Carbonated herbal alcoholic beverage-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats; Role of aqueous extracts of <i>Stigma maydis</i>

People consume beverages that contain alcohol for various reasons, ranging from therapeutic to the well acclaimed 'depression killer', without little or no concern about their adverse effects. Stigma maydis is a readily available herb of significant therapeutic importance . Consequently, this work sought to investigate the role of aqueous extracts of S. maydis in alcoholic beverage-induced hepatotoxicity by assessing the antioxidant activity and liver panel in Wistar rats using appropriate and standard methods. The results showed that the administration of alcoholic beverage was associated with a significant increase in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferases and serum aspartate aminotransferases of the Wistar rats, but there were so statistically significant differences in alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin and conjugated bilirubin levels. It also caused significantly reduction in glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, and significantly elevated level of malondialdehyde activity, but no statistically significant difference in catalase activity. Administration of aqueous extract of S. maydis attenuated these biochemical manifestations in the liver. In conclusion, the results from this work revealed the hepatoxicity of alcoholic beverages and the attenuating potential of aqueous extract of S. maydis.