Abstract
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. In Egypt, chickpea seeds are usually consumed at raw green and tender stage, or in the form of mature dry seeds. In our previous study, ‘Giza 1’ seeds exhibited stronger antioxidant activity and higher total phenol content than those from other Egyptian cultivars. In order to assess the biological potential of ‘Giza 1’ seeds in vivo, the extraction procedure was reproduced here. The extract was standardized using liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to evaluate their hepatoprotective effect on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats and acute toxicity. Administration of the extract to rats in doses up to 2 g/Kg) did not cause any mortalities or observable signs of toxicity. Further, the plant extract showed a strong hepatoprotective activity based on assessing serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase and levels of albumen, globulin, total protein, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and low density lipoprotein. The antioxidative activity was evaluated by assessing hepatic catalase and superoxide dismutase activity as well as reduced glutathione, and malondialdehyde levels. Additionally, anti-inflammatory activity was observed as the extract significantly lowered the hepatic tumor necrosis factor α content. Histopathological examination of liver tissues indicated that the extract-treated animals showed almost normal hepatic architecture with fewer pathological changes. In conclusion, the current results suggest that the chickpea extract possesses an excellent safety profile with very low acute toxicity. Also, it exhibits a significant hepatoprotective effect against CCl4-induced liver injury in rats. This can be attributed, at least partly, to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the isoflavones and phenolic acids content of the extract.
Highlights
Liver is one of the most vital organs in the human body which is involved in the regulation of various biochemical functions (Wolf, 1999; Raj and Gothandam, 2014)
The second damage of the liver occurs due to inflammatory responses which are initiated by Kupffer cells activation releasing proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)
Our results revealed that no treatment-related toxicity was detected after the administration of ‘Giza 1’ chickpea extract
Summary
Liver is one of the most vital organs in the human body which is involved in the regulation of various biochemical functions (Wolf, 1999; Raj and Gothandam, 2014). Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a potent environmental toxicant inducing severe hepatic damage via the generation of highly reactive free radicals These radicals initiate lipid peroxidation by the covalent binding to phospholipid membranes which harm cellular permeability and leading to severe cellular damage (Anusuya et al, 2010; Akther et al, 2014; Raj and Gothandam, 2014). The second damage of the liver occurs due to inflammatory responses which are initiated by Kupffer cells activation releasing proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) They stimulate other hepatic cells to attract and activate circulating inflammatory cells (Breikaa et al, 2013). Antioxidants rich plants could be potent hepatoprotective agents (Zeashan et al, 2009; Parenti et al, 2015)
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