Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine (2011)796-798 796

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Document heading doi: Screening of ethyl acetate extract of micrantha for hepatoprotective and anti-oxidant activities on Wistar rats 1 2 Nwaehujor Chinaka O *, Udeh Nkeiruka E

1Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, University of , Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria 2Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Abia State, Nigeria

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Objective: BrideliaTo explore micrantha the hepatoprotectiveB. micrantha and anti-oxidant activities of the methanolic leaf Received 25 March 2011 extract of ( ) on paracetamol induced liver damage in Wistar rats. Received in revised form 25 June 2011 Methods: Parameters were measured including alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), aspartate Accepted 15 July 2011 (ALP) Available online 20 October 2011 aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase , bilirubin and total protein. The anti-oxidant 1, 1 2 (DPPH) effects were studied using the -Diphenynl-Results:-PicrylhydrazylB. micrantha and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay methods. extract decreased the level of Keywords: P AST PCM (129.47依0.92I) IU/L (57.78依1.71) IU/L 0.05 Bridelia micrantha in the rats given from to ( < ). This was lower (59.92依 IU/L. ALT than the value for Silymarin which wasP 1.41) concentration was reduced from (150.18依2.23) IU/L to (79.10依2.01) IU/L ( <0.05). ALP was reduced from (49.86依0.85) IU/L to (29.64 Ethyl acetate leaf extract P Hepatoprotective 依1.53) IU/L ( <0.05). Total bilirubin was reduced from (2.14依0.10 mg/dL) to (0.18依0.07) mg/dL P P Antioxidant ( <0.05) while total protein was increased from (4.26依0.30) mg/dL to (6.20依0.19) mg/dL ( <0.05). B. micrantha Concentrations ranging from 10 - 400 毺g/mL of were assayed for antioxidant activities. The DPPH assay showed 98% antioxidant activity at concentration of 400 毺g/mL. The FRAP values were 0.016, 0.39, 0.455, 0.601 and 1.382 M at 10, 50, 100, 200 and 400 g/ Conclusions: B. micrantha毺 毺 mL respectively. Results suggest that has hepatoprotective and anti oxidant potentials. However, further work involving fractionation needs to done to isolate the active compound responsible for the hepatoprotective activity.

1. Introduction obstinate constipation and poisoning[5]. It is administered in various preparations in for stomach and intestinal It is believed that approximately 80% of the third world complaints, sterility, oedema and in combination with other population is almost entirely dependent on traditional drug for shock. medicine[1]. Application of phytotherapeutic medication Paracetamol is a mild analgesic and antipyretic agent especially in traditional medicine is a recognized profession which is safe and effective when taken in low doses and has played an important role as an alternative Medicare Ingestion of high doses leads to acute liver failure which involves direct use of for preventing and accompanied by centri-lobular degeneration and necrosis [2] [6] healingBridelia diseases micrantha and infectionsB. micrantha. in the liver of both man and experimental animals . ( ) belongs to the Family Toxicity of paracetamol is thought to be produced by Euphorbiaceae and is known as coast gold in English. The N-acetyl-p-benzoquinine imine, a reactive electrophilic Igbo people of Southern Nigeria call it Ogaofia, Asha; the metabolite of a cytochrome P-450 mediated reaction. Yorubas call it Idaodan. Swahilis call it Mkarakaka. It is The present study is therefore designed to investigate the known as Musabayembe by the Bemba tribe in central hepatoprotectiveB. micranthaand anti oxidant effects of the ethyl acetate . Yoruba herbalists of western Nigeria use the leaf extract of . bark for bringing full-term prolonged pregnancy[3]. In [4] , a leaf decoction is given to expel worm , 2. Materials and methods and in , it is a powerful purgative in cases of 2.1. Preparation of plant material

*Corresponding author: Nwaehujor Chinaka O, Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. B. micrantha Tel: +2348035450300 The fresh leaves of were obtained and E-mail: [email protected] identified by Mr. Ozioko, a taxonomist with Bioresources Nwaehujor Chinaka O et al./Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine (2011)796-798 797

Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP). They at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 200 and 400 毺g/mL was were dried at room temperature and pulverized into powder each mixed with 1 mL of 0.5 mM DPPH (in methanol). with a laboratory mill. The powder (1 000 g) was exhaustively Absorbance at 517 nm was taken after 30 minutes incubation extracted with ethyl acetate. The extraction was treated by in the dark at room temperature. The concentrations were cold maceration at 37 曟 with intermittent shaking for 48 h. prepared in triplicates. The percentage antioxidant activity The extract was concentrated by vacuum rotary evaporator was calculated as follows: and stored in a refrigerator at 4 曟. - 2.2. Experimental animals % antioxidant activity[AA] = 100 ([absorbance of sample- absorbance of blank] 伊 100)

Wistar rats of both sex with weighing of 86-128 g were used Absorbance of control as test animals. The animals were housed in cages at room 1 mL of methanol plus 2 mL of the extract was used as 16 18 temperaturead libitumunder light period® of - h daily. All animals blank while 1 mL of 0.5 mM DPPH solution plus 2 mL of were fed with Vital pelleted feed and water. methanol was used as control. Ascorbic acid was used as 2.3. Solutions, reagents, chemicals and equipment reference standard. 2.7. Estimation of the antioxidant activity of B. micrantha Freshly prepared solutions and analytical grade using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power FRAP assay chemicals were used in all the experiments. Alloxan method. monohydrate (Sigma-Aldrich, Germany), 2, 2-diphenyl -1- picryl hydrazyl (Sigma-Aldrich, Germany), 2, 4, 6- tri (2-pyridyl)-s- triazine (Fluka), ascorbic acid ( Hopkins The total antioxidant potential of sample was determined and Williams Ltd), Paracetamol (Emzor), Silymarin, (Roche, using a ferric reducing ability of “plasma FRAP assay” of Germany), spectrophotometer (Spectrumlab, USA). Benzie and Strain as a measure of antioxidant power [12]. 2.4. Acute toxicity study All determinations were performed in triplicates. 2.8. Data analysis Six groups of albino rats of both sexes with each group 依 containing five rats were used, bringing the total to 30 rats. Data are expressed a’s mean SEM and were analyzed for SPSS Five ofB. the micrantha groups were treated orally with varying doses significance by Dunnet s test using the 16 software.P In of the extract at 500, 1 000, 1 500, 2 000 and all cases, the criterion for statistical significance was <0.05. 3 000 mg/kg, respectively. The sixth group was given an equivalent volume of distilled water to serve as control. 3. Results The animals were observed for toxic signs like excitability, dullness, diarrhea, inappetence and death over 72 hours. B. micrantha 2.5. Paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity The ethyl acetate leaf extract of was brownish green in colour. The total solid recovered from the extraction was 115.28 g. No death was recorded in the rats treated orally Thirty six Wistar rats were used for the experiment. The with varying doses (500 - 3 000 mg/kg) of the extract within animals were divided into six groups of six rats per group. 72 h. However, rats treated with 3 000 mg/kg of the extract 14 Group one received distilled water for days and served showed transient dullness, which disappeared 1 h after the as normal control (no challenge with paracetamol). All other groups were challenged with a single dose of 2 000 mg/kg administration of the extract. ResultsB. micrantha of the hepatoprotective per os study (Table 1) showed that had a positive of paracetamol, prior to treatment which was done AST 12 h after paracetamol administration. Group two received dose dependent influence on the level of in rats, with paracetamol only (negative control). Group three received the dose of 300 mg/kg being better than the results with silymarin (25 mg/kg) for 14 days. Groups four, five, and six Silymarin. It caused a decrease in the level of AST in the rats given PCM from (129.47依0.92) IU/L to (57.78依1.71) IU/L received 75B., micr150 anthaand 300 mg/kg of the ethyl acetate leaf P extract of respectively for 14 days. After 12 h, ( <0.05). This was lower than the value for Silymarin which 依 IU/L. ALT blood samples for biochemical studies were collected was (59.92 1.41) concentration Pwas reduced from 依 IU/L 依 IU/L ALP through the lacrimal vein of the rats into marked sample (150.18 2.23) to (79.10 2.01) ( <0.05). P was bottles. These were allowed to stand for 45 mins at room reduced from (49.86依0.85) IU/L to (29.64依1.53) IU/L ( <0.05). 依 temperature. The serum was separated using a Pasteur Total bilirubin wasP reduced from (2.14 0.10) mg/dL to 依 pipette into sterile serum sample tubes from where they were (0.18 0.07) mg/dL ( <0.05). Total protein wasP increased 依 依 drawn for biochemical assays. The method of Reithman and from (4.26 0B..30 micrantha) mg/dL to (6.20 0.19) mg/dL ( <0.05). The Frankel[7] was adopted for the alanine aminotransaminase extract of had an increasing percentage (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) assays. Alkaline antioxidant activity with increasing concentrations after 30 phosphatase actvity (ALP) was estimated using the method min incubation in the dark. This was compared with DPPH of King EJ and King PR[8]. Bilirubin was determined using assay of L-ascorbic acid (Figure 1). At the concentration of [9] B. micrantha the method Tietz . Total protein was estimated using the 400 毺g/mL, had a 97.7% antioxidant activity method of Johnson[10]. while ascorbic acid had 79.98%. The FRAP values were 2.6. Estimation of the antioxidant activity of B. micrantha 0.016, 0.390, 0.455, 0.601 and 1.382 毺M at 10, 50, 100, 200 using the 1, 1-Diphenynl-2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 400 毺g/mL respectively. The extract of B. micrantha antioxidant assay method showed increased ferric reducing antioxidant power which was dependent on the concentration of the extract showing the highest FRAP value at 400 g/mL (Figure 2). The method of Mensor[11] was adopted. 2 mL of test extract 毺 Nwaehujor Chinaka O et al./Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine (2011)796-798 798

