A Study of the Hepatoprotective effect of <i>Garcinia Kola</i> Water Extract in Amodiaquine and Artesunate Treated Rats

Abstract

The effect of kolaviron, a water extract of Garcinia Kola on hepatotoxicity induced by the antimalarial drug, amodiaquine was investigated. The effect was compared with that of artesunate, another antimalarial agent. Thirty (30) adult male rats divided into six (6) groups were used in the study. Groups D, E and F were treated with 100mg/Kg of the extract twice daily for the first one week and 200mg/Kg/day for the subsequent three (3) weeks. Amodiaquine (10mg/Kg/day) was administered orally for four (4) days into rats in groups A and E while rats in groups B and F were treated with artesunate (5mg/Kg/day for four {4} days). Group C was treated with normal saline and kept as test control. All the rats were sacrificed after 4 weeks treatment period. Blood was withdrawn by cardiac puncture while the liver was removed, homogenized and used for both biochemical and histological analysis. Treatment with amodiaquine resulted in increase in relative liver weight while this increase was reversed by pre-treatment with Garcinia kola extract. Amodiaquine treatment also resulted in significant increase in liver postmitochondria lipid peroxidation, while pretreatment with Garcinia Kola significantly decrease the MDA value from the 62.53±0.60 unit/g tissue (prior to Garcinia Kola administration) to 44.43± 2.16unit/g tissues. Treatment with artesunate neither caused a significant change in the relative liver weight nor in the lipid peroxidation value. Amodiaquine treatment also resulted in significant increase in serum ALT and AST activities and a subsequent decrease in these parameters in the liver, whereas, the observed changes were reversed with pretreatment with Garcinia kola extract. Treatment with artesunate and pretreatment with Garcinia kola prior to artesunate administration did not alter these parameters significantly. Histological examinations of the liver slices correlated with the observations in the serum and liver. The present study indicates that Garcinia Kola is effective in preventing the hepatotoxic effect due to prophylactic administration of amodiaquine. It also emphasized that prophylactic treatment with artesunate does not cause a significant alteration in liver function.

Keywords: Garcinia Kola, hepatotoxicity, amodiaquine, artesunate, lipid peroxidation

Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 6 (2) 2007: pp. 9-15