Histological Effects of Abelmoschus esculentus Extract and its Isolated Flavonoid Glycosides and Triterpene on Mice Heart

The study obtained the crude extract of Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) fruits, isolated the compounds from the extract and characterized the structures of the isolated compounds. It also investigate the histological effect of the crude extracts and its isolated compounds on mice heart. These helps in providing information and facts on the cardiovascular activities of A. esculentus (Okra) fruit extract and its isolated compounds on mice heart. The Abelmoschus esculentus fruits were collected, identified, dehydrated (air dried), and pulverized. The grinded plant material was macerate with 100% ethanol for 72 hours. Separation of the phytochemicals from the extract was achieved by repeated open chromatographic procedures. The isolated compounds were subjected to spectroscopic analysis such as mass spectrometry (MS), ultraviolet (UV) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The histological effects of the crude extracts and its isolated compound was evaluated, the animals were divided into digoxin (reference or positive control), distilled water (negative control) and treatment (administered the crude extract or isolated compounds) groups. A dose of 1 mg/kg body weight of digoxin and a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight of the crude extract or isolated compounds were administered daily intraperitonealy for ten days. The animals were sacrificed on the eleventh day using diethyl ether as anaesthetic agent with their heart harvested and preserved using 10 % formalin followed by the histological studies on the isolated organ (heart). Three compounds from two different classes of compounds were isolated and elucidated from A. esculentus (two flavonoids and one triterpene). Also demonstrated cardiovascular activities of Abelmoschus esculentus extract and its isolated compounds on mice heart. The flavonoid glycosides (Quercetin glycoside and Quercetin diglycoside) present in A. esculentus preserved the cardiac muscle architecture similarly to digoxin the classical cardiac glycoside except Ursene-3-O-β-D-Glucopyranoside which shows dilatation of the cardiac muscle and some degenerative nuclei