Hepatoprotective effect of <i style="">Hibiscus hispidissimus</i> Griffith, ethanolic extract in paracetamol and CCl₄ induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats

Abstract

<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"><smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"> <i style="">Hibiscus hispidissimus</i> Griff. is used in tribal medicine of Kerala, the southern most state of India, to treat liver diseases. In the present study, the effect of the ethanolic extract of <i style="">Hibiscus hispidissimus </i>whole plant on paracetamol (PCM) - induced and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) - induced liver damage in healthy Wistar albino rats was studied. The results showed that significant hepatoprotective effects were obtained against liver damage induced by PCM and CCl₄ as evidenced by decreased levels of serum enzymes, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum alkaline phosphatase (SAKP), serum bilirubin (SB) and an almost normal histological architecture of the liver of the treated groups compared to the toxin controls. The extract also showed significant antilipid peroxidant effects <i style="">in vitro</i>, besides exhibiting significant activity in quenching 1, 1- diphenyl – 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH ) radical, indicating its potent antioxidant effects. </smarttagtype></smarttagtype>