Hepatoprotective effects of aqueous root bark extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus, Terminalia avicennioides, and their mixture in diethylnitrosamine-treated rats

Introduction: This study investigated the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous root bark extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus, Terminalia avicennioides, and their 1:1 mixture in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-treated rats. Materials and Methods: Rats were orally pretreated with extracts and 1:1 mixture (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight) for 2 weeks before being challenged with DEN (30 mg/kg body weight) once a week on weeks 3 and 4. Curcumin (200 mg/kg body weight) was used as reference antioxidant agent, and distilled water was used as a control. The whole experiment lasted for 4 weeks. The activities of liver and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), as well as the levels of serum total protein, albumin, total, and conjugated bilirubin were evaluated. Results: The extracts and their mixture significantly (P < 0.05) prevented the DEN-induced alterations in the activities of ALP, AST, ALT, and GGT in the liver and serum of the animals; as well as the altered levels of serum total and conjugated bilirubin. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study revealed that the extracts possess hepatoprotective activities against DEN-induced liver damage in rats.