Effect of Ethanolic Extract and Crude Preparations of Garcinia Kola Seed on the Heart of Adult Male Wistar Rats

Garcinia kola have been used for divination and ordeals determining guilt and is valued for its medicinal attributes on cardiovascular ailments, thus, this study investigates the effect of graded doses of Garcinia kola seed ethanolic extract and crude preparations on the heart of adult male Wistar rats. Forty-two (42) Wistar rats of comparable weight (100±50g) were used for the study. The animals were divided into 7 groups; Group A (control), Group B (received 50mg/kg of ethanolic seed extract of Garcinia kola), Group C (received 250mg/kg), Group D (received 500mg/kg), Group (received 1% of the Garcinia kola in their diet), Group F (received 2.5%) and Group G (received 5%). Body weight was obtained and recorded from each animal in each group before the experiment, and every other day during the experiment and at the end of the experiment. The heart was harvested, weight was determined and a section was cut and fixed in formalin for histological processing. The proximate analysis showed that the ethanolic seed extract of G. Kola is a rich source of carbohydrate (78.14±3.29%), protein (10.07±0.22%) and moisture (6.59±0.33%) with ash (2.32±0.07%) and crude fibre (2.05±0.11%) moderately present. The ethanolic seed extract of G. Kola is however low in lipids (0.83±0.06%). The ethanolic extract Garcinia kola seed treated group presented a non-significant dose dependent decreased in body weight while the crude Garcinia kola seed treated presented a non-significant dose dependent increase in body weight. The histological findings revealed normal heart histology composed mainly of myocardiac fibres and interstitial space in all the test groups and the control group respectively. Administration of crude extract of Garcinia kola did not have any toxic effect on the histology of the heart of Wistar rat. Garcinia kola should be consumed moderately for its medicinal benefits. Further studies should be carried out to determine the effect of other parts of Garcinia kola plant such as leaves, stem, bark and root on the histology of the heart.