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Abstract
Preventive and therapeutic activities of methanolic extract of Talinum triangulare leaves against ethanol-induced oxidative stress in wistar rats is the aim of this study. Fresh plants of T. triangulare were purchased at a local market in Orita-Challenge, Ibadan. The leaves were dried and extracted using soxhlet apparatus and methanol as the solvent. The methanol was evaporated in a rotary evaporator at 35 oC with a yield of 2.76 g which represents a percentage yield of 11.04%. Twenty Wistar rats with body weight between 120 and 150 g were used for this study. They were randomly divided into four groups of five rats each. Animals in groups A and B were administered saline solution while those in groups C and D were administered T. triangulare extract for twenty-one days. The animals were administered the extract and saline solution at a dose of 4 mL per 100 g body weight 12 hourly via oral route of administration. At the end of the treatment, they were fasted overnight and animals in groups B and D were exposed to a single dose of 70% ethanol at 12 ml/kg body weight to induce oxidative stress. After 12 hours of ethanol administration, the animals were anaesthetized using diethyl ether and were sacrificed. Liver was excised, weighed and homogenized in 50 mmol/L Tris–HCl buffer (pH 7.4) and then centrifuged at 5000 × g for 15 minutes for biochemical analysis. Supernatants were immediately kept frozen for further analysis. Ethanol-induced oxidative stress significantly increased the activities of AST, ALT, LDH, LPO, CAT, SOD and GPX but decreased GSH. These effects were regulated by T. triangulare administration. T. triangulare was able to remedy the effect of ethanol by regulating the oxidative stress biomarkers, thus possesses preventive and therapeutic potency against ethanol-induced oxidative stress and can protect the body against free radicals arising from oxidative stress.