Influence of Oral Administration of Peppermint Tea on Biochemical and Histological Markers of the Liver of Wistar Rats

Abstract

Reports have linked the consumption of peppermint tea to improve liver cell functioning and the consumption of peppermint tea has been on the increase. The aim of this experiment was to assess the influence of the oral administration of peppermint tea on the liver of Wistar rats using biochemical and histological findings. 20 male Wistar albino rats were grouped into 4, consisting of 5 rats in each group. They were given 10mg/kg b.wt, 30mg/kg b.wt and 50mg/kg b.wt concentration of peppermint tea in tap water for 4 weeks. The first group was on normal diet and received tap water instead of tea. Their blood samples were analyzed for alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase,albumin, glucose and lactate dehydrogenase. The liver tissues were also processed for histological examination. The liver tissues were essentially normal and similar to the control tissues. The biochemical parameters studied were also normal and similar to the results obtained from the control animals. The consumption of peppermint tea days has no effect on the liver biomarkers and the histology of the liver of Wistar rats which confirmed the safety in the consumption of the studied.

Keywords: Peppermint, Tea, Wistar rats, Liver