In vivo hepatoprotective effects of Rhoicissus tridentata subsp. cuneifolia, a traditional Zulu medicinal plant, against CCl4-induced acute liver injury in rats

The in vivo hepatoprotective effects of Rhoicissus tridentata subsp. cuneifolia, a traditional Zulu medicinal plant, against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats were investigated. A group of male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three subgroups. Two subgroups were injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and the other group with an equivalent amount of olive oil. Two hours after CCl4 intoxication one of the two subgroups was administered with R. tridentata extract by stomach tube. The subgroup that received olive oil was sacrificed after 2 h. Groups of rats from the other two subgroups were sacrificed at 24, 48 and 72 h after the respective treatments. The variables investigated were the enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASP) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase). In addition lipid peroxide (LPO) levels of liver homogenates as well as liver microsomal fractions were determined as malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. CCl4 intoxication resulted in significant increases (P < 0.05) in all the variables investigated except G-6-Pase which was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The administration of R. tridentata extracts after CCl4 intoxication resulted in significantly reduced (P < 0.05) concentrations of ALT and ASP as well as the levels of LPO whereas the concentrations of G-6-Pase were significantly increased (P < 0.05). From the results obtained during the present study it could be concluded that R. tridentata has components that have hepatoprotective effects.