Effect of chloroform extract of traditional Dicranopteris linearis leaves against paracetamol- and CCl₄-induced liver toxicity in rats

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective activity of the chloroform extract of D. linearis leaves (CEDL) using the paracetamol (PCM)-and carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4)-induced liver injury models in rats. The rats received dH 2 O (negative control), 200 mg/kg of silymarin (positive control) or CEDL (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg) orally once daily for 7 days and then were subjected to the hepatotoxic induction on the 7 th day. The samples (i.e. blood and liver) were collected and underwent biochemical and microscopical analysis, respectively. From the data obtained, both inducers caused significant (p < 0.05) increase in the levels of AST and ALT when compared to the control group, which were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by CEDL in a generally dose-dependent manner. These biochemical findings were supported by the histopathological analysis and histological scoring. In conclusion, CEDL possesses potential hepatoprotective activity, which could be associated with its flavonoid and tannin contents with the mechanisms of hepatoprotection linked to either its antioxidant or anti-inflammtory /immunomodulating activities. Further in-depth studies are required to identify the responsible bioactive compound.

Aqueous Partition of Methanolic Extract of Dicranopteris linearis Leaves Protects against Liver Damage Induced by Paracetamol

“…Although not many traditional uses of this plant were recorded in Malay folklore medicine, its leaves were used as tonic or poultice to reduce body temperature [15,16]. Scientifically, D. linearis extracts have been reported to exert antinociceptive [15,16,18], antipyretic [16], anticancer [19,20], cytotoxic [17], hepatoprotective [21][22][23][24][25], and chemopreventive [26] activities. With regard to the hepatoprotective activity of D. linearis, preliminary studies using the chloroform, aqueous and methanol extracts of D. linearis leaf have successfully proven these extracts ability to attenuate PCM-and carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity [21,22,24].…”

“…Scientifically, D. linearis extracts have been reported to exert antinociceptive [15,16,18], antipyretic [16], anticancer [19,20], cytotoxic [17], hepatoprotective [21][22][23][24][25], and chemopreventive [26] activities. With regard to the hepatoprotective activity of D. linearis, preliminary studies using the chloroform, aqueous and methanol extracts of D. linearis leaf have successfully proven these extracts ability to attenuate PCM-and carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity [21,22,24]. Further analyses by Kamisan et al [23] revealed that the methanol extract of D. linearis leaf (MEDL) possessed remarkable antioxidant activity when assessed using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-and superoxide anion-radical scavenging assays, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test and contained high total phenolic content (TPC) value, while Zakaria et al [25] successfully demonstrated the ability of MEDL to enhance the endogenous antioxidant activity in PCM-induced hepatotoxic rats.…”