Performance Characteristics of Wistar Rats Gavaged with Aqueous Extract of Alchornea cordifolia Leaf Meal

A 42 day feeding trial of graded administration of aqueous extract of Alchornea cordifolia leaf meal (ACLM) infusion on the body weights and internal organs of forty eight male albino rats (Wistar strain) weighing 131.60±6.79-139.20±6.03g, divided into 4 groups and three replicates of 3rats/replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD) experiment. Treatment I which served as the control received 0.2ml physiological saline solution while the second, third and fourth groups were gastro-gavaged with 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg of ACLM extract orally on daily basis respectively, for six weeks. Rat chow and water intakes were measured twice a week. The weight of each rat was recorded on day 0 and at weekly intervals throughout the course of the study and no mortality nor abnormal behavior of treated rats were observed. The rats were fasted for 24hrs and then sacrificed. Liver, kidney, heart, lung and spleen in the rats were removed. No pathological changes such as organ swelling, atrophy, hypertrophy or remarkable differences in weights of liver, kidney, heart, lung and spleen were observed on the main visceral organs in all treated rats during the study. This indicated that organ relative weights were not affected by administration of ACLM infusion. Weight gains were recorded up to the third week after that those under 400-600gm/kg began to lose weight and the losses were significant when compared with 200mg/kg and the control which were similar. The results indicated a positive health status for 200mg/kg gavaged rats but significant weight depreciation for those gavaged with 400-600mg/kg from the fourth to the sixth week. Therefore, ACLM should not be fed to animals for more than 3weeks on continuous basis to avoid weight losses.