Effect of Liquid Extract of Pear Avocado Leaf (Persea americana) on Plasma Levels of Aminotransferases, Cholesterol and Total Bile Acids in Hypertensive Patients

Raw liquid extract of Avocado pear leaf is of medicinal importance in the treatment of hypertension. In Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state, this extract is being used as an alternative therapy in the treatment of hypertension in human subjects. This work was designed to evaluate the Effect of Liquid Extract of Pear Avocado Leaf used in the Traditional Treatment of Hypertension on the Plasma Levels of Aminotransferases, Total Bile Acids, Total and Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. Fifty (50) anicteric newly diagnosed hypertensive patients with an abnormal increase in plasma cholesterol and blood pressure aged 45 and above that have not been treated with any hypertensive medication but have decided to be treated traditionally using avocado pear leaf extract were recruited from the traditional homes in ATISBO, Saki-East and Saki-West Local government areas of Oke-Ogun - the Northern part of Oyo state-Nigeria. Five (5) milliliter of venous blood was obtained from each subjects after an overnight fasting before and after the administration of the liquid extract for the extraction of plasma. Plasma Alanine amino-transferase(ALT), Aspartate amino-transferase (AST), Total Bile Acids(TBA), Low Density Lipoprotein(LDL) and Total Cholesterol were analysed in the samples of the patients biochemically by spectrophotometry including autoanalysis. The result obtained showed a significantly higher mean value of plasma Total and Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in the subjects before the administration of the liquid extract of avocado pear leaf than the values obtained post-administration with p 0.01. The findings of this study revealed a significant alteration in the plasma level of ALT, AST, LDL and Total Cholesterol in the subjects after the administration of the liquid extrac of avocado pear leaft. The evaluation of these biochemical parameters in hypertensive patients undergoing traditional therapy using the extract is therefore recommended.