CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Liver is the largest and most complex internal organ in the body. It plays

an important role in the maintenance of internal environment through its

multiple and diverse functions. Liver is involved in several vital functions such

as metabolism secretion and storage. Hepatitis or inflammatory disorder

involves inflammation and damage to the hepatocytes. Hepatitis is one of the

most prevalent diseases in the world. Every year 18000 people had been

reported to die due to liver cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis [L] Ectopic fat

storage occurs in obesity particularly in the liver leading to a condition termed

nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] characterized by varying degree of

liver injury that progresses from steatosis to tratohepatitis fibrosis and necrosis

Due to its prominent association with IR (insulin resistance). Obesity NAFLD

is regarded as the hepatic manifestation of metabolite [3] syndrome. Liver has

great capacity to detoxicate toxic substances.

Kola pod is the traditional health food around the world. Kola pod Husk

meal is the residue after grinding the pod of kola and filtration and it is an

excellent source in slightly high in fiber (16.74%) low in crude protein

(9.98%) moderate NFE (42.391) and metabolizable energy 2497 kcal/kg and

ash content is relatively high. (13.26%). when companied with the values

reported by (Oluokun 1999) ;(Hamzat and Babatunde 2001). These

differences might be due to varietals differenced and shelf life of the test

ingredient before analysis. However the crude protein content fairly put kola

pod husk meal (KPHM) with feed ingredients like Sorghum while the fibre

content put it in same proximate composition with Bremer‘s grains. Kola pod

being one of the important pods for medical treatment in the world. The kola

pod husk provides some essential materials for doth drying. The pod bark

when mixed with some ingredients is used in traditional medicine to reduce

Labour pains. The bark is used in treating swellings and fresh wounds. The

roots provide excellent chewing sticks for cleaning the teeth and the wood is

used in local carvings coachwork and boatbuilding.

Lipid refers to the different kind of fats present in the bodies of human plasma

include triglyceride (TG) phospholipids (PL) cholesterol esters (CE) and free

cholesterol (FC) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA. Each lipid plays a

different role in our bodies yet all of them except free cholesterol (FC) contain

esters of long chain fatty acid in their structures. Lipids are insoluble in

plasma due to their non- polar structures thus; they need some carriers that are

soluble in polar and non- polar environment. Lipids are packaged and carried

in the form of lipoprotein which is a molecule that contains both protein (i.e.

apolipoprotein) and lipids.

Statins (lipitor) are group of drugs approved for their Cholesterol

reduction properties and are commonly used to treat atherosclerosis and

coronary artery disease. These drugs inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl

Coenzyme A (HMG-COA) reductase. The rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol

biosynthesis; which converts HMG.CoA to mevalonate. Apart from

cholesterol mevalonate is also the substrate for the synthesis of nonsteroid

isoprenoids such as coenzyme Q. Depletion of these isoprenoids results in the

so called plelotropic effects of statins which are independent of cholesterol.

Lowering effect.These plelotropic effects of anti-inflammatory anti-apoptotic

and ant-proliferative effect. In addition data from experimental and

observational studies indicated that statins have neuroprotective effects and be

a treatment option for neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous

system and the ocular structures particularly the retina (schemer 2007). Statins

(Atorvastatin) is widely used in the treatment of hepatic diseases. They have

been widely used in chinning proactive as cholesterol lowering agents to

reduce mobility and mortality from coronary artery diseases. It also has an

effect in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple

sclerosis.

However limited studies are available on the effect of kola pod husk meal

treatment on hepatoprotective effect in high fat diet fed animal in this regard

the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of kola pod meal on high-

fat fed rats related to different hepatoprotective effect by comparing Lipitor

Treatment.