Protective Effect of the Mixture of Stem bark, Leaf and Root Extract of Bauhinia acuminata L. against Carbon tetrachloride induced Liver Damage in Wistar Albino Rats

Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of mixture of stem bark, leaf and root extract of Bauhinia acuminata L. using carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity model. Method: Powdered mixture materials were extracted with distilled water using soxhlet apparatus. The dried extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical analysis and the extracts were evaluated for acute oral toxicity by OECD guidelines 423.The aqueous extract at a dose level 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg were selected and administered to albino rats for hepatoprotective screening. Hepatotoxicity was induced by Carbon tetrachloride (1 ml/kg with CMC). Silymarin (100 mg/kg p. o) was used as the standard. Result: The preliminary phytochemical examination showed the presence of Alkaloids, Glycosides, Saponins, Flavanoids, Tannins, Aminoacids, Tryptophan, Quinones, Terpinoids, Starch, Vitamin C and Carbohydrates. Furthermore, the acute toxicity study results showed that the extracts were found to be safe up to 2000 mg/kg b. wt. The extract dose dependently shows hepatoprotective potential by restoring the elevated biochemical parameters. Conclusion: The results obtained from the study indicates that mixture of stem bark, leaves and root extract of Bauhinia acuminata L. possess promising hepatoprotective activity. The activity might be due the presence of the phytoconstituents including Alkaloids, Glycosides, Saponins, Flavanoids, Tannins, Aminoacids, Carbohydrates Terpinoids, Starch, Vitamin C, Tryptophan and Quinones in the extract. Further studies are required to identify the active principle responsible for the hepatoprotective activity.