Effect of HD-03, a herbal formulation, on the antioxidant defence system in rats

Abstract

The effect of HD-03, a herbal formulation was investigated on the hepatocellular antioxidant defence system in CCl4 treated rats. Three doses of CCl4 were administered orally with liquid paraffin (1:1) to induce hepatic damage. Twenty four hours after the last dose, blood was collected by decapitation for the estimation of serum ALT and AST. The levels of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation and glycogen in the liver were estimated. Nineteen days pretreatment with HD-03 (750 mg/kg) significantly reversed CCl4-induced changes in serum ALT and AST levels. HD-03 pretreatment also significantly reversed the CCl4-induced changes in the different components of the cellular antioxidant system and lipid peroxidation. Pretreatment with HD-03 significantly restored the hepatic glycogen levels which were depleted in CCl4 intoxicated rats. The observed reversal produced by HD-03 in the serum AST and ALT may be due to the membrane stabilizing potential which helps in preventing the leakage of intracellular enzymes into the systemic circulation. The increase in the hepatic glycogen levels in HD-03 pretreated rats, indicates its preventive effect on subcellular injury caused by CCl4, which leads to glycogenolysis, as a result of disturbance in the intracellular Ca+2 pool. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation and enhancement in the activity of antioxidant enzymes by HD-03 may be due to the direct free radical scavenging activity and reactivation of these enzymes in the liver. Thus the antioxidant potential and inhibitory effect on­lipid peroxidation may play an important role in the antihepatotoxic activity of HD-03. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.