Asian Journal of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of Ficus platyphylla ROOT on Butyryl-cholinesterase in Clarias gariepinus. Extraction of the root was carried out with 80 percent methanol. Initially, adult catfish were subjected to a toxicity analysis at the doses of 0.5, 1 and 2 M for arsenic and 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 g/L for the crude extract. This is followed by chronic toxicity and determination of Butyryl-cholinesterase inhibitory effect using Ellman's approach in the fishes. Fishes where divided into 4 groups, group 1 was treated with 125 g/L of the extract, group 2 was treated with 0.5 M arsenic, group 3 was treated with 125 g/L of crude extract for 24 hours and the exposed to arsenic, group 4 was maintained in 0.1% Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Results showed the LC_{50, 70,} and ₉₀ of 0,53, 0,67 and 0,95 M for arsenic and 346.7, 1148.2 and 6760 g/L for the crude extract. There is elevated crude extract cholinesterase inhibitory activity with high significant different at p<0.05) between the group treated with crude extract alone, the group treated with crude extract and exposed to arsenic, the group exposed to arsenic alone and the group maintained in tap water. It can be inferred that the medicinal effects of this crude extract are caused by low toxicity and the high cholinesterase inhibitory activity of the crude extract. Toxicity screening of this crude extract on mammals such as mice and rats is recommended in order to reaffirm their toxicity profile.