Abstract

Sawadogo Paténéma*, Sawadogo Touwindséda Aimée, Tindano Basile, Da Filkpièrè Léonard, Ouedraogo Youssoufou and Belemtougri G. Raymond

ABSTRACT

The liver is a vital organ playing an important role in maintaining homeostasis, detoxifying and eliminating toxic substances. However, drugs and pathogens cause liver damage and disease. The aim of this work was to evaluate the hepatoprotective and/or hepatorestorative effects of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Vernonia colorata (AEVC) on the hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol in rats. Thirty female and male rats of 8-week-old were randomized and divided by sex into six lots of five rats. During three weeks, rats of these different lots received respectively NaCl (0.9%), paracetamol, paracetamol and Legalon® (silymarin), paracetamol and AEVC at three different doses: 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg bw. We found that paracetamol (1 g/kg bw) induced a highly significant increase (p ? 0.001) in plasma levels of biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total and direct bilirubin) in male and female rats, compared to neutral control (0,9% NaCl). Additionally, it also caused a significant decrease in relative liver weights in female rats. AEVC inhibited all these deleterious effects of paracetamol on liver. These beneficial effects of AEVC on liver were comparable to that of Legalon® (70 mg/kg bw). We suggested that AEVC has hepatoprotective and/or hepatorestorative properties via a silymarin-like mechanism action: stabilization of cell membrane and upregulation of intracellular glutathione. This last idea remains to be confirmed by histological studies.