Protective Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Fruit of Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. on Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats. Patil Sushama D.*, Patil Leena, Kadam Vilasrao J. Department of Pharmacology, Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Pharmacy, Sector 8, C.B.D, Navi Mumbai 400614, Maharashtra, India *Corresponding Author E-mail: sushama1688@yahoo.in
Online published on 3 April, 2013. Abstract Oxidative damage is implicated in the pathogenesis of various liver injuries. The study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of fruit of Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced oxidative stress in female wistar rats. CCl4 injection induced oxidative stress by a significant rise in serum marker enzymes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with the reduction of antioxidant enzymes. In serum, the activities of enzymes like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were evaluated. Pre-treatment of rats with different doses of plant extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly lowered ALT, AST and TBARS levels against CCl4 treated rats. Hepatic enzymes like catalase and reduced glutathione were significantly increased by treatment with plant extract, against CCl4 treated rats. Histopathological examinations showed extensive liver injuries, characterized by extensive hepatocellular degeneration/necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, congestion, and sinusoidal dilatation. Oral administration of the fruit extract at a dose of 500mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the toxic effects of CCl4. The activity of fruit extract at the dose of 500 mg/kg was comparable to the standard drug, silymarin. Based on these results, it was observed that Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. fruit extract protects liver from oxidative stress induced by CCl4 and thus helps in evaluation of traditional claim on this plant. Top Keywords CCl4, oxidative damage, fruit of Luffa aegyptiaca Mill, serum enzyme markers, hepatoprotection. Top |