Author(s): Imoh S Johnson, Ette O Ettebong, Jude E Okokon and Ekemini S Johnson

Abstract: Hilleria latifolia is a medicinal plant widely used to treat feverish conditions, including malaria, in the southern parts of Nigeria especially among the Ibibios. This work was aimed at assessing the antipyretic activities of this plant in adult albino wistar rats. Pyrexia was induced using Brewer’s yeast, D- Amphetamine and 2, 4-Dinitrophenol. Animals with increased temperature of 1⁰C were selected and randomized into 6 groups of six animals per group. Various doses of extract (250 – 750mg/kg) were thereafter administered intraperitoneally. The standard drug used was Acetyl salicylic acid (100mg/kg p.o) while distilled water (10 ml/kg p.o) served as negative control. Rectal temperatures were obtained at 0.5hr and thereafter hourly for 5 hrs. Data obtained were analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison post-test using GraphPad (Version 3.10). The result showed that the extract dose- and time-dependently decreased rectal temperatures in the animals. This decrease was statistically significant (p < 0.05 – 0.001) compared to control. The result obtained with the highest dose (750 mg/kg) of the extract was comparable with that of the standard drug Acetyl salicylic acid. The antipyretic activity of the extract of Hilleria latifolia could be due to one or more active secondary metabolites present in it. These results depict that the extract of Hilleria latifolia possesses antipyretic properties which corroborates with the traditional use of the plant as a remedy in the treatment of febrile conditions.