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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
Corchorus olitorius is a common vegetable in Nigeria used in making soup and stew. This study determined the effect of the ethanol extract of C. olitorius leaves on the activity of liver function enzymes and lipid profiles in Wistar albino rats. Twenty four (24) Wistar rats weighing between 150-200 g were randomly grouped into four of six animals each. Groups 1-3 rats received 2 ml 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w. respectively, while the control group also received 2ml of distilled water orally for the period of the experiment. All animals were sacrificed after experimental period of 28 days. The results showed that the extract significantly (p=0.05) reduced the serum activities of AST, ALT and ALP when compared to the control at all doses tested. Also, the extract significantly reduced the concentration of total cholesterol at 50 and 100 mg/kg b.w. of the ethanol extract of C. olitorius and significantly (p=0.05) increased it at 200mg when compared to the control. A dose dependent significant (p=0.05) increase in the concentration of HDL and triacylglycerol were observed in all groups when compared to the control. The result of this study suggests that the ethanol extract of C. olitorius possesses hepatoprotective properties with possible tendency to increase the cholesterol concentrations at high doses.
