Effect of Chronic Consumption of Piliostigma thonningii on Activities of Alanine Aminotransferase and Aspartate Aminotransferase in Serum and Liver in Rattus novergicus

Abstract

The effect of chronic consumption of Piliostigma thonningii on the activities of Aspartate Aminotransferases (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferases (ALT) on serum and liver of Rattus novergicus was investigated in this research. The aim of this study was to check the possible effect of chronic consumption of Piliostigma thonningii on the activities of the liver biomarkers (ALT and AST) in Rattus novergicus. The results from this study revealed that the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum, showed a significant increase (34.20 +/- 12.9*) at (p < 0.05) upon chronic consumption of ethanolic extract of P. thonningii when compared with that of the control B (18.02 +/- 1.54). The result also showed that the liver AST was significantly increased (32.75 +/- 5.89*) when compared to that of the control B (17.01 +/- 1.81) at (p < 0.05). The results from the study also revealed that there was a significant increase in the activity of alanine aminotransferase in the liver (17.01 +/- 5.86*) when compared with that of the control B (5.1 +/- 1.11) at (p < 0.05). There was a corresponding increase in serum activity of the enzyme ALT (13.65 +/- 3.79*) when compared with that of the control B (9.4 +/- 1.98) at (p < 0.05). The results from this research has shown that chronic consumption of P. thonningii may cause liver injury thereby, increasing the liver enzyme activity (17.01 +/- 5.86*). This was shown in the corresponding increase in the serum level. Excessive consumption of the extract of P. thonningii has a toxicity potential on the liver and possibly other organs and tissues.