Traditional healers combine four medicinal plants (Cochlospermum tinctorium, Terminalia macroptera, Leptadenia hastata and Commiphora Africana to treat hepatitis in Burkina Faso. The aimed was to evaluate the hepato-curative activity of lyophilized aqueous decoction (LAD) and hydroethanolic macerate (LHM) of plant extracts on CCl4-induced hepatitis in rats. We assessed the acute toxicity and scavenging activity of the 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Hepato-curative activity study included nine groups with five rats each. We used rats as followed: group 1 as neutral controls, group 2 as negative controls, and the other groups were experimental groups. Rats in groups 2-9 received a single dose (1 mL/kg) of CCl4 in intraperitoneal injection to induce hepatitis. We fed orally the rats for seven consecutive days with sylimarin in group 3, LAD and LHM respectively in groups 4-6 and groups 7-9 by 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg/day. This study revealed LAD and LHM had a LD50 2000 mg/kg and both showed radical-scavenging properties with IC50= 5.95 and 8.66 μg/mL respectively. All experimental rats regardless of the treatment group showed a significantly reduced plasma transaminases level as compared to negative controls. LAD and LHM at 400, 200 mg/kg significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Histologically, treated rats showed normal to almost normal liver in a dose-dependent manner as compared to the controls.
Conclusion: LAD and LHM decreased liver enzyme and allowed a dose-Dependent liver damage recovery after CCl4- induced hepatitis in rats.

Carbon tetrachloride; Medicinal plants; Hepato-curative; Liver enzymes; Burkina Faso