Evaluation of antioxidant and hepatoprotective property of ethanolic extract of curculigoorchioides in albino rats

Abstract

Background: Liver, the largest organ invertebrate body, it the major site of intense metabolic activities. Being the largest chemical factory of the body, the liver performs innumerable functions. The functional units of liver are called either hepatic or classic lobules or acini. The hepatic lobules consist largely of parenchymal or epithelial glandular cells called hepatocytes, which are arranged as interconnected plates or laminae.

Methods: All the animal experiments were conducted according to the ethical norms approved by Ministry of Social Justices and Empowerment, Government of India, and Institutional Animal Ethical Committee guidelines. Fifteen rats were selected for this study and randomly divided into three groups of five each. Group I include control rats that received isocarolic quantity of sucrose in the same volume as experimental rats that received ethanol. Group II includes ethanol treated rats. Ethanol was administered daily at regular intervals by gastric intubation at a dose of as 20% aqueous solution 1 ml for 60 days. Group III includes ethanol (1ml of 25%) + Curculigoorchioides rhizome (80mg/kg b.wt) treated rats for 60 days, daily at regular intervals by gastric intubation.

Results: The effect of ethanol alone and ethanol+curculigoorchioides rhizome extract (combined) on adult male rat liver metabolism were assessed in the present study and compared with the control rate. The mean body weight of ethanol treated rats was lesser than control and ethanol+curculigoorchioides rhizome extract treated rats. (Table 1, Figure 1) Data on liver weight from control, ethanol alone and ethanol+curculigoorchioides extract (combined) treated rats did not show much variation (Table 1, Figure 2).

Conclusions: The effect of curculigo orchioides rizhomes extract+ethanol (combined) on adult male rat liver metabolism was assessed in the present study and compared with control and ethanol alone treated rats. The administration of ethanol accelerates the glycogenolysis and drastically reduced the hepatic glycogen content. The hepatic transaminase activity was swayed by ethanol treatment and reverted to normalcy by combined treatment. Elevated levels of serum enzyme are indicative of cellular leakage and loss of functional integrity of cell membrane in liver. The reversal of altered transaminase activities to normal by plant extract supplementation suggest its hepatoprotective action.