Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of the Flavonoid-rich Fraction of the Methanol Extract of Jatropha tanjorensis Leaves in CCl4-induced Liver Injury in Rats.

The leaves of Jatropha tanjorensis are edible and used in herbal medicine in the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress. The present study demonstrates the antioxidative effect of the flavonoid-rich fraction of the methanol extract of Jatropha tanjorensis leaves (FRJT) against CCl 4 -induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties of FRJT were determined by serum biochemical enzymes; alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPx), heamatological pararmeters (PCV, Hb and WBC) and histology study. The results obtained showed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the activities of liver marker enzymes across the pre-treated groups compared with the untreated rats. Assay of antioxidant enzymes showed that the extract significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced SOD and GPx activities whereas CAT activity was non-significantly (p 0.05) increased when compared with the untreated animals. PCV, Hb and WBC levels were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the untreated group. However, supplementation with FRJT and Silymarin ameliorated the induced depletion of blood in the pre-treated animals. Histological examination of the liver tissue showed marked reduction in fatty degeneration across the pre-treated groups when compared with the untreated group. The results in this study indicate that FRJT exhibited varying levels of protection against CCl 4 -induced oxidative stress in rat models. These results also indicate that the flavonoid-rich fraction contains antioxidants, which mop up free radicals in the system and support its use in the treatment of diseases resulting from oxidative damage.