Hepatoprotective and antioxidant efficacy of aqueous stem bark extracts of Balanites aegyptiaca (Linn.) Del. against acetaminophen induced liver injury in rats

Abstract

Tradffitffional use of varffious extracts of Balanffites aegyptffiaca ffin the management of many dffiseases has been prevffiously reported. Though oxffidatffive stress ffis known to contrffibute to the development of many of the dffisease condffitffions on whffich extracts of B. aegytffiaca have been found efffficacffious, effects of these extracts on free radffical-ffinduced lffipffid peroxffidatffion ffis not well understood. Thffis study ffinvestffigated the protectffive effects of stem bark extracts of B. aegyptffiaca on acetamffinophen-ffinduced lffipffid peroxffidatffion ffin rats. Phytochemffical analysffis of the plant extract used was conducted. Followffing a 10 day pre-treatment wffith extracts of B. aegyptffiaca, serum levels of thffiobarbffiturffic reactffive substances (TBARS), vffitamffin C, cholesterol/phospholffipffids, catalase (CAT) actffivffity as well as markers enzymes of hepatotoxfficffity were measured ffin rats admffinffistered wffith acetamffinophen (2 mg/kg body weffight). Results obtaffined ffindfficated preponderance of alkaloffids, flavonoffids, glycosffides, phenols, saponffins, and tannffins. Pre-treatment wffith extracts of B. aegyptffiaca protected agaffinst acetamffinophen-ffinduced elevatffion of TBARS and marker enzymes of hepatotoxfficffity as well as ffinhffibffited the depletffion of serum levels of vffitamffin C, CAT actffivffity and phospholffipffids ffin a dose-dependent manner. Serum levels of cholesterol were not affected by acetamffinophen ffintoxfficatffion or treatment wffith the plant extract. These results ffindfficated that therapeutffic actffions prevffiously lffinked wffith extracts of B. aegyptffiaca mffight be a consequence of ffits antffioxffidatffive and hepatoprotectffive effec