Antioxidant and serum biochemical effects of Ficus thonningii in rats

Natural products from medicinal plants, either as pure compounds or as standardized extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug leads because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. Ficus thonningii (Blume) also known as wild fig is a large economic tree indigenous to the savannah part of Nigeria. It belongs to the family Moraceae. Its leaves have been of interest to researchers because of its increased use in diets and folkloric medicine against sore throat, fever, liver and it related problems. In this book, the protective effects of extracts from Ficus thonningii leaves were assayed both in vivo and in vitro for antihepatotoxic, antihemolytic and antioxidant activities. The focus of this book is on the analytical and/or experimental methodologies used to determine the hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antihypercholesterolemic effects of extracts of Ficus thonningii in rats as well as determine its effects on haematological profile.