Assessment of hepatoprotective effect of extracts of Alstonia boonei leaf in isoniazid and rifampicin co-treated rats

Anti-tuberculosis drugs, rifampicin and isoniazid, in their mode of action can generate toxic reactive metabolites upon oxidative bio-activation of the parent compound by the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system leading to liver injury. Currently, there is increased awareness of the benefits in the use of medicinal plants in the management of various oxidative stress-related diseases. This study therefore evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Alstonia boonei leaf in rats co-treated with isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF). Sets of albino Wistar rats were placed into eight groups. The animals in each group (except the normal control) were orally co-treated with isoniazid (200mg/Kg) and rifampicin (200mg/Kg).The results revealed that the INH+RIF co-treated rats significantly (p<0.05) increased the activities of liver function enzymes (ALT, AST and ALP) when compared with the normal control. There were significantly high levels (p