Abstract

Senna siamea is a plant used in the tradomedicinal practice for the treatment of malaria. Despite its efficacy, there is no scientific information concerning the safety of the plant extract on the liver hence, the study evaluated the effect of the methanol extract on liver function enzymes in wistar albino rats. Thirty two rats weighing between 180-210g were randomly grouped into four of 8 rats each. Group 1(control group) received normal saline, while groups 2, 3 and 4 received orally 100, 200 and 400mg/kg/body weight of the extract. Two animals were sacrificed on weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively and both blood and organ samples were collected. Results showed 4.4% percentage yield of MESS which contains a range of phytochemicals. The liver marker enzymes AST and ALP showed no significant changes in their serum activity while ALT activity increased significantly (p<0.05) during the 3^rd and 4^th weeks. Bilirubin concentration also increased significantly (p<0.05) during the 3^rd and 4^th week of administration of the extract to the 4^th group. This investigation suggests that prolonged ingestion of high concentration of methanol extract of S. siamea (MESS) could be toxic to hepatocytes. This was further revealed by the histological examination result showing degenerative changes when compared to the control.

Keywords: Methanol extract; Liver; Hepatotoxicity; Wistar rat; Senna siamea