Evaluating the impact of Persea americana and Telfairia occidentalis seeds in the liver of anaemic rats

Abstract

Plant-derived nutrients are recognized as valuable sources of treatments for various health issues, including anaemia. This study investigates the potential hepatoprotective effects of Persea americana and Telfairia occidentalis seed-enriched diets on anaemic Wistar rats. The experiment involved 55 adult male Wistar rats, randomly assigned to eleven groups of five. Group A (normal control) received a 20 % casein diet; Group B consumed a protein-deficient diet. Anaemia was induced in groups C to K using phenylhydrazine (40 mg/kg body weight) and then fed with P. americana and T. occidentalis seeds diets at different concentrations. Following a 28-day period, all experimental groups showed significantly higher serum and liver Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, and lower albumin and total protein levels compared to the control. However, groups fed P. americana and T. occidentalis seeds diets exhibited a notable decrease in serum and liver AST, ALT, and ALP, with a slight increase in albumin and total protein levels. The T. occidentalis seeds diet demonstrated more distinct effects restoring liver histological damage. These findings suggest that T. occidentalis seeds diet may offer protective effects and potentially alleviating liver damage associated with anaemia and protein deficiency.