Journal of Natural Sciences Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3186 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0921 (Online) Vol.7, No.22, 2017 16 Effects of Aqueous and Chloroform Stem Bark Extracts of Alstonia boonei on Liver Function Indices of Plasmodium Berghei Induced Albino Mice A. J. Alhassan 1 * A.I. Kiru 1 M. A. Dangambo 1 A.M. Gadanya 1 A. A. Imam 1 I. U. Muhammad 1 A. B. El- ta’alu 2 A. Mohammed 3 1.Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Bayero University, P. M. B. 3011, Kano, Nigeria 2.Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Science, Bayero University, P.M.B. 3011, Kano, Nigeria 3.Department of Biochemistry, College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria Abstract In a preliminary research, authors reported that solvents extracts of Alstonia boonei possess strong antimalarial activity against NK-65 Chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei infected mice with aqueous extract having the highest decrease in mean percentage parasitaemia. This research was therefore aimed at evaluating the effects of most active stem bark extracts (aqueous and chloroform) of Alstonia boonei on liver function indices of Plasmodium Berghei-induced mice. A total of 42 albino mice were inoculated with Plasmodium berghei and left for 7 days for optimum parasitaemia development after which they were screened for malarial parasites using thin blood film. They were then randomly divided into 7 groups of 6 mice per cage. Group 1 served as normal control, Groups 2 served as negative control (malaria infected but untreated), group 3 were administered with Chloroquine, groups 4 and 5 animals were administered with aqueous extract at a dose of 150 and 250mgkg-1 per day for four weeks, Groups 6 and 7 animals were administered with chloroform extract at a dose of 150 and 200mgkg-1 per day for four weeks. On the 29th day, the mice were euthanized and blood sample was collected and centrifuged for analysis of Liver function indices (AST, ALT, ALP, DB, TB, TP and ALB), the animals were dissected and liver tissues were collected for histological analysis. A significant (p<0.05) increase in mean serum of ALT, AST, ALP, and total bilirubin was observed in both negative and positive control compared to normal control. On the other hand, a significant (p<0.05) decrease in mean serum of ALT, AST, ALP and total bilirubin was seen in extracts administered groups compared to negative control. Histopathological examination of the liver showed unremarkable liver architecture with a vein containing red blood cells and some malarial pigments and parasites in infected but untreated group (negative control) while no malarial pigment or parasite was seen in either the normal control group or groups administered with extracts, confirming the antimalarial activity of the plant extract. Keywords: Alstonia boonei, toxicity, malaria, liver Function Indices and histopathology. 1. Introduction Liver is the largest and heaviest internal organ of the body weighting about 1.4 – 1.6 kg, it is a soft, reddish-brown triangular organ with two lobes, averaging about the size of an American football in adults (Guyton and Hall, 1996). Liver performs more than 500 different functions which includes fats, proteins and carbohydrates metabolism. The liver also metabolizes all drugs and other foreign bodies hence, plays a major role in homeostasis (Tortora and Grabowski, 2011). Malaria is a disease caused by injection of plasmodium parasite into the human body due to bite of certain species of female anopheles mosquitoes. The infective forms (sporozoites) of one or more of at least four different species of plasmodium invade the liver and subsequently red blood cells giving rise to periodic shivering, pyrexia and sweating (WHO, 2014). Malaria infection develops via two phases: One that involves the liver (exo - erythrocytic phase) and another that involves red blood cells (erythrocytic phase). The liver is an important organ involved during the hepatic stage of the malaria parasite’s life cycle. When an infected mosquito pierces a person’s skin to take a blood meal, sporozoites in the mosquito’s saliva enter the bloodstream and migrate to the liver where they infect hepatocytes. There the sporozoites multiply asexually and asymptomatically for a period of 8 – 30 days and develop into merozoites. The merozoites rupture their host cells and are then released into the circulation and enter the erythrocytic stage. In the erythrocytic stage, parasitized red blood cells (PRBCs) become sequestered in small blood vessels. The degraded hemozoin pigment is then engulfed by local tissue macrophages such as kupffer cells and alveolar macrophages (Parnpen et al., 2014). Common histopathological findings of the liver in Plasmodium falciparium malaria include reactive kupffer cells, retention of hemozoin pigment and minimal PRBC sequestration. Malaria is the most important of all the tropical diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality. The global tally of malaria in 2015 was 212 million new cases and 429 000 deaths (WHO, 2016). Across Africa, millions of people still lack access to the tools they need to prevent and treat the disease. Funding shortfalls and fragile health systems brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals