The Efficacy of Some Common Vegetables in Ameliorating the Impact of Cement Dust Selected Enzymes in Wild and Laboratory Rats.

Cement dust poses a great problem to humans and the environment as a result of constant emission of dust and gas from cement facility. Exposure to cement dust could cause myriad of diseases including multi‐organ damage. Therefore, the effect of some food plants on the hepatic and antioxidant enzymes were investigated. The phytoconstituents from Hibiscus sabdariffa, Moringa oleifera, Zingiber officinale, Telfairia Occidentalis were extracted with 95% ethanol. Two sets of rats referred to as the wild rats collected from the vicinity of the cement factory and normal laboratory rats Rattus norvegicus were used for the study. They were distributed into six groups each. Different plants extract and a mixture of all the plants extract were administered to the rats at a dose of 200 mg kg −1 for 180 days. The results showed that there were significant decreases in the levels of ALT, AST and ALP of both the wild and laboratory rats that received all the plant extracts compared to the negative control that received no extract. However, the highest decrease in enzyme activity was observed in the rats the received the mixture of all the extracts followed by the rats that received only Zingiber officinale. The activity of GST in some of the extract treated rats was elevated compared control. The study affirms that these plants have a positive influence on the hepatic and antioxidant enzyme of rats in cement polluted environments.