Evaluation of the Effect of Aloe barbadensis Root Extract on the Functional Indices of the Liver and Kidney of Male Wistar Rats

The effect of the ethanol extract of Aloe barbadensis root on selected serum biochemical parameters was investigated.Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly selected and administered 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract and 0.2ml/kg of distilled water (control) for 14 days. The results of the liver marker enzymes revealed that there were non-significant changes (p>0.05) in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels on days 1, 7 and 14 of treatment. The concentrations of other liver biomarkers (total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, albumin and total proteins) were also not significantly (p>0.05) altered. Selectively, on day 7, the concentration of total protein was significantly (p<0.05) different at all treated doses from the control. The extract had no significant (p>0.05) effect generally on the kidney's functional indices. At 100 and 200 mg/kg, selective alterations in some renal biomarkers (creatinine, urea, phosphorous and chloride) on different days of treatment were noticed. The results indicate that within the doses used in the study, the ethanol extract of A. barbadensis root is relatively non-toxic with no significant localized toxicity