The Effects of Bitter Kola Supplemented Diet on Hepatotoxicity of Mercury in Wistar Rats

The effect of bitter kola on the hepatotoxicity following mercury poisoning (mercuric chloride solution of 10ppm) was investigated in rats for a duration of six weeks. Thirty (30) acclimatized Wistar rats were divided into five groups(n=6).Group I served as control and were fed on normal rat chow and clean water ad libitum, group II received normal chow and mercury contaminated water (10ppm), group III animals were given clean water and 5% w/w bitter kola supplemented rat chow, group IV rats received bitter kola supplemented rat chow and mercury contaminated water, group V animals were placed for the first week of the experiment on mercury contaminated water and normal rat chow before substituting with clean water and bitter kola supplemented rat chow. Two (2) animals from each group were sacrificed at the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th week and blood collected by cardiac puncture before the liver was harvested .Serum Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase (GOT), Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (GPT) and hepatic content of Mercury (Hg) were determined by standard laboratory methods. The results (Mean ± SEM) showed that G kola supplemented diet significantly lowered the hepatic mercury content as well as limited the hepatotoxic effects of the heavy metal indirectly assessed by measurement of the serum levels of alkaline phosphatase and the transaminases.