Evaluation of phytochemical contents and hepatoprotective effect of Physalis angulata L. methanol extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against paracetamol-induced liver injury in rats
Physalis angulata is a herbaceous plant whose leaves have been used for treating liver and other diseases in Nigeria's traditional medicine. This study aims to evaluate the phytochemical contents and hepatoprotective effect of the leaf extract against paracetamol-induced liver injury in Wistar rats. Phytochemical analysis was carried out following standard procedures. The bioactive compounds and mineral elements present were analyzed by GC-MS and AAS apparatus respectively. Free radical scavenging activity was determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays while total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride colorimetry assays respectively. Chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by a spraying-drying technique using glutaraldehyde a cross-linking agent and characterized in terms of FTIR analysis, % yield, particle size, % drug entrapment, in vitro drug release, swelling index, and drug kinetics. Liver injury was induced in groups of rats weighing between 100 and 200 g using paracetamol. Liver function and biochemical parameters such as serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), bilirubin (BIL), creatinine, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin, globulin and total protein (TP) were determined using automated methods while body weight and liver weight were also determined with standard liver-protective agents. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the methanol leaf extract revealed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, fats/oils, tannins, triterpenes and steroids while the GC-MS revealed bioactive compounds such as phytol, 2-cyclopenten-1-one-2-methyl, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stigmasterol, acetamide, and some fatty acid derivatives. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 880.56 ± 2.01 mg GAE/100 g and 299.18 ± 1.02 mg RE/100 g, respectively. Antioxidant effects showed DPPH activity with IC50 value of 3.06 ± 0.01 μg/mL ABTS radical scavenging activity IC50 value of 6.12 ± 0.01 μg/mL. The formulated extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CSPA) produced 56.12% yield, 225.02 nm size, 82.42% entrapment, 66.34% swelling index, 96.12% cumulative drug release and first-order kinetics. The extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles caused a significant decrease in the values of serum biomarkers in paracetamol-induced liver injury in rats in treated groups which were comparable to the control (p<0.05). Photomicrographs of liver sections showed that the extract displayed potential degrees of protection to the liver as no histopathological damages were observed in the group treated with high doses of crude extract and extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles. The study showed that Physalis angulata extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles possess a hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol-induced liver injury in Wistar rats. The study further justified the use of P. angulata leaf extract to treat liver injury in traditional medicine in Nigeria.
Keywords: Chitosan nanoparticles, hepatoprotective, Physalis angulata, phytochemical analysis, serum biomarkers.
*Correspondence: doccletus@yahoo.com, 08036985667
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