Background: Liver diseases including chronic hepatitis, steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer are now a public health problem. In 2002, cirrhosis accounted for 27.63% of hepatobiliary diseases in Burkina Faso. In Africa and more particularly in Burkina Faso, the majority of the population (about 80%) uses medicinal plants for their primary health care. Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br (Apocynaceae) is a medicinal plant used in Burkina Faso in the treatment of liver problems. This work aims to evaluate the anti-fibrotic prop- erties of Calotropis procera roots barks. Methods: The anti-fibrotic activity of the ethanolic extract of Calotropis procera roots barks was evaluated using diethylnitrosamine (DEN) to induce liver fibrosis in male Wistar rats. Serum biomarkers, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alka- line phosphatase (ALP), Total protein, Albumin, Υ-Glutamyl transferase (GGT) were evaluated and the activities of antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismu- tase and catalase) as well as the level of malonedialdehyde (MDA) and that of nitric oxide (NO) were determined in the liver homogenate. Results: The treatment of rats suffering from hepatic fibrosis with the ethanolic extract leads to a significant restoration of the biomarkers of the hepatic function in particular, AST, ALP, GGT, Albumin. The extract also causes a reduction in oxidative stress in the liver through a significant increase in the activity rate of the antioxidant enzymes Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase ac- companied by a significant drop in the rate of MDA and NO suggesting the anti-oxidant effect of extract. Conclusion: The results of the study show thatthe ethanolic extract of the roots barks of Calotropis procera has anti-fibrotic properties.
Keywords: Hepatic Fibrosis, Calotropis procera, Anti-Fibrotic Properties, Burkina Faso

Hepatic Fibrosis, Calotropis procera, Anti-Fibrotic Properties