Evaluation of Hepatoprotective Activity of the Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Clutia abyssinica

Background: Liver is a vital organ that plays a major role in the elimination of xenobiotics from the body. Diseases that affect the liver become major health problems and challenge health-care professionals as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Since the conventional treatment of liver diseases is associated with a wide range of adverse effects, botanical agents are commonly used. Among these agents, Clutia abyssinica is the most widely used herb in Ethiopian traditional medicine. Objective: To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the crude 80% methanol extract and solvent fractions of Clutia abyssinica leaves in mice. Methods: The leaves of Clutia abyssinica were extracted by cold maceration using 80% methanol as a solvent, and the solvent fractions were obtained in liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform, n-butanol and distilled water. Male mice were treated with the vehicles (distilled water or 2% Tween 80), three different doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of the crude 80% methanol extract and three solvent fractions, the standard drug (silymarin 100 mg/kg), and the hepatotoxicant carbon tetrachloride ([CCl.sub.4]). Then, the levels of biomarkers of liver injury--such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)--and liver function such as total protein, albumin, and bilirubin were measured. Evaluation of the change in body weight and liver weight, histopathologic examination and in vitro antioxidant assay against [CCl.sub.4]-induced hepatotoxicity were also carried out. Results: The 80% methanol extract decreased the absolute and relative weight of the liver of mice at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg (p