Abstract

Snakebite envenoming is classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization due to its public health importance and the little attention it receives from the global community (WHO, 2021). Millions of people around the world get bitten by snakes yearly. Bitis arietans commonly known as the African Puff Adder is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Many poor regions of the world including Africa, lack access to potent and affordable antidotes. To address this challenge, this research was designed to assess the potential of the methanolic extract of Annona senegalensis Pers leaves (an indigenous plant in African) in detoxifying B. arietans venom. The results obtained from this study revealed that the fractions (F-III and F-IV) exhibited anti-hemorrhagic properties which is evident on the dorsal part of the excised mice skin. Also, both fractions inhibited fibrinogen clotting activity (FIII: 35.71±0.1; F-IV: 32.30 ± 0.5) and detoxified the venom in experimental mice resulting in 100 % survival. The findings from this study presents Annona senegalensis Pers leaves as a source of bioactive compounds for the development of affordable antidotes against snakebites.