Evaluation of the hepatoprotective effect of the methanol extract of the root of Uvaria afzelii (Annonaceae)

The claimed hepatoprotective effect of the root of Uvaria afzelii Sc. Elliot (Annonaceae) was investigated using the Carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats as a template. The methanolic extract of U. afzelii concomitantly administered with carbon tetrachloride at doses of 125, 250 and 500mg/kg was found to significantly (p<0.05) reduce the levels of alanine aminotransfarase (AST), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total and un-conjugated bilirubin, while levels of total protein and albumin were significantly increased in a non dose-dependent pattern, compared to animals treated with carbon tetrachloride alone, where the activity of ALT, AST, ALT, total and un-conjugated bilirubin increased and that of total protein and serum albumin decreased. Histopathological examinations supported the biochemical results. This study conclusively provides scientific validation for the use of extract of the root of U. afzelii in ethnomedicine to manage jaundice and liver injury.