Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Effects of Ficus Platyphylla Del Holl

Abstract

IntroductionFicus platyphylla Del. Holl (Moraceae) is a deciduous plant widely distributed throughout savannah region along the West African coast. It is commonly called broad leaf fig and used traditionally for treating stomach pain, infertility and psychosis. The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of the methanol stem bark extract of Ficus platyhylla (MEFP) in vitro and in vivo using Wistar rats.MethodMEFP was evaluated for its antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities using 2,2‐diphenyl‐l‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and total phenolic content (TPC) assays. In the hepatoprotective activity, rats were divided into 6 groups (I–VI; n= 5). Group I was the untreated control, group II received normal saline (negative control), group III received silymarin (100 mg/kg) as positive control while groups IV–VI were treated with MEFP (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o respectively) for a period of 7 days. On the seventh day after the last dose of treatment, the rats of groups II–VI were given a single oral dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) (1:1) in olive oil at a dose of 10 ml/kg. Twenty‐four hours later, rats were anaesthetised, and blood samples collected for determination of liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The livers were isolated and hepatic PMS prepared for biochemical analysis. The activities of hepatic enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) were determined. For histological studies, the liver tissues were fixed with 10% phosphate‐buffered neutral formalin, processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Phytochemical studies were carried out on the extract following standard procedures.ResultThe extract showed activity in DPPH radical scavenging. The IC50 of the extract and vitamin C were 0.17 mg/mL and 6.43×10−3 mg/mL respectively. However, Vit C showed more activity. The total phenolic contents (Gallic acid equivalents, mg/g) in the extract was calculated to be 7.99 mg/g. Pre‐treatment with MEFP inhibited CCl4–induced oxidative stress by significantly (p<0.05) decreasing CAT from 24.67±4.17 to 10.93±2.44, SOD from 7.06±0.59 to 4.84±1.09, GSH‐PX from 18.91±1.29 to 8.13±1.13, ALT from 74.6±6.85 to 55.2±4.97 and AST from 157.8±9.35 to 117 ± 3.81, bringing the levels of antioxidant enzymes to near control. Histopathological examination showed evidence of reduced ballooning of the hepatocytes and preserved liver architecture and portal tract. The phytochemical screening showed that the extract contains carbohydrate, tannins, flavonoids, saponins and alkaloids.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that methanolic stem bark extract of F. platyphylla possesses antioxidant activity. The extract also protected the liver against oxidative injury induced by CCl4in vivo. The preliminary chemical examination of the methanol extract has shown the presence of flavonoids and other constituents which may be responsible for the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities.Support or Funding InformationFinancial support from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto