Alleviation of the hepatotoxic effect of bromobenzene by the Indian traditional herbal formulation Triphala in experimental rats

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to investigate the efficacy of Triphala in ameliorating the hepatotoxic effects of bromobenzene (BB) in experimental rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by oral administration of BB (1.57 mg/kg b.w.) and Triphala was given orally at two doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w. for a period of 8 days. The antioxidant status was studied by measuring lipid peroxidation, total reduced glutathione levels and enzymes such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in liver tissue homogenates. In addition, the levels of cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured in serum. The hepatoprotective role of Triphala was compared with that of the standard hepatoprotective agent silymarin. The treatment of BB-intoxicated rats with Triphala showed significant (p < 0.05) increase in the antioxidant status and significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the levels of Tumour Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The histopathological findings further confirmed the protective role of Triphala against BB-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. From the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that treatment with Triphala alleviated the hepatotoxic effect of BB in experimental rats.