Edible Solanum trilobatum chloroform extract modulates CCL4 induced toxic changes in rat liver by enhancing the antioxidant activity

Abstract

Liver diseases are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality all over world. Environmental chemicals and pesticides are one of the most common causative factors for liver injury. Since there are no reliable hepatoprotective drugs available, many plant extracts are frequently utilized to treat liver disease. Therefore, searching for effective and safe plant based drugs for liver disorders is a matter of interest. In this study, hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of the polyphenol rich chloroform extract of Solanum trilobatum (CST) was evaluated on CCl4 induced acute hepatotoxicity in Sprague Dawley rats. METHODS: Cytotoxic effect of CST on cancer cells as well as primary rat hepatocytes and proliferative effect on human peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) were evaluated in vitro. Animals were divided into 4 groups control group (received only normal saline), CCl4 group (received only CCl4 (2.0g/kg body weight), CST group (received 50 mg/kg and CCl4 (2.0g/kg body weight), CST group (received 100mg/kg and CCl4 (2.0g/kg body weight). After 14 consecutive days of treatment, the levels of hepatic biochemical markers, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, peroxidase and catalase activities were measured. The histopathological study of control and treated animals were also performed. RESULTS: Administration of CST prior to CCl4 was found to significantly inhibit the hepatotoxicity produced by CCl4 since CST restored the elevated activities of serum and liver marker enzymes and also enhanced the antioxidant enzyme levels. Histological changes caused by CCl4 were found to be significantly reversed by CST, which further confirms the dual effect of CST on CCl4-induced acute liver injury as a hepatoprotectant and antioxidant. CONCLUSIONS: The present study clearly demonstrates that CST contains therapeutic components which in combination/alone possess hepatoprotective and in vivo antioxidant effect.