There is increasing widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of psychiatric symptoms and disorders worldwide. Kava extract is a useful herbal medicine for treatment of insomnia and anxiety. However, a number of case reports have raised serious concerns about kava’s safety regarding liver toxicity. On the basis of these reports, regulatory agencies have banned or restricted sale of kava products in many countries, but not Egypt. Because herbal products are marketed as dietary supplements as well as drugs, they are not subjected to rigorous experimental testing for safety and efficacy. Hence, the present experimental study was conducted to examine the putative hepatotoxic effect of prolonged administration of commercially kava extract drug on albino rats for 60 days through evaluations of liver function tests as well as hepatic structural and ultrastructural morphological changes. Thirty adult male rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups; 10 rats each. Group 1 (negative control group) rats were kept in the same environment without handling. Group 2 (vehicle group) rats were gavaged with 1.5 ml of corn oil. Group 3 (kava group) rats received 2 g/kg (600 mg kavalactones) of commercial kava powder inside the capsule in 1.5 ml corn oil orally. The anesthetized animals were sacrificed after blood collection and dissected, livers were prepared for light and electron microscopic examinations. Results from kava treated rats showed significant reduction in their final body weights accompanied with significant increase in both absolute and relative liver weight. Analysis of sera from kava group depicted significant elevations in gamma-glutamyl transferase, aspartate transaminase, alanin transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and calculated globulin levels associated with significant decrease in total protein, albumin, and Albumin/Globulin ratio in comparison to control values. These biochemical alterations were confirmed by the presence of different morphological and ultrastructural changes in examined liver sections. These potential hepatotoxic effects of kava should be taken into considerations with close monitoring of liver function tests at frequent intervals during drug use for long time. |
