Effects of single oral dose of ethanol extract of root of Sarcocephalus latifolius (African peach) on liver function markers in wistar albino rats

Abstract

Amongst numerous plants and plant products that find use in alternative healthcare as herbal medicines, Sarcocephalus latifolius has been attracting much attention as a plant whose different parts are invaluable for treatment and management of several disease conditions. This study was intended to evaluate the possible effects of a high single dose of Sarcocephalus latifolius root extract on liver enzymes, bilirubin, cholesterol, and triglyceride of rat serum. A total of thirty-six adult rats were used for the studies. The animals were divided into three sets of twelve rats each. Each set was subdivided into three groups (A, B, C) with each group consisting of four animals. The first set was used to study serum activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase; the second set was used to evaluate the levels of serum bilirubin while the third set was used to assay serum concentration of cholesterol and triglyceride. For each set, the animals in group A orally received 2000mg/kg body weight single dose of the extract, and those in group B received 1500mg/kg single dose administered orally. Group C animals, fed normal diet and water were used as the control in all cases. All analyses were spectrophotometric. There were nonsignificant reductions (p > 0.05), in the activities of ALP, ALT and AST for both dose schedules, whereas statistically nonsignificant increases in activity were recorded for GGT for the two dose schedules. The total bilirubin was found to decrease nonsignificantly (p > 0.05), while conjugated bilirubin was found to decrease significantly (p < 0.05) for both doses when compared with the control. Both cholesterol and triglyceride were nonsignificantly decreased for both dose schedules. Thus, Sarcocephalus latifolius root extract has the potential to conserve the integrity of the liver (non-hepatotoxic), and possesses cholesterol-lowering potentials.

Hepatoprotective Properties of Sarcocephalus latifolius Extract in Hyperglycemic Rat Model

“…Since these enzymes are undeniably, markers of liver injury, the elevated levels of these enzymes in diabetes conditions were attributed to harm induced to the hepatocytes by alloxan, which now disrupts the normal activities of the liver 23,24 . Following treatment with the plant extract, the activities of these marker enzymes were significantly reduced in the S. latifolius extract treated diabetic rats (Table 2 and 3), indicating the plant's hepatoprotective properties, which is consistent with some studies reporting the plant's hepatoprotective properties 20 . The ability of S. latifolius to exert a protective effect on the liver and lower the level of liver enzymes in the blood could be related to flavonoids' hepaprotective characteristics, which serve as membrane stabilizers to protect the liver cells from harm 25,26 .…”