Acalyphawilkesiana ‘inferno’hydroethanolicleafextracthas protectiveeffectoncarbontetrachloride-inducedsubacute toxicityinanimals

Abstract
Introduction: Liverfibrosisisoneofthemostcommonclinicalmanifestationsofhepaticdiseases. However, though many synthetic drugs exist for the treatment and prevention of liver diseases, liver injuries still persist. The present study, therefore, sought to investigate the subacute protective effects of Acalphyawilkesiana against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced toxicity in animals. Methodology: Liver injury was induced in experimental animals by administering CCl4 (1:1 v/v in olive oil, intraperitoneally (i.p.), twice weekly for 8 weeks) after pre-treatment with extract of A. wilkesiana(AWE).AWE(250mg/kg)andSilymarin(120mg/kg)wereadministeredorally(dailyfor8 weeks). Thehepatoprotectiveeffectwasstudiedbyassayingtheactivityofliverenzymes,suchas alanineaminotransferase(ALT),aspartateaminotransferase(AST),alkalinephosphatase(ALP),and alpha-fetoprotein. Theeffectofthetreatmentsonliverprooxidants(e.g. malondialdehyde[MDA]) andantioxidants(e.g. superoxidedismutase[SOD],reducedglutathione[GSH],glutathioneperoxidase [GPx], and glutathione transferase [GST]), as well as inflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin [IL]-17, IL-23, nuclear factor kappa beta [NF-kB], and cycloxygenase-1 [COX-1]) and the histology of the liver were also examined. Results: The activity of liver function biomarkers changed significantly upon CCl4 administration; increases in ALT, total and direct bilirubin, and some fibrosis indices (e.g. alpha-fetoprotein and APRI [p<0.05-0.001, compared with normal]) were observed. Co-administration of AWE with CCl4 restored these to normal levels. The intensity of structural alterations revealed that the AWE treatment has protective potential against subacute liver injury. AWEtreatmentalsoreducedtheexpressionofIL-17,1L-23,NF-kBandCOX-1,underscoringitsantiinflammatory properties. Conclusion: The results of the current study generally suggest that hydroethanolicleafextractsofA.wilkesianainfernopossesssomesubacuteprotectiveactivitybyimproving liver function and inhibition of inflammation, and could be developed as a potent antifibroticagent.
Description
This article is published in Biomedical Research and Therapy and also available at DOI : 10.15419/bmrat.v7i5.605
Keywords
Acalyphawilkesianainferno, carbontetrachloride, hepatoprotectiveeffect, medicinal plants, interleukins
Citation
Biomedical Research and Therapy, 7(5):3778-3788
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