Effect of Cassava based diet on hepatic proteins in albino rats fed with crude oil contaminated diet

The study was carried out to ascertain the glucose effect of a cassava based diet (garri) on crude oil hepatotoxicity in albino rats by feeding diet contaminated with various concentrations of crude oil mixed with 20% gari to determine the protective effect of gari. The hepatic enzymes aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALK PHOS) activities with albumin, Total protein and liver /body weight were monitored in the animals. Gari feeding at 20% caused dose dependent reduction in enzymes activities (ALT, AST, GGT and ALKPHOS) with dose dependent increases in albumin and Protein in gari fed albino rats compared with Petroleum fed albino rats (P<0.05) suggesting that gari reversed the hepatotoxic effect of crude oil. Dose dependent increase in enzymes activities and dose dependent decrease in proteins was observed in petroleum fed rats compared with their controls (P<0.05). The study showed that ingestion of petroleum contaminated diet caused increase activities of liver enzymes namely ALKPHOS, AST, ALT and GGT and decreased Protein concentrations, an indicator of possible liver damage but supplementation of the diet with 20%Gari lowered the increased activities of ALKPHOS, AST, ALT and GGT observed in the Petroleum contaminated diet while increasing the Protein concentration. This study showed that feeding on gari diet reversed the liver damage caused by crude petroleum as evidenced by reduced release of liver enzymes through glucose effect.