Protective effect of Asteracantha longifolia extract in mouse liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and paracetamol

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the protective effect of Asteracantha longifolia Linn (Acanthaceae) plant extract on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- and paracetamol-induced acute hepatotoxicity in mice. Hepatotoxicity was induced by the administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of CCl4 (0.5 mL kg(-1) CCl4 in olive oil) in one model and in the other by administration of paracetamol (300 mg kg(-1) in saline) orally, after a 16-h fast. An aqueous extract of the whole plant (0.9 g kg(-1)) was used on a pre- and post-treatment basis. Asteracantha reduced the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level by 69.32% (P < 0.001) and increased the liver reduced glutathione level by 64.65% (P < 0.001) in the pre-treated group, 4 days after the administration of CCl4. A similar pattern was observed in the pre-treated group 4 h after the administration of paracetamol with a reduction in serum levels of ALT, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase enzymes by 65.04, 55.79 and 45.75% respectively (P < 0.001). Plant extract also increased the glutathione concentration of the liver significantly (P < 0.001). Histopathological studies also provided supportive evidence for results from the biochemical analysis with marked improvement in liver architecture being observed in the Asteracantha-treated groups. Pre-treatment showed better results than post-treatment in both hepatotoxic models. Overall results indicate that the aqueous extract of Asteracantha longifolia possesses hepatoprotective effects on CCl4- and paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice.

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“…Although lipid peroxidation in APAP toxicity is controversial 46 , in our study, both Vetiveria pre treated and post treated groups showed reduced malondialdehyde formation in the liver cytosolic fraction. Similar results have been reported by previous studies 38,47,48 .…”

“…In previous studies it has been shown that the highest decrease in hepatic GSH concentration is shown 4 h after the administration of a toxic dose of APAP 38,39,40 . This led to the selection of the single point in time, 4 h, in this study.…”

Experimentally Induced Liver Cirrhosis with Ascites by Carbon Tetrachloride and Phenobarbital Sodium in Wistar Rats

“…Significantly (P<0.01) reduced activities of SOD, Catalase and GSH in group receiving CCl 4 (Gr II) point out the hepatic damage (Kazeem et al, 2011). Regarding non-enzymatic antioxidants, GSH has been considered as a critical determinant of tissue susceptibility to oxidative damage and the depletion of hepatic GSH has been associated with an enhanced toxicity to chemicals, including CCl 4 (Hewawasan et al, 2003). These reactive oxygen species can induce degenerative changes by oxidation of protein, peroxidation of lipids and damage to nucleic acids (Doelman and Bast, 1990).…”

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“…Epaltes divaricata are five Sri Lankan medicinal plants with proven hepatoprotective and antioxidative activity against carbon tetrachloride and paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity [4][5][6][7][8] .…”