Modulatory Effects of Benjakul Extract on Rat Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Enzymes

Abstract

Benjakul, a traditional Thai formulation, has been used as a carminative and adaptogenic drug. It consists of five plants, Piper chaba Hunt, Piper sarmentosum Roxb, Piper interruptum Opiz., Plumbago indica Linn. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe, in an equal ratio. Some individual herbs present in Benjakul were reported to modulate cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of Benjakul extract on the activities and mRNA expression levels of hepatic CYP2C11 and CYP3A1 in rats. Adult male rats were orally administered 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg BW Benjakul extract for 28 days. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels were assayed. The activities of CYP2C11 and CYP3A1 were analyzed using cytochrome P450 assay kits. The mRNA expression of CYP2C11 and CYP3A1 was measured using a quantitative real-time PCR assay. Benjakul treatment significantly increased the serum ALT and BUN levels. At the doses of 200, 400, 600 mg/kg BW, Benjakul treatment increased hepatic CYP3A1 activity and CYP3A1 mRNA expression. CYP2C11 mRNA expression was unchanged by Benjakul extract treatment; however, at the high and middle doses, Benjakul extract treatment increased CYP2C11 activity. Benjakul extract treatment induced CYP2C11 and CYP3A1 activity in rats. Concurrent use of Benjakul with conventional drugs should be considered to potentially induce an herb-drug interaction. Funding Information: This work was supported by a grant from Walailak University, grant number WU-IRG-63-0. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The experimental protocol was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Walailak University.