ABTRACT
The leaves of Alchornea laxiflora have antihistamine, anti-infectious and anti inflam atory applications in ethno medicine .This study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective activity,isolation and structural elucidation of the phytochemical constituents of the leaf ethanolic extract. Hepatoprotective assay was carried out against carbontetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats.
The marker enzymes used in assay to assess liver function iinclude:Aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkalinephosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH).Isolation and purification of fractionns was achieved using standard chromatographic tecniques.The structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic technigues.THe marker enzymes registered enhanced activit y(p<0.05) in CCl4 treated rats as administration of ethyl acetate fraction of the leaves of A. laxiflora was found to reduce the elevated levels of AST,ALT,ALP and LDH, thereby protecting the liver from toxic effects of carbontetrachloride. The result was further supported by histopathological studies of liver samples which showed regeneration of hepatocytes by the extract. Two other flavanoids were found for the first time from the Nigerian specie of A. laxiflora along with two previously reported flavonoids in this specie.
The structure of these flavonoids were confirmed to be quercetin-3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside and quercetin 3, 7, 3’ ,4-tetrasulphate while the latter two were identified as quercetin and quercetrin. This study has helped to establish the hepatoprotective influence of the leaves of A. laxiflora,isolate and elucidate the structure of the phytochemical constituents of the active fractions and justified the use of the plant in traditional medicine.Alchornea laxiflora belongs to Euphorbiaceae family and it is mainly cultivated for its ethno-medicinal uses. It is used for the treatment of malaria, inflammation and infectious diseases in Nigeria. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of the methanol extract of the leaf (ML), extracted with 95% methanol using soxhlet extractor at 65oC, on antioxidant enzymes, triacylglycererol (TAG) and cholesterol levels in male Wistar rats. The animals (30) weighing between 120g-150g were divided into five groups of six rats each. Group 1 served as control and received distilled water, p.o. Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 received 0.5, 1.0, 10.0 and 50.0mg/kg body weight dose of the ML respectively (p.o) for fourteen consecutive days. Results showed that the rats fed with the higher concentrations of ML had significant increase (p<0.05) in glutathione content (GSH), SOD and catalase activities relative to control. Also, there were no significance changes in the TAG and the cholesterol level in all the concentrations of ML extracts examined.
These results suggest that Alchornea laxiflora ML extracts possess varied degree of potent antioxidant activity and may serve as important sources of antioxidants in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries
Aim:The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of Alchornea laxiflora on internal organs as well as haematological indices of rats.