2018, Vol. 6, Issue 3, Part A

author(s)
Hassan Safiya, Muhammad Abdurrazak and Mohammed Al-Kassim Hassan

abstract
The aqueous leaf extract of Balanite aegyptica (BA) was evaluated for its hepatoprotective effect on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in albino rats using liver enzymes activities. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, glycosides and sterols. Evaluation of the serum marker enzymes indicated significant increase in the serum activity of the marker enzymes - AST, ALT, ALP in rats administered with the hepatotoxin when compared to the treatment groups (P<0.05). There was a substantial decline in the levels of these enzymes and bilirubin after treatment with BA extract thus indicating its hepatoprotective activity. Silymarin (standard drug) exhibited significant hepatoprotective effect in the study animals. These findings suggest that BA extract possess hepatoprotective activity judging by the reduced levels of the serum markers even more than silymarin. Thus, the enhanced hepatoprotective activity of BA extract might be attributed to the synergistic effect of the phytochemicals present in the plant.