The Effect Of Gum Arabic Supplements On Sodium Valproate-Induced Hepatotoxicity In Rats

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder and it imposes a big burden on health care systems. It is treated mainly with drugs but surgery may be used for severe cases. Sodium valproate is widely used as a major drug in the treatmentof epilepsy, but the most serious adverse effect of chronic use is hepatotoxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Gum Arabic on sodium valproate-inducedhepatotoxicity in the rat, by following liver function during treatment. Twenty eight healthy rats weighing 80 – 160 g were divided into four groups and received treatment for 45 days. Group (A) was given sodium valproate orally at dose of 2.2 mg/kg body weight (B.wt) /rat/day. Group (B) was given sodium valproate 2.2 mg/kg body weight /rat/day and Gum Arabic 0.5 g/kg body weight (B.wt)/rat/day in drinking water simultaneously. Group (C) was given water and served as control for group (A). Group (D) received Gum Arabic at 0.5 mg/kg body weight (B.wt) /rat/day in drinking water. Alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, (ALP), total plasma proteins, albumin and total bilirubin were estimated with Roche Diagnostic/ Hitachi (902) system. The results showed that serum ALT and AST activities in group (A) receiving valproate increased significantly (P< 0.01) after 15 days, 30 days (P< 0.001) and 45days (P< 0.0001). Treatment with Gum Arabic in combination with valproate (group B) resulted in a significant increases inthe level of ALT and AST after 30 and 45 days compared to the control D (P