Hepatoprotective and antioxidants activity of ethanolic extract of Cuscutta reflexa roxb

Abstract

Background and objective: Medicinal plants play a key role in the human health care system. About 80% of the world populations rely on traditional medicine which is predominantly based on plants material. A large number of plants and purified natural substances have been screened for liver disorders. Liver diseases are mainly caused by toxic chemicals, excess alcohol consumption, infection and auto immune mediated. Most of the hepatotoxic chemicals damage liver cells mainly by lipid peroxidation & other oxidative damage. In view of above discussion, this study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Cuscutta reflexa in albino rats by inducing liver damage by carbon tetrachloride. Materials and methods: Liver damage was evaluated by accessing the antioxidants parameters (superoxide dismutase, catalase), lipid peroxidation (Malondialdehyde), serum enzymes (SGOT, SGPT), total protein and bilirubin. Result: The ethanol extract at on oral doses of 100mg/kg exhibited a highly significant (p<0.001) protective effect by lowering serum levels of lipid peroxidation, serum enzymes and bilirubin. The highly significant (p<0.001) increase was found in the serum levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase & total protein. These biochemical observations were supplemented by histopathological examination of liver sections. Furthermore, the ethanol extract showed no significance of toxicity up to a dose level of 100mg/kg. Conclusion: The results suggested the ethanolic extract of Cuscutta reflexa exhibit significant hepatoprotective properties.