Assessment of Some Biochemical Changes in Wistar Rats Following Administration of Three Polyherbal Preparations Repurposed for COVID-19
Kennedy Iliya Amagon *
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Bukata Bayero Bukar
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Jacob Adegboyega Kolawole
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. andDepartment of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Kakjing Dadul Falang
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Ukpe Ajima
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
James Garba Damen
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Yusuf Amuda Agabi
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Virology Unit, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
Richard Joseph Kutshik
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
Ishaya Yohanna Longdet
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
Simji Samuel Gomerep
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
Ismaila Shittu
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Stephen Daniel Davou
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Plateau State Ministry of Health, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Noel Nen’man Wannang
Plateau State Research Committee on Covid-19 and Other Infectious Diseases, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background and Aims: The current pandemic known as Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a significant public health menace. Currently, there is no specific treatment for this disease, although some medicinal agents are under investigation. Some published articles have reported Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) involvement in other organs, including the liver and kidneys, which can impair the metabolism and excretion of the medications taken to treat the disease. This study evaluated the effects of 3 herbal mixtures on some biochemical parameters of the liver and kidney of laboratory animals.
Methods: Liver enzymes such as serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin and total serum protein were quantified. Urea, creatinine and bilirubin (total and direct) were also evaluated. These parameters were determined for all three polyherbal combinations (CoV Pla-1, CoV Pla-2, CoV Pla-3).
Results: The extracts did not produce any mortality up to 5000 mg/kg per oral. Results showed that the polyherbal extracts (CoV Pla-1, CoV Pla-2 CoV Pla-3) did not cause any significant changes in ALT, AST, ALP, compared to control. The mean values of urea showed an insignificant (P>0.05) decrease across all test doses in the three extracts, compared to the control. In the current study, the mean creatinine concentration showed slight decrease across all three extracts. Total protein was observed to be lower in CoV Pla-1 and CoV Pla-2, and increased in CoV Pla-3, though these changes were not statistically significant. Serum albumin decreased at the low and intermediate doses for the three polyherbal extracts in an insignificant manner compared to control.
Conclusion: The results obtained in this study indicate that the extracts did not cause significant changes in biochemical parameters evaluated and support their use in the treatment of Covid-19.
Keywords: Covid-19, polyherbal combinations, SARS CoV-2, serum enzymes.