Lethal Doses of Bitis arietans Venom and Antivenom Potentials of Some Medicinal Plants Found in Gwandu Emirate, Kebbi State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Venomous snakes pose severe health problems, especially for the rural dwellers in the tropical regions of developing countries, in Nigeria alone, snakebite injuries lead to 10,000 deaths annually and over 65% of the mortality cases result from the venomous viper species. This study aimed to assess the intraperitoneal lethal doses (50 and 100%) of Bitis arietans venom and investigate the antivenom potential of various medicinal plants commonly used in Gwandu Emirate, Kebbi State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The snake species was captured with the assistance of local snake charmers and authenticated by a zoologist. Venom was extracted and lethal doses were determined through Probit analysis. All plant materials were extracted using methanol. The antivenom activity of the plants was tested against venom-induced lethality in albino rats following standard procedures. Data are presented as Mean±SEM and analyzed using one-way ANOVA, with mean differences separated by New Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p<0.05. Results: The 50% lethal dose (LD50) and 100% lethal dose (LD100) of B. arietans venom were found to be 0.33 and 5.25 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The antivenom activity of Mitragyna inermis(Wild.) Kuntzeroot, Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst root, Ficus platyphylla Delile stembarkand Faidherbia albida(Delile) A. Chev root methanol extracts on the Bitis arietans venom revealed non-significant (p>0.05) differences in the animals mean survival time compared to both normal and positive (standard) controls. The activities of the Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst leaves, Catunaregam nilotica (Stapf) Tirveng root and Catunaregam nilotica (Stapf) Tirveng bud extracts caused significant (p<0.05) decrease in the animals mean survival time compared to both normal and positive controls. Conclusion: Hence, the findings of this study documented the lethality of Bitis arietansvenom and also disclosed the antivenom potentials of the tested medicinal plant extracts.