Abstract

Egba I. Simeone , Emmanuel N. Tufon , Ogugua N. Victor and Ndohnui N. Noel

Natural plant products have been used in Nigerian folk medicine in the management of sickle cell anemia by inhibiting sickling. This work was therefore aimed at investigating the Antisickling potential of the ethanol seed extract of Vigna unguiculata (E1) and Vigna subterranean (E2) used in the Nigerian herbal medicine with a view of proposing an effective herbal recipe for the management of sickle cell disease. Preliminary phytochemistry, sickling inhibition test, sickling reversal test and polymerization test were carried out using standard methods. The phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of saponins, reducing sugar, carbohydrate, fats and oil, steroids, glycosides, alkaloids and proteins in E1 and the presence of flavonoids, saponins, carbohydrates, fats and oil, resins, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, alkaloids and proteins in E2. The results of the antisickling test showed that E1 and E2 had significantly (p<0.05) higher antisickling effect than the Hbss control with E1 showing a higher percentage than E2. The percentage sickling reversal effect of E1 was slightly lower than E2 but their reversal of sickling were significantly higher than the control. The result of the polymerization showed that both extracts significantly (p<0.05) increased delayed time before polymerization at 50, 25 and 12% concentrations compared to the control. From the results, the extracts Vigna Unguiculata and Vigna Subterranean have shown to be therapeutically beneficial in the management of sickle cell disease and thus are strongly recommended by this study to be developed into supplements for the management of sickle cell disease