Protective effects of Alstonia congensis Methanolic extract against CCl4 induced liver damage in Wistar rats

The hepatoprotective potential, phytochemical properties, and in vivo antioxidant activities of methanol extract of Alstonia congensis stem bark were investigated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic damage in Wistar rats. The animals (thirty) were separated randomly into five groups of each six rats and kept under standard state (temperature 25 +/- 2) and fed standard rat pellets and water ad libitum. Liver toxicity in rats was achieved by the intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of 3 ml/kg of CCl4 in olive oil, after oral treatment of rats with 200 and 400 mg/kg of methanol extract of A. congensis or silymarin (50 mg/kg/day) for fourteen days. Then the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and blood samples collected through cardiac puncture, while the liver tissues were removed for the biochemical tests. Hepatotoxic changes were measured by evaluation of some hepatic enzymes, markers of oxidative stress, and histopathological examination. The phytochemical analysis of the extracts displayed the presence of Alkaloids, Saponins, Tannins, Terpenoids, Steroids, Anthocyanin, Flavonoids, Anthraquinones, and Phenols. Treatment of rats with methanol extracts of A. congensis resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the values of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, tissue lipid peroxidation (LPO), as well as an increase (p < 0.05) in the levels of total protein, albumin, reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) to near normal level relative to the CCl4 intoxicated control group (negative control). These observations were buttressed by the histopathological results. Thus, the results revealed that methanol extracts of A. congensis stem bark possess in vivo antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects against CCL4 induced hepatic damage in rats (dose-dependently), which could be attributed to its phytoconstituents. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of Mathematical Sciences / Next Einstein Initiative.