Hepatoprotective effect of aqueous leaves extract of Psidium guajava and Zizyphus spina – christi against paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Abstract

Medicinal herbs are significant source of pharmaceutical drugs. Latest trends have shown increasing demand of some medicinal herbs have proven hepatoprotective potential. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of aqueous leaves extract of psidium guajava and zizyphus spina-christi onparacetamol induced hepatic damage . The hepatoprotective activities of the two extracts were compared with aknown hepatoprotective drug, silymarin. For this purpose, thirty adult male albino rats Wistar strain wereassigned into 5 groups. Group1: normal control group, group 2, group 3 and 4: experimentally induced hepatotoxicity by oral administration with paracetamol (400mg/kg body) followed by oral administration of silymarin, Psidium guajva and Zizyphus spina- christi aqueous leaf weight extracts, respectively, group 5: experimentally induced hepatotoxicity by oral administration with paracetamol. Oral administration of paracetamol induced liver damage in rats as manifested by a significant rise in serum levels of aspartateaminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphstase(ALP), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma glutamyl transferase( γ-GT) and total bilirubin. Oral administration of psidium guajava and Zizyphus spina christi - aqueous leaf extracts, significantly attenuated hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol resulting in a significant decrease in serum levels of hepatic enzymes marker and total bilirubin .The results alsoshowed that oral administration of paracetamol induced oxidative stress in liver reflected in a significantdecrease in hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. Treatment with aqueous leaves extract of either psidium guajava or zizyphus spina -christi ameliorated the oxidative stress in paracetamol hepatotoxic rats and restored normal activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes. It is concluded that aqueous leaf extracts of psidium guajava or zizyphus spina-christi possesses good hepatoprotective activity.