Liver is the main body organ responsible for the metabolism of drugs. Every drug is known to be associated with hepatotoxicity almost certainly due to the ability of drugs to generate free radicals and to cause a disturbance in hepatocyte biochemistry. Consequently, this subjects the liver to a variety of diseases and disorders.
In recent times, researchers have been motivated to consider the therapeutic effects of a number of medicinal plants that are claimed to possess protective characteristics against liver disorders caused by toxic substances. One of such medicinal plants is Garcinia kola, which was chosen in this study. In addition, honey was chosen because in traditional medicine it is used alone or in combination with other substances, such as Garcinia kola seed, for the treatment of a number of human ailments.
Garcinia kola is a fruit-bearing tree that belongs to the family Guttiferae. It is found in moist forests and grows as a medium sized tree up to 14m high. The plant is commonly called “bitter kola” in Nigeria because of the bitter taste of its seeds. Garcinia kola seed (hereafter referred to as GKS) has long been used in sub- Saharan Africa as an antidote for ingested poison, and as a cure for a number of ailments and conditions such as abdominal colicky pain, chest cold, cough and hepatitis.
The documented and suggested clinical uses of GKS include drug detoxification, bronchodilation (for asthma), liver disorders, male virility, blood sugar regulation, lipid disorders, infectious diseases, boosting of immune system and weight reduction. Most of the reported bioactivities associated with GKS are believed to be related to the presence of biflavonoids, which are well known for their antioxidant activities.
Honey is a natural product that is widely available in different parts of the world, and is readily obtained from natural or cultured bee colonies. Honey has a very long history of use as a medicinal substance due partly to its ability to inhibit microbial growth. It has been reported to be very successful in treating human burns, wounds and ulcers. It has also been found to exhibit antioxidant activity due to its high content of flavonoids.
Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is widely used as a hepatotoxic agent for the screening of the antihepatotoxic activity of a wide variety of traditional medicinal plants. It has been generally reported and accepted that one of the possible mechanisms that may be involved in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity has to do with the generation of oxidised reactive intermediates, and compounds having antioxidant, free radical scavenging and anti-lipoperoxidative properties are known to exhibit anti-hepatotoxic activities.
Phytochemical analysis shows that both GKS and honey contain high concentrations of flavonoids, which are compounds having strong antioxidant activity (Iwu and Igboko, 1982; Ajadi and Kamaruddin, 2004). The presence of these strong antioxidants might be responsible for the observed anti-hepatotoxic potential of GKS, honey or a mixture of both.
Both GKS and honey have high contents of strong antioxidants, and have been reported to exhibit anti- hepatotoxic activities in laboratory animals exposed to hepatotoxic agents. However, in an extensive review of related literature, no documented evidence was found to show that the mixture of GKS and honey could protect animal livers against toxin-induced hepatotoxicity. This study was therefore undertaken to investigate the hepatoprotective potential of GKS, honey or a mixture of both against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
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