International Journal of Medicine Research

Authors
Ekam VS, Ukpanukpong RU, Ihe SO, Odio SB, Ekam NV

Abstract
In this study, serum liver enzymes were assessed in malaria induced wistar rats treated with the crude extract of Artemisia annua and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). Twenty four (24) rats used were divided into four (4) groups of six rats each weighing between 180 – 220g. Group 1 (control) and 2 (malaria untreated) received 1ml of distilled water while group 3 (ACT treated) and 4 (A. annua treated) received 1.43mg/kg and 300mg/kg of ACT and A. annua extracts respectively. Treatment was administered twice a day for three consecutive days, after which blood was taken through cardiac puncture into treated sample bottles for analysis. The results for the liver enzymes showed that there was a significant increase (P<0.05) in AST levels of all the experimental groups when compared with the control, however ALT levels showed no significant changes (P>0.05) when compared with the control. The serum ALT levels of both the malaria untreated (86.83±1.42) and A. annua treated group (91.67±1.43) were significantly lower (P<0.05) when compared with the control group (107.00±1.53), while that of the ACT treated group (127.33±2.04) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the control.