CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The liver is the largest and most complex internal
organ in the body. It plays an important role in the maintenance of internal
environment through its multiple and diverse functions. Liver is involved in
several vital functions such as metabolism, secretion and storage. Hepatitis or
inflammatory disorder involves inflammation and change to the hepatocytes.
Hepatitis is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world. Every year 18,000
people had been reported to die due to liver cirrhosis caused by viral
hepatitis (Wang et al., 2008). Ectopic fat storage occurs in obesity,
particularly in the liver leading to a condition termed non alcoholic fatty
liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by varying degree of liver injury that
progresses from steatosis to tratohepatitis, fibrosis and necrosis. Due to its
prominent association with insulin resistance/obesity, NAFLD is regarded as the
hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Liver has great capacity to
detoxicate toxic substance and synthesizes useful principles. Therefore damage
to liver inflicted by hepatotoxic agents is of grave consequences. Experimental
studies have reported that animal fed a high fat diet (HFD) for more than two
months develop weight, hyperlipidemic, hyperglycemia, oxidative stress and
insulin resistance (IR). Besides, consumption of a calorie-rich diet results in
lipid accumulation, excess production of inflammatory cytokines and macrophage
infiltration that favours the
progression
of liver disease. Many medicinal plant/indigenous plant have been mentioned and
well established as hepatoprotective agents.
Desmodium velutinum is a medicinal
plant around the world. The extract of
Desmodium
velutinum showed significant anti-pyretic activity
on experimental rats used. Desmodium velutinum is
very rich in alkaloids and related amino compounds. It is a source of
flavonoid, saponins and pharmacological active agent useful in the treatment of
aches and pains. It also showed that one of the uses is for erectile enhancing
property. Desmodium velutinum being one of the important
medicinal plant in the world may have effect on the liver. However limited
studies are available on the effect of Desmodium velutinum
treatment on hepatoprotective effect of its extract on high fat diet fed
animal. In this regard, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect
of ethanol extract of Desmodium velutinum stem on liver function
tests on albino wistar rats fed with high fat from cow‟s brain related to
different hepatoprotective effect by comparing it to a known drug, atorvastatin
treatment which is used to lower the level of cholesterol in blood. Since
changes in the concentration and composition of plasma lipid and lipoproteins
occur frequently in liver disease, these findings may be useful in following the
clinical course of patient with liver diseases of various causes.
Liver
disease is associated with characteristic changes in the lipid composition of
the surface coat of plasma lipoprotein particles. Cholesterol accumulate as
hepatic
secretion
of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase decreases, such abnormal circulating
lipoproteins tend to induce corresponding changes in cell membrane lipid
composition. Studies in both human and experimental liver disease confirm that
this does occur and that it is wide-spread. Low density lipoproteins, which are
rich in cholesterol can also be taken up by the liver or extrahepatic tissues
by a receptor mediated endocytosis that specially recognizes apolipoproteins.
It can be predicted that extra hepatic membrane dysfunction might be a general
feature of severe liver disease. It is proposed that many of the cellular
disturbances and metabolic abnormalities accompanying hepatic disease result
from, or are exacerbated by lipoprotein induced changes in membrane lipid
composition and function. Hence
Desmodium
velutinum may be a source of a pharmacological
active agent useful in the treatment of high level cholesterol in
the blood which has got both liver protecting and nutritional value.
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