Abstract
The hepatotoxic effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Breynia nivosa in male albino Wistar rats were studied. The Breynia nivosa leaves were extracted using 70% ethanol. The phytochemicals were evaluated and found to contain – tannin, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides and cyanogenic glycosides. Twenty (20) adult male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four (4) groups – three tests of A, B, C and one control – and were administered with 400mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 100mg/kg of the ethanolic leaf extract of Breynia nivosa respectively for 21days after two weeks of acclimatization. The animals were sacrificed under anaesthesia after the experiment and blood samples collected for determination of the antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase), malondialdehyde, and liver enzyme: aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine transaminase (ALT). The results showed that there was a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase level (P<0.05). Changes in other markers (malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase) were however not statistically significant (P>0.05) when compared with the control. The extract significantly increased ALT, AST, ALP levels (p<0.05). Hence Breynia nivosa may be toxic and caution should be exercised in its consumption.
Highlights
The almost forgone herbal derived medicinal products are yet again gaining universal recognition and currently recommended for primary healthcare, but only a few plants have received thorough scientific investigation
The animals were sacrificed under anaesthesia after the experiment and blood samples collected for determination of the antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, and liver enzyme: aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine transaminase (ALT)
There was a moderate amount of glycosides, tannins, and starch
Summary
The almost forgone herbal derived medicinal products are yet again gaining universal recognition and currently recommended for primary healthcare, but only a few plants have received thorough scientific investigation. Medicinal plants are natural products used since time immemorial for the treatment of various human diseases. B. nivosa has been proven to be among the many used herbal medicinal plants believed and/or proven to be used presently in managing many disease conditions such as malaria (Okokon, 2015)
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