Activity of Moringa Oleifera Lam on Liver Function and Histology in White Male Rats

Introduction: Moringa oleifera Lam has many pharmacological activities, such as immunostimulants. Aim: This study aims to determine the safety profile of repeated use and routine use of Moringa oleifera Lam on liver function and histology. Material and Method: This study used 36 male white rats as test animals. Moringa leaves were administered orally as standardised ethanol extract at doses of 7, 21, and 140 mg/kg BW for 21 days. The liver function observed was the activity of the ALT enzyme. On days 8, 15, and 22, three animals from each group had their blood collected through the orbital sinuses of the eyes and sacrificed to excise the livers. The parameters observed were ALT enzyme activity, liver ratio value, and histological damage of liver tissue. The two-way ANOVA was used to analyse the data of ALT enzyme activity and organ ratio values, followed by DMRT. In contrast, descriptive analysis was used to describe liver histological damage. Result: Test animals had no toxic symptoms or sudden death during the study. The results showed that ALT enzyme activity was significantly affected by the dose and duration of administration of the ethanol extract of Moringa leaves (p<0.05). However, on the organ ratio values, there were no significant effects of dose (p>0.05), but significantly affected by duration of administration (p<0.05). The liver histological descriptive analysis showed histological differences between the control and treatment groups. The 7 mg/kg BW and 21 mg/kg BW showed liver tissue with average to minimal damage. However, the dose groups at 140 mg/kg BW for 14 and 21 days showed changes in liver histology, although only minimal to mild impairment. Conclusion: It concluded that the administration of extract of Moringa oleifera Lam did not cause severe damage to the liver of white male rats.