Influence of extraction methods on the hepatotoxicity of <i>Azadirachta indica</i> bark extract on albino rats

Abstract

The influence of extraction methods: Cold aqueous (CA) hot aqueous (HA) and alcoholic extraction (AE) methods on the hepatotoxic effect of Azadirachta indica bark extract (ABC) was investigated using albino rats. A total of forty eight rats were divided into three groups of sixteen rats equally for the extraction methods. Each group was subdivided into four rats to represent control, low, medium and high doses of the extract. The control group received no extract while the other groups were administered the various concentrations (doses) intraperitoneally twice daily for seven (7) days before they were all sacrificed under light chloroform and used for the analysis. Parameters determined include glucose, cholesterol and triglycerol. Also alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate amino transferase
(AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALP) activities were determined. The result shows that glucose levels decreased from 85.75+2.85 to 65.00+12.05 in high concentration of C.A. Similar decreases were obtained from HA and AE extraction methods. Cholesterol levels also decreased from 111,63+1.02 to 53.75+0.90 in the high concentration CA, and similarly decreased in HA and AE extraction methods. Also triglycerol levels decreased from 66.49+0.95 to 21.02+0.30 in the high concentration of CA, and also decreased respectively in both HA and AE extraction methods. Similarly, the activities of the enzymes decreased in all the extraction methods, and for the different concentrations over the control except for the activities of ALP which increased generally in CA method. This
implies that ABE using HA and AE methods in non hepatotoxic while there is possibility of hepatotoxicity of the obstructive type if CA extraction method is used.