Synergistic Hepatoprotective and Renoprotective Effect of Methanolic Extracts of Ocimum Gratissimum and Vernonia Amygdalina Against Ccl4-Induced Liver Damage in Wistar Rats

The present study assessed the synergistic hepatoprotective and renoprotective properties of methanolic extracts of Ocimum gratissimum and Vernonia amygdalina leaves (MEOGVAL) against CCl4-induced-toxicity in experimental rats. Thirty rats grouped into six of five rats each were used for the study. Group 1 served as normal control while group 2 was induced with CCL4 without treatment. Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 were pretreated with 100 mg/kg b.w. of silymarin, 400 mg/kg b.w. of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract, 400 mg/kg b.w. of Ocimum gratissimum leaf extract and 400 mg/kg b.w. of mixtures of Vernonia amygdalina and Ocimum gratissimum extracts respectively for 14 days prior to CCL4-induction. The result revealed that both MEOGVAL were rich in phytochemicals. Pretreatment with V. amygdalina and O. gratissimum extracts significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the activities of liver enzyme markers (ALT and AST) compared to group 2. Pretreatment of the animals with the extracts significantly (p<0.05) reduced the malondialdehyde concentrations with a corresponding increase in superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities of groups 4-6 compared to group 2. In conclusion, the present study revealed that both MEOGVAL when used together possess synergistic effect against CCL4-induced toxicity in rats which could be attributed to their rich bioactive components.