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African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines
African Ethnomedicines Network
ISSN: 0189-6016
Vol. 14, No. 5, 2017, pp. 31-40
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Bioline Code: tc17055
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, Vol. 14, No. 5, 2017, pp. 31-40
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ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ASTRAGALUS ECHINOPS AND ASTRAGALUS LOGOPODIOIDES ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS ON PARACETAMOL-INDUCED LIVER INJURY IN RATS
Foudah, Ahmed I.; Soliman, Gamal A.; Abdel-Rahman, Rehab F.; Alankuş- Çalışkan, Özgen & Yusufoglu, Hasan
Abstract
Background: Paracetamol (PCM) has an adequate safety profile when taken in normal doses. However, it could
produce oxidative stress with liver injury when taken in an overdose. Plants of Astragalus genus (F. Fabaceae) are of
wide-spread applications. Astragalus echinops (A. echinops) and Astragalus logopodioides (A. logopodioides) were
tested for their potential hepatoprotective activities against liver injury induced by PCM in rats.
Material and
Methods: Seven groups of rats were used for determination of hepatoprotective activities of the extracts.
The normal and hepatotoxic control groups received the vehicle while other groups were treated with silymarin (100
mg/ kg), A. echinops (250 and 500 mg/kg) and A. logopodioides (250 and 500 mg/ kg), respectively for seven days.
Liver injury was induced on the 5th day by oral dosing of PCM (2g/kg) to all rats except those in normal control group.
Moreover, the in vitro antioxidant activities of A. echinops and A. logopodioides extracts were tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging.
Results: Hepatic enzyme markers as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and
glutamyl transferase and level of total bilirubin were significantly elevated, while total protein and albumin were
declined significantly in PCM-exposed animals. The liver antioxidant markers like the activities of superoxide
dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase and the levels of reduced glutathione were significantly declined, while
hepatic malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased in PCM alone-treated rats. Administration of A. echinops
(250 and 500 mg/kg) and A. logopodioides (500 mg/ kg) extracts prior to PCM, significantly protected against the
elevation in the serum activities of hepatic enzymes and bilirubin and reduced oxidative stress. The hepatoprotective
effect of both extracts was further confirmed by histological findings in the liver tissue. In addition, both extracts
displayed in vitro antioxidant activities in a concentration-dependent way.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that both extracts protect the liver against oxidative damage and they could be used as
effective hepatoprotectives against PCM induced liver injury.
Keywords
Astragalus; Paracetamol; Hepatotoxicity; Hepatoprotective; DPPH; Antioxidant.
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