Research Article | OPEN ACCESS
Effect of Acalypha wilkesiana MuellArg Leaf Extract on the Oxidative Indices, Liver Enzymes and Liver Integrity of Rats Infected with Plasmodium berghei
1Ijeoma Ogbuehi, 1Elias Adikwu and 2Deo Oputiri
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State
2College of Health Technology, Otuogidi-Ogbia, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
British Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2014 2:76-82
Received: August 24, 2013 | Accepted: September 03, 2013 | Published: April 20, 2014
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of the methanolic extract of Acalypha wilkesiana on the oxidative stress caused by Plasmodium berghei infection and on the liver of parasitized animals. Phytochemical screening of the extract reveals that it is rich in flavonoids, carotenoids and sterols. Our results showed that liver Malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly (p<0.05) increased while Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), (Glutathione peroxide) GSH-P, reduced Glutathione (rGSH) and Catalase (CAT) decreased (p<0.05) in the parasitized non-treated rats, evident of increase in lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress following P. berghei infection. Extract treatment of the parasitized rats was observed to reverse the effects of the oxidative stress and restore the elevated liver enzymes; on the other hand, extract treatment of the non-parasitized rats increased antioxidant molecule levels, thus increasing their free radicals scavenging activity. The extract was also observed to extend the mean survival time of treated rats and improve malaria symptoms. Histological examination of the liver of treated and non-treated animals reveals that the extract may have a hepato-protective as there were no observable cellular defects. These findings suggest that the extract can be useful in management of oxidative stress to the biological system e.g., during malaria infection.
Keywords:
Acalypha wilkesiana, antioxidants, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, parasitemia, Plasmodium berghei,
Competing interests
The authors have no competing interests.
Open Access Policy
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Copyright
The authors have no competing interests.
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ISSN (Online): 2044-2467
ISSN (Print): 2044-2459 |
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