Hepatoprotective effect of Cymbopogon citratus essential oils against nevirapine-induced hepatic damage in Wistar albino rats

Background: The use of nevirapine in the management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections is greatly limited by its fatal hepatotoxicity. In sub-Saharan African, traditional medicine involving use of plant materials has been proposed to counteract liver damage, albeit with no scientific evidence. The aim of the present study was to determine the hepatoprotective effect of Cymbopogon citratus essential oils against nevirapine-induced hepatic oxidative damage in Wistar albino rats.Materials and Methods: Five groups of rats received a daily oral dose of 36mg/kg nevirapine for 4 consecutive weeks. After 15 minutes, rats in three of the groups were given 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil extract. The positive control group received nevirapine and 200mg/kg of silymarin while the normal control group received only 2ml of distilled water. Blood was used to determine the levels of liver function parameters and liver sections were used for histological studies.Results: The results revealed that oral administration of nevirapine (36mg/kg b.w. p.o) for 4 weeks significantly (P<0.05) increased levels of serum hepatic function parameters with marked tissue damage in the nevirapine group as compared to the normal control. Rats that were co-treated with nevirapine and Cymbopogon citratus essential oils showed a dosedependent improvement in liver architecture and liver serum biochemistry to levels comparable to those of the positive and normal control groups.Conclusion: Our results show that Cymbopogon citratus essential oils have a protective effect against nevirapine-induced alterations in liver biochemistry and hepatic tissue damage.Keywords: nevirapine, Cymbopogon citratus, hepatotoxicity, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV