Ameliorative Potential of Ethanol Leaves Extract of Parkia biglobosa on Acetaminophen-Induced Oxidative Stress in Albino Rats

Background and Objective: Traditional medicine uses the medicinal plant, Parkia biglobosa for the therapy of several diseases. Ethanol extract of Parkia biglobosa leaves’ ability to mitigate oxidative stress induced by acetaminophen was investigated. Materials and Methods: The 25 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 treatment group: Group I (distilled water alone), group II (500 mg/kg b.wt., of acetaminophen alone), groups III (500 mg/kg b.wt., of acetaminophen and 140 mg/kg Silymarin), group IV (500 mg/kg b.wt., of acetaminophen and 200 mg/kg of Parkia biglobosa leaves extract) and group V (500 mg/kg b.wt., of acetaminophen and 300 mg/kg of Parkia biglobosa leaves extract). The animals were sacrificed after 21 days and the liver was isolated and biochemically analysed. Results: A significant (p<0.05) decrease in (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) activities in the acetaminophen-treated group when compared to the normal control group, whereas the extract-treated groups exhibited a substantial (p<0.05) rise in the enzymes’ activities. In addition, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) showed a significant (p<0.05) elevation in group II, but was markedly (p<0.05) reduced in group IV and V upon extract administration. Acetaminophen treatment caused the body weight of the rats to significantly (p<0.05) decrease when compared to the control group, but extract administration in groups IV and V restored the body weights. Conclusion: Tha Parkia biglobosa exhibited a strong antioxidant effect by ameliorating liver damage caused by acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress and this pharmacological effect may be linked to its high amount of antioxidant compounds. Parkia biglobosa leaves need to be studied further to synthesize the bioactive compounds eliciting the antioxidant properties.