Abstract

HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF ADANSONIA DIGITATA L. (BAOBAB) FRUITS PULP EXTRACT ON CCL4-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS

Musab Awad Mohamed*, Imad Mohamed Taj Eldin, Abd-Elwahab Hassan Mohammed and Hozeifa Mohamed Hassan

Abstract

Background: Medicinal plants, for thousands of years, have been used as traditional treatment for numerous diseases. In recent years, focus on plant research has been increased to show the potential of some medicinal plants in discovery of novel compounds which could be used in treatment of some diseases. Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Adansonia digitata fruits pulp methanolic extract on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Methods: A. digitata fruit pulp was extracted by maceration using methanol. Silymarin (25mg/kg) and two doses of the methanolic extract (100mg/kg and 200mg/kg) were used to investigate their hepatoprotective effects on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Results: The two doses of the plant extract showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective effect on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity, as evident by the significant reduction (P < 0.05) in serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP and bilirubin along with the improved histopathological liver sections compared to CCl4-treated animals. Conclusion: The plant material could provide a suitable source for new drug development, and its possible role in treatment of some liver disorders should be further evaluated by well-designed controlled studies.

Keywords: Adansonia digitata; Baobab fruit pulp; hepatoprotection; hepatotoxicity; Silymarin; CCL4; Liver enzymes.