Hepatoprotective Effects of Ageratum Conyzoides Crude Extracts and Fractions on Carbon Tetrachloride–Induced Hepatotoxicity
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Date
JULY, 2017
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Abstract
Liver diseases are still a major public health burden in many countries and despite the research strides made in respect of therapeutic interventions, challenges still abound in its treatment. Chemotherapy, the standard treatment method, is fraught with various shortcomings like drug resistance and undesirable side effects. Consequently, natural products present promising alternatives to liver disease treatment and hence finding new hepatoprotective agents from natural sources will be critical in improving patient outcomes. Ageratum conyzoides, an annual herb is increasingly being used in folklore for the treatment of a wide range of diseases including liver damage caused by free radicals. The study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective and in-vivo antioxidant enzyme activity of A. conyzoides crude extracts and its fractions, as well as evaluating the phytochemical constituents of 50% hydroethanolic extracts and fractions of A. conyzoides. Free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was investigated (Table 4.1). Hepatoprotective activity of Ageratum conyzoides plant extracts was studied by measuring the level of liver enzymes (Figure 4.11), as well as, in-vivo antioxidant enzyme activity after treatment with CCl4 (Figure 4.18-20). The presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and saponins were qualitatively screened for in the hydroethanolic crude extract and its isolated fractions (Table 4.3). The results showed that the crude extracts scavenged DPPH free radical in a concentrated dependent manner compared to the positive control, ascorbic acid. Phenolic compounds were detected in the crude extracts (Table 4.1). The 50% hydroethanolic crude extract recorded the strongest scavenger of DPPH, with 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 0.14±0.01 mg/ml. It also had the highest total phenol content, (0.39± 0.14 mg/g) with ethyl acetate fraction having the weakest antioxidant potential (0.29 ± 0.06 mg/ml) when compared to the standard (Table 4.2). Thus excluded from hepatoprotective study. In the hepatotoxicity study, crude extract
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treatment resulted in significant increase (p<0.001) in SOD, CAT and GSH levels (Figure 4.18-20) and a significant decrease (p<0.005) in MDA and MPO level against CCl4 both in liver and kidney (Figure 4.21-22), hence suggesting it to have the strongest hepatoprotective potential when compared to aqueous and methanol fractions. Also, histological findings (Figure 4.16-17) also indicated the absence of fibrosis and necrosis in both the kidney and liver of rat treated with the crude extracted after CCl4 (1 ml/kg b.wt) intoxication, whereas other treatment groups showed mild inflammation and cellular structure distortion of organs. The present investigation suggests that Ageratum conyzoides crude extract possesses remarkable hepatoprotective and nephroprotective properties and the compounds such as phenols, flavonoid and alkaloid detected could be responsible for these properties.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy Degree in Biochemistry