Volume 14, Issue 2: 2024 - Article 169

Abstract
The occurrence of liver diseases is on the increase and there are limited medicines that can be administered through various routes for its treatment. Orally administered methanol extract of the leaves of Pterocarpus santalinoides (MELPS) has been reported to be hepatotherapeutic, but administration via other routes has not been investigated. This study compared the hepatotherapeutic efficacy of orally and parenterally administered MELPS on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver damage in albino rats. The extract was prepared by cold maceration of the dried leaves. Thirty adult female albino rats randomly assigned into six groups A – F of five rats each were used for the study. Liver damage was induced in Groups A – E using CCl₄ administered at three day intervals for 12 days. Group A was treated with 10 ml/kg distilled water placebo per os as negative control. Groups B, C and D were treated with 250 mg/kg MELPS, administered orally, intramuscularly (IM) and intraperitoneally (IP), respectively. Group E was treated with 200 mg/kg Silymarin per os as positive control, while Group F was given 10 ml/kg distilled water per os as normal control. Treatment commenced on day 12 (after liver damage has been induced), and was done twice daily for five days. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 12 and 16 for serum biochemistry assay. The rats were humanely sacrificed on day 16, the livers were carefully eviscerated and weighed, and relative liver weights (RLW) calculated. Results showed that the CCl₄ administration resulted to significantly (p < 0.05) higher serum ALT and AST activities in Groups A, B, C, D and E when compared to Group F on day 12. Treatment with 250 mg/kg MELPS via oral, IM and IP routes, and 200 mg/kg silymarin (Groups B, C, D and E) led to significantly lower (p < 0.05) serum ALT and AST activities, lower liver weights and RLW on day 16 when compared to Group A. Groups B, C and D also had significantly (p < 0.05) higher serum ALP activity and significantly (p < 0.05) lower serum cholesterol levels when compared to Groups A and E on day 16. It was concluded that both IM and IP routes of administration were efficacious and compared effectively with the oral route of administration. Thus, methanol extract of the leaves of Pterocarpus santalinoides can be effectively administered parenterally as a hepatotherapeutic agent.

Keywords: Pterocarpus santalinoides; Leaf extract; Hepatotherapy; Oral route; Intramuscular route; Intraperitoneal route.

How to cite this article:
Ihedioha TE, Ihedioha JI and Keswet M (2024). Comparison of the hepatotherapeutic
efficacy of orally and parenterally administered methanol extract of leaves of Pterocarpus
santalinoides on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in albino rats. Journal of
Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 14(2): 828 – 841.


*Correspondence: E-mail:     thelma.ihedioha@unn.edu.ng      Phone: +2348036868258

Comparison of the hepatotherapeutic efficacy of orally and parenterally administered methanol extract of leaves of Pterocarpus santalinoides on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in albino rats

Thelma E. Ihedioha ¹ *, John I. Ihedioha ² and Miriam Keswet ^1
1 Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
² Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

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