Depletion of Hepatic Antioxidant Enzymes in Experimental Albino Rats Due to Polyherbal Medicines Administration

Objective: Plants and their derived products have served as veritable sources of foods and medicines for humans and animals from the outset, and the emergency of polyherbs (plants-derived products) in recent years has received the widest publicity and patronage by the Nigerian population as alternative medicines. It is not over statement to say many of them lack empirical data or validation to support the upsurge and prevalence in their usage as folk medicines, and little or no scientific data exist on their potential side effects. This study therefore investigates “the effects of some of these polyherbal drugs on hepatic antioxidants in experimental rats”.Methods: Eight of the nine groups containing five animals each used for this study were administered eight different polyherbal drugs following different manufacturer’s recommended dosage, while the ninth group served as control with no polyherb treatment. The study lasted for seven weeks i.e. forty-nine days, and on the 50th day, the animals were sacrificed after 12 h of previous overnight fasting, and their livers were excised for antioxidant assays.Results: Fidson bitters and Asheitu Adams blood purifier (ABP) significantly decreased superoxide oxidase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), while Yoyo bitter and Asheitu Adams formula for diabetes (AD) mostly decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) in a non-significant manner at (p<0.05).Conclusion: All polyherbal medicines caused depletion of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GST), which is an indication of oxidative stress condition, but some of them improved non-enzymatic antioxidants like malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin C.