Author:
V.H.A. Enemor,A.N.C. Okaka
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.
Publisher
Nigerian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
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