Acute toxicity, hepato-curative activity of extracts of a combination of plants on CCL4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats and antiradical activity

Traditional healers combine four medicinal plants (Cochlospermum tinctorium, Terminalia macroptera, Leptadenia hastata and Commiphora Africana to treat hepatitis in Burkina Faso. The aimed was to evaluate the hepato-curative activity of lyophilized aqueous decoction (LAD) and hydroethanolic macerate (LHM) of plant extracts on CCl₄-induced hepatitis in rats. We assessed the acute toxicity and scavenging activity of the 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Hepato-curative activity study included nine groups with five rats each. We used rats as followed: group 1 as neutral controls, group 2 as negative controls, and the other groups were experimental groups. Rats in groups 2-9 received a single dose (1 mL/kg) of CCl₄ in intraperitoneal injection to induce hepatitis. We fed orally the rats for seven consecutive days with sylimarin in group 3, LAD and LHM respectively in groups 4-6 and groups 7-9 by 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg/day. This study revealed LAD and LHM had a LD50> 2000 mg/kg and both showed radical-scavenging properties with IC₅₀= 5.95 and 8.66 µg/mL respectively. All experimental rats regardless of the treatment group showed a significantly reduced plasma transaminases level as compared to negative controls. LAD and LHM at 400, 200 mg/kg significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Histologically, treated rats showed normal to almost normal liver in a dose-dependent manner as compared to the controls.

Conclusion: LAD and LHM decreased liver enzyme and allowed a dose-Dependent liver damage recovery after CCl4-induced hepatitis in rats.