Improvement of Liver Function from Lemon Pepper Fruit Ethanol Extract in Streptozotocin-Induced Wistar Rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is usually associated with oxidative stress which can initiate or promote chronic diabetic lesions in various organs. Reactive Oxygen Species accumulation affects liver tissue and may also cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Lemon pepper is an alternative medicine that is widely used in the Batak community. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the improvement of liver function from ethanolic extract of lemon (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium) in Wistar rats induced by streptozotocin. In the eksperiment, 25 rats which divided into five groups: control, standard, lemon pepper-1, 2, and 3 (250, 500, and 750 mg/kg BW, respectively) were used. After 14 days of intervention, the ALT and AST levels were measured in all rats. The results showed that the average percentage reduction in the AST levels in lemon pepper I, II, III, and standard groups were 2.64%, 35.76%, 43.59%, and 44.82%, respectively; The average percentage reduction in the ALT levels were 76.19%, 87.20%, 84.99%, and 88.39%, respectively. However, the decrease in each level showed that the increase in the AST level was better than the ALT. Overall it can be concluded that lemon pepper extract can improve the liver function of streptozotocin-induced wistar rats and the most effective dose of ethanolic extract of lemon fruit for improving liver function, especially ALT levels is 750 mg/kg BW.B