Phenylhydrazine-Induced Neonatal Jaundice in Rats Ameliorated by Methanol Extract and the Chloroform Fractions of Portulaca oleracea L. (Portulacaceae)

Portulaca oleracea is a medicinal plant known in traditional medicine for its application in managing many ailments. Although it is known locally to be useful in treating and managing neonatal jaundice, this claim is yet to be proven scientifically. This study investigated the aerial part of the plant for anti-hyperbilirubinemia activities through phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced hyperbilirubinemia in Wistar rats. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening was also done using standard methods. Administration of PHZ in rats causes damage to the liver and results in high levels of bilirubin, which is the hallmark of hyperbilirubinemia. In this study, administration of PHZ (75 mg/kg b.w.) significantly increased the total and unconjugated serum bilirubin level, i.e Jaundiced group (4.74 ± 0.12) compared to the control non-jaundiced group (0.64 ± 03). Treatment groups (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg.b.w) showed a significant reduction in the serum bilirubin level in a dose-dependent manner (2.91 ± 0.29, 1.848 ± 0.064, 1.665 ± 0.223), respectively. Fractionation with highly polar (water) and non-polar (chloroform) solvents revealed that the bioactive constituent(s) of P. oleracea are mainly non-polar. The chloroform fraction showed results similar to the crude methanol extract with slightly increased activities. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that saponins, flavonoids, steroids, polysaccharides, and alkaloids were present, but cardiac glycosides were absent. It can be concluded that the aerial part of P. oleracea has anti-hyperbilirubinemia potential as a result of the presence of biologically active constituent(s) which are mainly non-polar. Thus, the use of this plant in ethnomedicine is justified