Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Aerial Parts of <i>Artemisia pallens</i> in Mediating Hepatoprotective Activity of RIF+INH Intoxicated Rats

Abstract

To investigate the free radical scavenging & hepatoprotective activity of phenolic rich fraction of Artemisia pallens on RIF+INH induced oxidative stress in Sprague dawley rats. Free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective activity was evaluated by using DPPH, Nitric oxide, Superoxide radical and Hydroxyl radical assay models and induced RIF+INH intoxicated rats. The total phenolic content was found to be 312.60 μg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/gm of dry extract. The total flavonoid content was found to be 322.20 μg rutin equivalents (RUE)/gm of dry extract. In the current study, free radical scavenging activity was evaluated by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide, superoxide radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity were found to be (42.25 ± 0.95) and (09.16 ± 1.62) μg/ml, (101.62 ± 1.64) and (32.41 ± 1.24) μg/ml, (72.62 ± 1.86) and (10.28 ± 1.96) μg/ml, (33.82 ± 1.12) and (12.82 ± 1.86) μg/ml, respectively. There was also a dose dependent increase in reductive ability of Artemisia pallens extract with increase in concentration and were further investigated in invivo hepatoprotective activity experiment against toxicity induced by RIF+INH. The free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective activity may be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds and histology of the liver section of the animals treated with the extracts showed the presence of normal hepatic cords, absence of necrosis and fatty infiltration, which further evidenced the hepatoprotective activity of Artemisia pallens.