Abstract

Aqueous stem bark extract of Carissa edulis was subjected to phytochemical screening indicating the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenols, and flavonoids. Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the aqueous stem bark extract using Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae as test organisms showed varying zones of inhibition with 10 mm zone of inhibition exhibited by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli respectively. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was 16 µg/ml for both Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of extract was 32 µg/ml for both Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Treatment of experimental animals with the aqueous stem bark extract for a period of six weeks and subsequent assessment of its effect biochemically showed that aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT),  acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were significantly higher than normal suggesting certain degree of liver injury. Glucose, total bilirubin, urea and creatinine levels were significantly lower than normal while direct bilirubin, cholesterol, albumin and total protein levels were significantly higher than normal/control values with respect to animals that received the higher dose suggesting a dose dependent manner of the effects of the extract on the animals. Overall, the result of this work showed that the effects of the extract were more pronounced on the liver than the kidney as observed in the histological analyses of the tissues.