Tackling snake bite with mango kernel extract

Snake bite constitutes a relevant public
health hazard in remote areas of many
counties of the world, especially in
communities’ whose economic activities are
mainly agricultural. In such communities,
poisonous venom from such snakes as
viper, rattlesnake and cobra causes a high
number of deaths.
All snakes will bite when threatened or
surprised, but most will usually avoid
people if possible and only bite as a last
resort. Although snakes found in and near
water are often mistaken as being
poisonous, most species of snake are
harmless. However, with the poisonous
snakes, a bite could be deadly if not treated
quickly.
Bites by venomous snakes result in a wide
range of effects, from simple puncture
wounds to life-threatening illness and
death. Usually, symptoms of snake bite,
depending on the type of snake, may
include bleeding from the wound, blurred
vision, convulsion, diarrhea, dizziness and
increased thirst. Some individuals beaten by
a snake may experience other symptoms
such as excessive sweating, weakness, loss
of muscle coordination, rapid pulse and
fever.
Statistics from the Federal Government
Snake Bite Treatment Center, Kaltungo,
Gombe State, show that three deaths and
189 reported cases of snake bites were
recorded in March in Kaltungo and its
environs. Due to the hotness of the climate
during hot periods from March, the cases of
snake bites are expected to escalate
because this is the period when reptiles,
particularly snakes, come out.
In 2009, statistics from Comprehensive
Health Centre, Zamko, owned by the Jos
University Teaching Hospital, indicated over
half of the patients on admission were
victims of snake bites, some of whom also
came from Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna,
Taraba and Nasarawa states.
Although death by snakebite is not common
in temperate parts of the world, it is
estimated that, every year, it accounts for
as many as 40,000 fatalities throughout the
world, particularly in tropical countries
where access to hospital stores of antivenin
is very difficult because of distance, and it
is usually not possible to accurately identify
the species of snake that bit the person.
In contrast to the difficulty of availability of
this modem treatment in large areas of the
developing world, many societies that live
in such places use plants to treat snakebite.
Meanwhile, the plants used to treat snake
bite have attracted the attention of several
scientists. One of such is the mango kernel
extract found to be helpful in treating snake
bite in Thailand.
To many, all there is to mango is the flesh
part that is relished because of its
sweetness. But much more than this, one of
the medicinal uses of the leftover of a
mango after its fleshy part has been
consumed is its kernel.
Researchers assessing the effectiveness of
the ethanol extract from the seed kernels of
Thai mango (Mangifera indica) stated that it
exhibited potent and dose-dependent
inhibitory effects on venoms of Malayan pit
viper and Thai cobra under laboratory
conditions.
They reported that some chemical
constituents of the extract of the kernel of
mango bind themselves to the snake
venom, thus preventing local effects of the
venom at the site of the snake bite, which is
painful, tender and also kills the tissue
around the site of the bite.
Thailand researchers reporting the efficacy
of the extract of the kernel of fully grown
unripened mango as antivenom in the 2009
edition of the journal, Molecules, stated that
the extract of the kernel of mango could
serve as an alternative approach that could
be applied in the field to complement
antivenom therapy in the neutralisation of
venom-induced local effects.
In addition, the neutralising effects of
methanol extracts of Indigofera pulchra,
Aristolochia albida, Guiera senegalense and
Sterculia setigera which were investigated
by researchers from Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, validated the traditional
claims of their usefulness in management of
poisonous snakebites.
The study entitled, “Ethnomedical Treatment
of Poisonous Snakebites: Plant Extract
Neutralized Naja nigricollis” and carried out
by M.S. Abubakar, E. Balogun, E.M.
Abdurahman, A.J. Nok, M. Shok, A.
Mohammed and M. Garba, was documented
in the 2006 edition of the Pharmaceutical
Biology.
They reported that “extracts of Indigofera
pulchra. and Aristolochia albida gave 33.3%
and 44.4% protection to mice treated with
minimum lethal dose of venom; some gross
pathologic symptoms of envenomation
were alleviated. However, minimal activities
were shown by Guiera senegalense. and
Sterculia setigera”
While both Indigofera pulchra. and
Aristolochia albida. were found to neutralize
the anticoagulant, hemolytic, and
phospholipase activity of crude venom, the
study showed that Indigofera pulchra. and
Aristolochia albida are useful in some
pathologic effects of Naja nigricollis.
Though medicinal plants remain largely
unnoticed and neglected, other plant extract
confirmed under laboratory conditions for
treatment of snake bite include Cissus
assamica, Parkia biglobosa extracts and
Mucuna pruriens seed extract.
Meanwhile, experts explained that many
plants used for treating snake bites work
through two mechanisms — the chemical in
the plant interact with one or more of the
venom constituents so that they cannot
bind to the receptors in the body, or
pharmacological inhibits the venom at the
receptor site itself.