Phyllanthus amarus: A Hepatoprotective Agent in Acetaminophen Induced Liver Toxicity in Adult Wistar Rats

The hepatoprotective activity of aqueous leaf extracts of Phyllanthus amarus (a small herb well known for its medicinal properties and widely used worldwide) was studied on acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity in wistar rats. Animals in Group 1 served as control animals. Acetaminophen at 800 mg/kg body weight (bw) was administered daily to induce liver toxicity in Group 2 animals. Animals in group 3 were pre-treated with Silymarin (reference drug) at 50 mg/kg bw before acetaminophen (800mg/kg) administration. Animals in Groups 4 and 5 were pre-treated with aqueous leaf extracts of Phyllanthus amarus (100mg/kg and 200mg/kg) before acetaminophen (800mg/kg) administration. The experiment lasted for 14 days. Histological findings suggests that pre-treatment with silymarin and aqueous leaf extracts of phyllanthus amarus significantly protected the liver against acetaminophen induced damage when compared to those administered with acetaminophen only. Biochemical analysis also showed significant (p<0.05) increase in the levels of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), with a reduction in total protein (TP) levels of rats administered acetaminophen only. The phyllanthus amarus extract's activity at 100mg/kg bw was comparable with 50 mg/kg bw silymarin. The results of the study therefore indicates that Phyllanthus amarus could be an effective hepatoprotective agent in acetaminophen mediated liver toxicity in adult wistar rats.