Effect Of Aqueous/Ethanol Extract Of Justicia Carnea On Liver Biomarkers Status On Thioacetamide -Induced Liver Injury (Hepatoxicity) In Male Wistar Rats.:- Ugochukwu Onyeka L

ABSTRACT vli I her injury is the scarring process which occurs in the liver in response to different etiologies of chronic injury which could be caused by inflammation. congenital and toxins such as Ihioacetaiiiide' Thioacetamide (TAA) is an organosulfur, white crystalline compound that is used io induce an acute liver injury in rats through thioacetamidc-S-oxide binding mechanism to macromolecules in cells which are responsible for the change in cell permeability and Ca++ uplake. I.her injury or hepatic damage remains a major health problem that leads to high mortality rate and predispose to liver failure, portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma. An intense research has led to understanding liver injury pathogenesis but effective antihepatoxic therapies are still lacking. Herbal products have long been used in traditional folk medicine to maintain health or to provide remedies for various human diseases: such traditional medicine includes Jusiicia camea. In this study, the aqueous/ethanol extract of Juxlicia camea was used to evaluate its effect on liver biomarkers status on thioacetamide induced liver injury in male albino wislar rats. Twenty (30) male albino wistar rats were used and they were divided randomly into six groups with five in each cage. Thioacetamide was administered to five groups while one gmup served as control. In the five groups that were administered with thioacetamide one group was the negative control, three others were administered with 200mg/kg, dOOmg/kg and (>()()rng/kg of the aqueous/ethanol extract of Jusiicia camea leaves while the remaining group was treated w ith silymarin which serves as the standard drugs. At the end of the Lidays research study a biochemistry assay was carried out on the liver bidmarkers which include AS T, ALT, ALP, BIL and ALB concentration using the serum of the rats. The result of the study indicated that there was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in ALT, AST, BIL and ALP activity in the group treated with dOOmg/kg body weight of the extract when compared with the untreated i.e. (he negative control, the control and the group treated with silymarin (standard drug) as seen in Fig. 5, 6, 7 and 9 respectively. But fig. 8 shows an assay for serum Albumin concentration which indicated a significant (p<().()5) increase in serum ALB level in the groups treated with the extract and silymarin when compared to the negative control. In this study, aqueous/ethanol leaves extract of ./iiMicia camea has proven to posses anti-hepatotoxic properties against a thioacetamide (TAA) induced liver injury when compared to the normal and the negative control groups by reducing (he serum concentration of AST, ALT, Bilirubin and alkaline phosphate and increasing the serum concentration of Albumin within its normal range of 3.5 -- 5.0g/dl...