Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Abstract
Seed of Mucuna pruriens (Velvet beans) has been prescribed by traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria as a prophylactic oral antisnake remedy. In the present studies, we investigated the protective effects of M. pruriens seed extract (MPE) against histopathological changes induced by intravenous injection of Naja sputatrix (Malayan cobra) venom in rats pretreated with the seed extract. Examination by light microscope revealed that the venom induced histopathological changes in heart and blood vessels in liver, but no effect on brain, lung, kidney and spleen. The induced changes were prevented by pretreatment of the rats with MPE. Our results suggest that MPE pretreatment protects rat heart and liver blood vessels against cobra venom-induced damages.
Keywords
Molecular Medicine, Mucuna pruriens (Velvet beans)
Divisions
fac_med
Publication Title
Tropical Biomedicine
Volume
26
Issue
1
Publisher
Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine
Additional Information
1Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50602 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.