Abstract

The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic diseases in the liver is well documented. Kolaviron (KV), a biflavonoid complex from Garcinia kola seeds, possesses a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant. Our aim was to investigate in vivo whether KV may attenuate oxidative stress in liver of Wistar albino rats following chronic ethanol administration. Thirty-six male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into six groups. Toxicity was induced by administering 7.5% or 45% ethanol at 3 g/kg of body weight daily for 8 weeks. Rats were treated with KV at 200 mg/kg of body weight for the same duration. Treatment was by oral gavage. Integrity of liver was assessed by determining the levels of serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST, respectively) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The antioxidant status was monitored by determining the levels of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA), the end product of lipid peroxidation (LPO). Experimentally, chronic ethanol administration led to hepatotoxicity as evidenced by the increase in levels of serum ALT, AST, and ALP. Ethanol also enhanced the formation of MDA in the liver. Specifically, MDA was elevated by 70% and 98% in animals treated with 7.5% and 45% ethanol, respectively. Levels of hepatic SOD, CAT, GST, and GSH were significantly (P < .05) reduced by ethanol treatment. Co-administration of KV during ethanol treatment inhibited hepatic LPO and ameliorated SOD and GST activities. These findings demonstrated that KV could have a beneficial effect by inhibiting the oxidative damage in liver of Wistar rats caused by chronic ethanol administration.