastic villi and intervillus congestion compared to the untreated group. In conclusion, DP ameliorates preeclampsia and may serve as a source of bioactive agents for the management of preeclampsia.