THE EFFECT OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF DESMODIUM VELUTINUM STEM ON SOME MARKER ENZYME IN LIVER OF ALBINO RATS

THE EFFECT OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF DESMODIUM VELUTINUM STEM ON SOME MARKER ENZYME IN LIVER OF ALBINO RATS

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

The liver is the largest and most complex organ in the body. Its varied and diversified roles contribute significantly to the upkeep of the internal environment. The liver performs various critical tasks, including metabolism, secretion, and storage. Hepatitis, sometimes known as an inflammatory illness, is characterised by inflammation and hepatocyte changes. Hepatitis is among the most common diseases in the globe. Every year, 18,000 people die from viral hepatitis-related liver cirrhosis (Wang et al., 2008). Ectopic fat storage occurs in obesity, particularly in the liver, resulting in a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterised by varied degrees of liver injury ranging from steatosis to tratohepatitis, fibrosis, or necrosis. Because of its strong link to insulin resistance/obesity, NAFLD is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. The liver has a high capacity to detoxicate poisonous substances and synthesise beneficial principles. Thus, liver damage caused by hepatotoxic substances has serious effects. Experiments have shown that animals fed a high fat diet (HFD) for more than two months acquire obesity, hyperlipidaemia, hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance (IR). Furthermore, a calorie-rich diet promotes fat accumulation, increased production of inflammatory cytokines, and macrophage infiltration, all of which contribute to the advancement of liver disease. Many medicinal and indigenous plants have been mentioned and recognised as hepatoprotective agents.

Desmodium velutinum is a medicinal herb used around the world. Desmodium velutinum extract demonstrated substantial antipyretic efficacy in the experimental rats.

Desmodium velutinum is high in alkaloids and related amino compounds. It contains flavonoids, saponins, and pharmacologically active agents that can help relieve aches and pains. It also revealed that one of the applications is for increasing erectile function.

Desmodium velutinum, one of the world’s most valuable medicinal plants, may have an effect on the liver. However, there are few research on the effect of Desmodium velutinum medication on the hepatoprotective action of its extract on animals fed a high-fat diet.

The study aimed to compare the effect of ethanol extract of Desmodium velutinum stem on liver function tests in albino wistar rats fed with high fat from cow’s brain to a known drug, atorvastatin, which is used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

Because changes in the quantity and composition of plasma lipids and lipoproteins occur frequently in liver illness, these data may be valuable in tracking the clinical course of patients suffering from a variety of reasons.

Liver illness causes distinct alterations in the lipid composition of plasma lipoprotein particles’ surface coats. Cholesterol accumulates as hepatic production of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase declines, and aberrant circulating lipoproteins cause equivalent changes in cell membrane lipid composition.

Studies on human and experimental liver illness demonstrate that this occurs and is widespread. Low density lipoproteins, which are high in cholesterol, can also be taken up by the liver or extrahepatic organs via receptor-mediated endocytosis, which specifically recognises apolipoproteins. Extrahepatic membrane dysfunction may be a common characteristic of severe liver disease.

It is thought that many of the cellular disruptions and metabolic abnormalities associated with hepatic illness are caused or worsened by lipoprotein-induced changes in membrane lipid composition and function.

As a result, Desmodium velutinum may be a source of a pharmacologically active drug effective in the treatment of excessive blood cholesterol levels, with both liver-protective and nutritional benefits.