QUANTITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING AND ANTIVENOM ACTIVITY OF Solanecio mannii AGAINST Bitis arietans VENOM

Abstract

Snakebite envenomation remains a major public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to effective and affordable antivenoms is constrained by cost, scarcity, stringent storage requirements, and hypersensitivity reactions. Consequently, medicinal plants are increasingly explored as sources of novel antivenom agents. This study investigated phytochemical composition and in vivo antivenom activity of the ethanolic leaf extract of S. mannii against B. arietans venom. Fresh leaves of S. mannii were collected, authenticated, shade-dried, pulverized and extracted using absolute ethanol. Phytochemicals were characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Antivenom activity was evaluated in female Swiss albino mice by determining the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of B. arietans venom and the median effective dose (ED₅₀) of the extract using a pre-incubation neutralization assay. Data were analyzed using probit regression at p < 0.05. GC–MS identified fourteen phytochemicals, predominantly 2-methoxy-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl) phenol (16.8% peak area), together with phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, benzopyrones, aldehydes, and diterpene alcohols. The venom LD₅₀ was estimated at 175 mg/kg, while extract treatment significantly increased survival from 20% at 200 ppm to 80% at 600–1000 ppm, with an ED₅₀ of 452.40 ppm (p = 0.024). Identified phytochemical classes, particularly phenolics, flavonoids, and terpenoids, may have contributed to venom neutralization through their collective biological activities, providing a plausible basis for the observed concentration-dependent protection. Further studies should isolate the bioactive constituents, elucidate their mechanisms of venom neutralization, establish safety, efficacy, and pharmacological potential through comprehensive preclinical trials.