Background: Ricinus communis is widely used among the Nigerian populace in ethnomedicine
for the treatment of liver diseases. Aim of the Study: A comparative study was carried out to
evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of its n-hexane, chloroform, and methanol fractions using
carbon tetrachloride-(CCL4)-induced hepatotoxicity model. Materials and Methods: Thirty
Wistar rats were randomized as follows: Negative control Group 1 received Tween 80 and positive
Group 2 received CCL4 only. Treatment Groups (3, 4, and 5) received CCl4 + N-hexane, chloroform,
and methanol fractions, 100 mg/kg, respectively. Standard reference, Group 6, received CCl4 +
Silymarin, 100 mg/kg. The animals were treated for 7 consecutive days and hepatotoxicity was
induced in Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 by a single oral administration of CCL4 (2 mL/kg). Thereafter,
blood samples were collected for assay of hematological parameters and liver enzymes (aspartate
aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]). Results: There were significant
decrease (P < 0.05) in serum AST/ALT levels of animals treated with chloroform fraction
(50.00 ± 6.01 μ/L/21.40 ± 0.98 μ/L) and methanol fraction (51.25 ± 2.88 μ/L/24.80 ± 1.52 μ/L).
The chloroform fraction produced a better improvement in hematological parameters when
compared with other treatment groups. Photomicrograph showed near-normal structural liver
integrity of the rats administered chloroform fraction. Conclusions: This study validates the
usefulness of R. communis in the treatment of hematological disorders in patients with hepatic
disorders. The chloroform fraction could be a promising fraction for further investigation and
characterization of hepatoprotective compound(s).