ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF ETHANOL LEAF EXTRACT OF Setaria megaphylla IN ACETAMINOPHEN-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS: ANTIDOTAL PERSPECTIVE IN LIVER INJURY

The liver is continuously exposed to a range of chemotherapeutic agents, environmental contaminants, and xenobiotics. Most often, such exposures overwhelm the liver’s inherent protective ability, resulting in its injury. This study examined the hepatoprotective potential of Setaria megaphylla leaf extract against acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity in Wistar rats. Albino Wistar rats of both sexes, weighing 120 to 150 g, and showing no symptoms of illness, were randomized into nine (9) groups, each with five (5) rats as follows: control, Hepatotoxic (acetaminophen), silymarin (positive control) and S. megaphylla leaf extract (120, 240, and 480 mg/kg) groups. Other groups were the S. megaphylla leaf extract (120, 240, and 480 mg/kg) plus paracetamol (2000 mg/kg) pretreated groups, respectively. Furthermore, the animals received the extract and silymarin orally for eight (8) days and acetaminophen (per oral) on the eighth day. Biochemical and histological parameters were evaluated 24 hours after acetaminophen administration. Acetaminophen (2000mg/kg) treated rats depicted a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in liver enzyme levels, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total and combined bilirubin, as well as a decrease (p < 0.01-0.001) in albumin and total protein levels. In contrast, pre-treatment with S. megaphylla extract (120–480 mg/kg) resulted in a dose-dependent significant decrease (p < 0.05-0.001) in these enzyme levels, especially those of total and combined bilirubin, in comparison to the acetaminophen-treated group. Rats treated with S. megaphylla leaf extract demonstrated considerable (p < 0.05–0.001) and dose-independent elevation of the antioxidant enzyme levels: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), compared to the normal and acetaminophen control groups. The chemical and pathological alterations aligned with histopathological findings that suggested the leaf extract of S. megaphylla had liver protective ability against acetaminophen injury.