Volume 20, Issue 45, January - June, 2026

Effect of Ethanolic leaf extract of Jatropha gossypiifolia on the Stomach of Wistar Rats

Unwana E Mishael¹, Eno-obong I Bassey², Gabriel Edem³

¹Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Uyo, main Campus, 520003, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
²Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Uyo Main Campus, 520003, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
³Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Uyo Main Campus, 520003, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the effects of the administration of ethanolic leaf extract of Jatropha gossypiifolia, on the stomachs of twenty adult male Wistar rats, which were divided into four groups of five (weighing 80-120g). Five hundred grams of air-dried Jatropha gossypiifolia leaves were cold macerated in 70 % ethanol, filtered, and concentrated using a water bath. Thirty mice (18-25 g) were used in the acute toxicity study. The LD50 was carried out to determine doses represented as low dose (86.60 mg/kg), middle dose (173.21mg/kg) and high dose (259.81mg/kg) of the Jatropha gossypiifolia leaf extract. The animals were administered the extract orally using an orogastric tube for 28 days. After sacrifice the stomachs were harvested and fixed in 10% buffered formalin, dehydrated in alcohol, cleared in xylene, infiltrated in molten paraffin wax, and embedded. The tissues were processed to paraffin sections, cut at 5 microns, stained in Haematoxylin and Eosin staining technique and observed Histopathologically under light microscope. The photomicrograph of tissues in group 1 revealed standard epithelial lining, gastric glands, muscularis mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis externa. The photomicrograph of group 2 revealed mild erosion on columnar cells, normal gastric glands, and submucosa. Photomicrograph of group 3 revealed severe epithelial eroding, zymogenic cell edema, and submucosa degeneration while those in group 4 revealed severe epithelial erosion, severe submucosa degeneration with loss of connective tissue components. Severity was dependent on the dose of administration. All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA (SPSS version), with result significance at p < 0.05. In conclusion, it is shown that the ethanolic leaf extract of Jatropha gossypiifolia posed a degree of pathological condition on the stomach, including epithelial erosion, submucosal degeneration, and loss of connective tissue components.

Keywords: Jatropha gossypiifolia, Ethanolic, Histopathology, Stomach

Drug Discovery, 2026, 20(45), e5dd3043

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Published: 18 February 2026