HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF Entandrophragma utile ON PLASMA LEVELS OF SOME LIVER ENZYMES AND HISTOLOGY OF CCL4 INTOXICATED ALBINO WISTAR RATS

ABSTRACT

Liver disease poses a significant public health burden globally, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic interventions including medicinal plants to mitigate hepatocellular damage and restore liver function. Therefore, this present study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of Entandrophragma utile (EU) on the plasma levels of some liver enzymes and histology of CCl4 intoxicated albino Wistar rats. The air-dried stem bark of EU (800 g) was pulverized and extracted with ethanol (1.7 L) to obtain crude ethanol extract of the plant. Sixteen male albino Wistar rats were randomized into four groups. Group I rats, which served as normal control, were administered distilled water and olive oil only. Group II – IV rats were intoxicated with a single dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) (1.25 mL/kg in olive oil (1:1); intraperitoneally) to induce liver injury. Group II rats were not treated, but group III and IV received a treatment regime of silymarin (50 mg/kgbw) and crude ethanolic extract of EU (200 mg/kgbw) respectively, once daily, for 8 days. The animals were euthanized under anesthesia conditions on the 9th day following an overnight fast. Blood samples were obtained and plasma was separated for biochemical analyses. The liver was excised for histology. Exposure to CCl4 resulted in liver damage in rats as demonstrated the elevated level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Administration of the crude EU extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg bw resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in AST and ALT activities in the treated group compared to the untreated control group and with activity that was comparable to the reference drug, silymarin. Rather, a non-significant decrease in ALP activity was observed in the group administered crude EU extract when compared to the untreated control group and normal control group. A similar effect was also observed with the group administered silymarin. The histology of the liver of the untreated control group revealed kupffer cell activation, vascular congestion, zonal necrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltrates However, xiii treatment with the crude EU extract mitigated these alterations to a significant extent, with observed improvements in liver structure and reduction in inflammatory cell infiltrates. In conclusion, crude EU extract demonstrated significant hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats, which suggest its potential as a natural therapeutic alternative for liver diseases.