Pharmacological evaluation of Ipomoea asarifolia (Desr.) against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceIpomoeaasarifolia (Desr.) Roem. and Schult. is used traditionally in some parts of Africa for the treatment of a variety of diseases. This study attempts to validate its hepatoprotective activity by evaluating the prophylactic and curative properties of the methanolic extract of Ipomoea asarifolia (IA) leaves.Materials and MethodsLiver damage was induced by administering 0.5 ml/kg of an equal mixture of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in olive oil intraperitoneally on alternate days, for 5 days and the plant extract was given orally daily, for 7 days at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg.ResultsPre-treatment with the extract significantly (P<0.05) decreased CCl4-induced elevation in serum levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, bilirubin and cholesterol, better than the standard drug silymarin at 100 mg/kg. In the curative study, IA significantly (P<0.05) reversed CCl4-induced liver damage, comparable to silymarin. Hepatoprotective potential was further supported by decrease in pentobarbitone sleeping time and improved hepatic tissue histopathology.ConclusionThese results indicate that I. asarifolia leaves have potent hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats.

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