Protective Effect of the Aqueous Leaf and Seed Extract of <i>Phyllanthus amarus</i> on Alcohol-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Abstract

Various parts of Phyllanthus amarus (PA) Schum. and Thonn. (family: Euphorbiaceae) are associated with diverse phytotherapeutic properties including hepatoprotective functions. In the present study, of the aqueous leaf and seed extract of PA (50-300 mg/kg) was investigated for its hepatoprotective activities on ethanol-induced liver injured, non-hepatectomised adult male Wistar rats, for 7 days. Of the five (5) groups of rats each, four (4) groups had alcohol hepatotoxicity induced by repeated daily oral dosing with 5g/kg of 50% ethanol for 14 days. Three groups of treated rats were then orally administered 50-300 mg/kg/day of PA for additional 7days. Hepatotoxic enzyme markers consisting of serum transaminases (AST, ALT, ALP) and serum triglyceride (STG), were assayed for after blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture under ether anesthesia. Oral treatment of rats with 5 g/kg b.w./day of 50% ethanol for 14 days reliably established ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity as evidenced by significant (p<0.05) elevations in the serum liver enzymes (except ALP which was unaffected) and STG as well as the observed typical ethanol-induced liver injury histopathological lesions. However, oral treatment of rats with PA (50-300 mg/kg b.w./day) significantly (p<0.05) restored serum levels of AST, ALT and STG back to normal. The hepatoprotective role of PA was also confirmed by the histopathological findings. Thus, results of this study validate its folkloric use in the treatment of patients with suspected alcoholic liver disease.


Keywords: Phyllanthus amarus, protective activity, ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity

West African Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Research Vol. 22/23 2007: pp. 42-50