120

100

80 1.8 Bridelia 1.6 60 Micrantha m) 1.4 毺 1.2 40 1.0 20 0.8 % anti-oxidant activity

Frap value ( value Frap 0.6 0 0.4 40 10 50 10 20 0.2 0 0 0 0 Bridelia micrantha 4.53 32.15 63.77 71.27 97.70 10 50 100 200 400 Ascorbic acid 75.61 76.02 76.52 78.87 79.98 Concentration (毺g/mL) Figure 2. B. micrantha Figure 1. B. micrantha. FRAP assay of . DPPH antioxidant activity of

Table 1 B. micrantha The effect of the ethyl acetate leaf extract of on biochemical parameters. Group AST (IU/L) ALT (IU/L) ALP (IU/L) Total bilirubin (mg/dL) Total protein (mg/dL) a a a a a Normal control 55.15依3.31 78.13依3.10 28.38依2.73 0.17依0.01 6.53依0.18

PCM only 129.47依0.92 150.18依2.23 49.86依0.85 2.14依0.10 4.26依0.30 a a a a a Silymarin+PCM 59.92依1.41 82.54依1.52 31.03依1.50 0.18依0.03 6.19依0.16 a a a Extract (75 mg/kg) +PCM 124.83依1.20 133.35依1.65 37.81依1.11 2.00依0.30 5.21依0.25 a a a a Extract(150 mg/kg) + PCM 82.72依1.99 119.68依1.10 30.09依1.60 0.20依0.19 5.61依0.20 a a a a a Extract (300 mg/kg)+ PCM 57.78依1.71 79.10依2.01 29.64依1.53 0.18依0.07 6.20依0.19 a P means significantly different from group treated with only PCM <0.05.

4. Discussion References

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