Effect of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Ocimum gratissimum on Antiretroviral Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats
Peter Ughachukwu *
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria
Paul Okonkwo
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria
Cornelius Nwozor
Department of Human Physiology, College of Medicine, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria
Joseph Okafor
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria
Ifeyinwa Nwafia
Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: Hepatotoxicity, among other adverse effects, constitutes one of the greatest impediments to successful antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) in HIV/AIDS patients. The main objective of the study was to determine if the aqueous leaf extract of Ocimum gratissimum has a protective effect on ART-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
Place and Duration: Department of Pharmacology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University, Nigeria (six months duration).
Methodology: Twenty five (25) albino rats of both sexes were divided into 5 groups of 5 each and treated as follows: Group A (no antiretroviral drugs, no extract); group B (antiretroviral drugs alone); group C (extract alone); group D (antiretroviral drug plus 40 mg/kg extract); group E (antiretroviral drug plus 80 mg/kg extract). All treatment lasted for twenty eight days. Blood samples were collected and serum ALT and AST determined using UV-spectrophotometer. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed and their livers harvested and examined histologically. The mean (± S.E.M) of data were calculated and further analyzed for statistical significance using graph Pad Prism 5.0.
Results: Mean serum ALT were 35.6±6.4, 54.0±9.4, 53.8±22.9, 90.5±21.9, 86.5±13.9 and that of AST were 143.8±19.7, 205.2±14.9, 58.0±27.9, 162.3±41.4, 150.5±44.8 for groups A, B, C, D, and E respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean values of serum AST for group B and those for group C (p value of 0.016). However there was no statistically significant difference between the ALT values for the test and control groups of rats (p value > 0.999). Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean values of AST for group B and those of groups A, D, E (p value = 0.659). The histology report for the liver was normal for all groups.
Conclusions: This extract did not produce significant reduction of serum ALT and AST in ART-treated rats in this study.
Keywords: ALT, antiretroviral drugs, AST, hepatoprotective herbs, hepatotoxicity, Ocimum gratissimum, rats