Morphometric Effects of Cola Nitida Extract on the Stomach of Adult Male Wistar Rats

Cola nut was investigated for possible harmful effect on the morphology of the stomach, considering its wide consumption and documented antioxidant properties. Twenty-five Adult male Wistar rats with average weight of 167.6 g and randomly divided into five groups A, B, C, D and E each containing five animals. Care of the animal according to the Rules and Guidelines of the Animal Right Committee of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria was adopted. The rats in group A (control) were given distilled water while animals in experimental groups B, C, D and E were each given 600 mg/kg body weight of crude extract of Cola nitida by oral intubation for consecutive three, five, seven and nine days respectively and sacrificed. The stomach was excised, quickly fixed in 10% formal saline and processed histologically, using routine haematoxylin and eosin (H and E) stain. The stained sections were subjected to morphometrics analysis at a magnification of sign 40 using the eye piece micrometer procedure. The result revealed a significant reduction in the epithelia thickness of the experimental animals, (Groups A=218.40 μm ± 144.61 vs. B=117.00 μm ± 34.88, C=124.80 μm ± 87.01, D=96.60 μm ± 60.04 and E=108.57 μm ± 122.16) (t=3.04, 2.48, 3.57 and 2.58 respectively, p < 0.05). The thickness of the lamina propria and submucosa was not significant in all cases of the experimental when compared with the control animals (Groups A=109.20 μm ± 58.52 vs. B=111.80 μm ± 61.18, C=111.80 μm ± 69.45, D=137.80 μm ± 34.88 and E=155.10 μm ± 90.54) (t=0.14, 0.13, 1.88, 1.90 respectively, p>0.05) and (A=148.20 μm ± 50.56 vs. B=109.20 μm ± 22.27, C=117.00 μm ± 11.07, D=124.80 μm ± 71.67, E=162.86 μm ± 112.35) (t=1.58, 1.35, 0.60, and 0.46 respectively, p<0.05). The thickness of the muscularis mucosa and muscularis externa were significantly increased by the extract, (Groups A=140.40 μm ± 95.84 vs. B=358.80 μm ± 323.07, C=260.00 μm ± 32.89, D=306.80 μm ± 148.90, E=374.83 μm ± 175.44) (t=7.16, 6.36, 3.83, and 2.89 respectively, p<0.05) and (140.4 μm ± 47.94 vs. B=358.80 μm ±161.53, C=260.00 μm ± 16.44, D=306.80 μm ± 74.44, E=374.83 μm ± 87.72) (t=2.90, 5.22, 4.20, and 5.22 respectively, p<0.05). It is therefore evident that the consumption of cola nut leads to a reduction in the epithelia thickness and a significant increase in the thicknesses of muscularis mucosa and the muscularis externa and however this is as a result of increase in the secretomotor http://biomed.uninet.edu/2010/n2/ojo.html Electron J Biomed 2010;2:19. Ojo et al. EFFECTS OF COLA NITIDA EXTRACT ON THE STOMACH... activity of the stomach when cola nut is ingested.