Cardiac Oxidative Status in CCl 4 -Exposed Rats Treated with Extracts of Dialium guineense Stem Bark
The present study investigated cardiac oxidative status in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-exposed rats treated with aqueous and ethanol extracts of Dialium guineense stem bark. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 25) weighing 170 – 190 g (mean weight = 180 ± 10 g) were randomly assigned to five groups (5 rats per group): normal control, CCl4 control, silymarin, aqueous extract and ethanol extract groups. With the exception of normal control, the rats were exposed to CCl4 at a single oral dose of 1.0 mL/kg body weight, bwt. Rats in the silymarin group were administered silymarin (standard cardioprotective drug) at a dose of 100 mg/kg bwt, while those in the two treatment groups received 1000 mg/kg bwt of aqueous or ethanol extract orally for 28 days. Activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) were evaluated in heart homogenate. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the concentrations of cardiac total protein (TP) among the groups (p>0.05). The activities of the antioxidant enzymes and level of reduced glutathione (GSH) were significantly lower in CCl4 control group than in normal control group, but they were increased by extract treatment (p<0.05). However, the level of cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA) increased by CCl4 intoxication was significantly reduced after treatment (p<0.05). These results indicate that aqueous and ethanol extracts of D. guineense stem bark may enhance antioxidant defense in rats hearts exposed to CCl4.
