Evidence of Hepato-Curative Potentials of Millettia aboensis in Salmonella typhi infected Wistar Rats

Typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype typhi, a foremost public health predicament in developing countries. This study investigated hepatotoxicological changes associated with Salmonella typhi infection in Wistar rats and the potential of ethanol root extract of Millettia aboensis (EREMA) to reverse these changes. 51 animals were divided into six groups: group 1 was normal control with no treatment but were given feed and water ad libitum, group 2 was infected with Salmonella typhi without treatment (negative control), group 3, 4 and 5 were Salmonella typhi infected and treated with 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of the extract respectively, and group 6 was infected and treated with 7.14mg/kg of ciprofloxacin. The animals were inoculated with a single infectious dose of Salmonella typhi bacterium (2.0 x 10 8 cfu/ml) and were subsequently treated with the graded doses of the extract and 7.14mg/kg of ciprofloxacin for a period of fifteen days. The rats were humanely sacrificed using diethyl ether anesthesia and blood samples taken for liver function investigation including [aspartate aminotransferase (AST) alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB), Albumin, conjugate bilirubin (CB) and total protein (TP)] and liver harvested and processed for histological assessment. Inoculation with S. typhi caused significant increase in all the liver function parameters and different degrees of damages to the liver cells. These were all reversed on treatment with ethanol root extract of Millettia aboensis. Thus the extract exhibited both anti-Salmonella typhi as well as hepato-curative potentials on the Kuffer cells.