Medicinal plants with hepatoprotective potentials against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity: a review

Abstract

Abstract Background Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a well-characterized hepatotoxic agent. With rising cases of liver diseases, the identification, assessment, and development of hepatoprotective agents from plants source has become imperative. Main body With arrays of literature on plants with hepatoprotective potentials, this review sourced published literatures between 1998 and 2020 and systematically highlighted about 92 medicinal plants that have been reported to protect against CCl4-induced liver injury in animal models. The results show that herbal plants provide protection for the liver against CCl4 by downregulation of the liver marker enzymes and activation of antioxidant capacity of the liver cells with the restoration of liver architecture. We also provided the traditional and accompanying pharmacological uses of the plants. A variety of phytochemicals mostly flavonoids and polyphenols compounds were suggested to offer protection against liver injuries. Conclusion It can be concluded that there are a variety of phytochemicals in plant products with hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced toxicity in animal models.