Abstract

EFFECT OF AN AQUEOUS TRUNK BARK EXTRACT OF ALSTONIA BOONEI DE WILD. (APOCYNACEAE) IN ETHANOL-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY WISTAR RATS

N’dia Kouadio Frédéric*, Kouakou Kouakou Léandre, Oussou N’Guessan Jean-Baptiste and Yapo Angoué Paul

ABSTRACT

Alcohol dependence is considered as a major public health problem worldwide, and a direct cause effect relationship was observed between chronic alcohol consumption and over 60 types of diseases, including those of liver. Currently, there is an increased awareness of the benefits of using herbal remedies in the management of liver-related diseases. The objective of this study is, therefore, to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of the total aqueous extract of the trunk bark of Alstonia boonei (AEAb) in 40% ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity rats. Albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into seven groups of 10 rats (5 males and 5 females) each. These are two normal control groups gavaged with distilled water, two model groups, intoxicated and treated with distilled water (10 mL/kg bw) and three test groups intoxicated and treated respectively with the aqueous extract of Alstonia boonei (150 and 300 mg/kg bw) and silymarin (100 mg/kg bw). Animals in each group (except the 2 normal control groups) were orally intoxicated with 40% ethanol (1 mL/100 g bw) for 28 days to induce experimental hepatotoxicity. The rats from one of the two normal control groups and those from one of the two model groups were sacrificed on day 29 for liver triglyceride assay. The rats received the different treatment for 21 days. The results revealed that liver triglyceride levels and serum AST, ALT, total protein and HDL-cholesterol levels that were elevated in the ethanol intoxicated rats groups significantly reduced (p <0.05) in rats treated with the total aqueous extract of A. boonei or silymarin compared to the untreated rats group. In contrast, serum triglycerides, alkaline phosphatase and total cholesterol levels which had decreased following the ethanol administration significantly increased (p <0.05) in rats treated with the total aqueous extract of A. boonei or silymarin compared to the untreated control group. The overall results of this study suggest that the total aqueous extract of A. boonei showed hepatoprotective potential on 40% ethanol induced hepatotoxicity Wistar rats.

Keywords: Alstonia boonei, Hepatotoxicity, Fatty liver, 40% ethanol, rat.