Assessment of the Weight Reducing
Potentials of Ethanolic Seed Extract of <em>Cola
lepidota K</em> Schum in High Fat Fed Female
Albino Wistar Rats

Okafor PN; Nwankpa P; Ekweogu CN; Etteh CC; Ugwueznmba PC

Abstract

Assessment of the Weight Reducing Potentials of Ethanolic Seed Extract of Cola lepidota K Schum in High Fat Fed Female Albino Wistar Rats

The present study was carried out to assess the weight reducing potentials of the ethanolic seed extract of Cola lepidota K. Schum in 54 female wistar albino rats (Rattus norvergicus) weighing 80-90 g at 6 weeks (42 days of age) using anthropometrical measurements. Nine (9) experimental groups involving the distribution of six (6) female rats in each group were carried out. The LD₅₀ of the seed extract was 2525 mg/kg and percentage yield of 200 g of the ethanol seed extract was 0.25%. The anthropometrical measurements showed that abdominal circumference (AC) (cm), thoracic circumference (TC) (cm), and body length (BL) (cm) of rats in all the groups increased progressively (P ≤ 0.05) throughout the experimental period which lasted 80 days. After the 50^th day of treatment percentage weight loss for groups 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 was 24.4%, 16.63%, 17.15%, 21.29%, 16.6% and 26.25% respectively while their mean BMI (g/cm²) was restored towards the end of the experiment while groups 2 and 6 attained significantly high mean body weights (g) at 441.33 ± 2.87 g and 359.13 ± 8.95 g respectively by the end of the experiment with their mean BMI remaining high at the end of the investigation. AC/TC ratio was not promising as an indicator to measure overweight/obesity predisposition in the rats rather BMI (g/cm²) was. Lee index (LI) on the other hand, seemed promising in cardiovascular investigation. Result showed that groups 2 and 6 had statistically same (P>0.05) but higher mean LI than the rest of the groups from the 55^th day of treatment to the end of the experiment. The study reports a normal BMI range of 0.34 ± 0.00 to 0.44 ± 0.00 g/ cm². Thus, BMI values above this range were considered indicators of overweight and obesity predisposition. The implications of these findings are discussed.