title: Phytochemical analysis, hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of Alchornea cordifolia methanol leaf extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of Alchornea cordifolia (A. cordifolia) leaf extract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Various solvent fractions of the methanol extract of the leaf of the plant A. cordifolia Mull. Arg (Fam: Euphorbiaceae) were evaluated for hepatoprotective activity by carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats. The degree of protection was measured by using biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate oxalate transaminase (SGOT/AST), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT/ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the extract was also evaluated by the 1, 1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions, at a dose of 300 mg/kg, produced significant (P<0.05) hepatoprotection by decreasing the activities of the serum enzymes and bilirubin while there were marked scavenging of the DPPH free radicals by the fractions. The effects were comparable to those of the standard drugs used for the respective experiments, silymarin and ascorbic acid. Alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins were detected in the phytochemical screening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this study, it was concluded that the plant of A. cordifolia possesses hepatoprotective as well as antioxidant activities and these activities reside mainly in the ethyl acetate and acetone fractions of methanol leaf extract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 41001, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Patience O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Osadebe
authors.forename: Festus B C
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Okoye
authors.forename: Philip F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Uzor
authors.forename: Nneka R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Nnamani
authors.forename: Ijeoma E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Adiele
authors.forename: Nkemakonam C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Obiano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019665:Euphorbiaceae; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D000432:Methanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D000432:Methanol