Ijeoma Princess Nwafor^{1, 2} , Israel Ogwuche Ogra^{2, 3}, John Wassagwa², Emeka John Dingwoke², Nnamdi Okereke⁴

¹Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria; ²UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology, Nsukka 410001, Enugu State, Nigeria; ³Biological Institute, Tomsk State University, 36 Lenin Avenue, Tomsk, 634050, Russian Federation; ⁴School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lancashire, United Kingdom.

For correspondence:-  Ijeoma Nwafor   Email: princess.ijeoma05@gmail.com

Received: 21 July 2025        Accepted: 19 November 2025        Published: 30 November 2025

Citation: Nwafor IP, Ogra IO, Wassagwa J, Dingwoke EJ, Okereke N. Rauwolfia vomitoria leaves as a natural candidate for drug-induced liver injury management: A biochemical and toxicological analysis. Trop J Pharm Res 2025; 24(11):1403-1413 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v24i11.8

© 2025 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of Rauwolfia vomitoria ethanol leaf extract in a rat model of paracetamol-induced toxicity. Methods: Acute oral toxicity of paracetamol was determined using 18 rats divided into 6 groups and administered graded doses up to 5,000 mg/kg and the lethal dose (LD??) was determined. Thereafter, 24 adult male Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups (n = 6/group): Group 1 (distilled water, control; 2 mL/kg); Group 2 (hepatotoxic control, single oral paracetamol 2000 mg/kg on day 15); Group 3 (extract control, R. vomitoria 250 mg/kg, oral gavage, once daily for 14 days); Group 4 (extract pre-treatment, R. vomitoria 250 mg/kg, oral gavage, once daily for 14 days, followed by paracetamol 2000 mg/kg on day 15). Animals were sacrificed 24 h after paracetamol administration. Serum was analyzed for liver enzymes, renal markers, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines and serum proteins. Results: Paracetamol induced marked hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity (p < 0.001). Extract pretreatment (250 mg/kg) significantly attenuated paracetamol-induced elevations in serum alanine aminotransferase (66.9 %), aspartate aminotransferase (65.1 %) and alkaline phosphatase (51.5 %; p < 0.001), and lowered creatinine and urea (52.4 and 45.7 %, respectively; p < 0.001). Oxidative damage and pro-inflammatory cytokines were reduced by 42 – 46 % (p < 0.001). The extract alone did not produce any adverse changes when compared with control (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Prophylactic oral administration of Rauwolfia vomitoria ethanol leaf extract markedly mitigates single-dose paracetamol-induced liver and kidney injury. The effects are associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Further studies are needed to isolate and characterize its bioactive compounds for clinical applications.

Keywords: Rauwolfia vomitoria, Hepatotoxicity, Oxidative stress, Inflammatory cytokines, Liver enzymes, Nephroprotection

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)