Abstract
Curcumin is the major bioactive compound of Curcuma longa, an important medicinal plant used in traditional herbal formulations since ancient times. In the present study, we report that curcumin nanoparticles (ηCur) protects Wistar rats against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced subacute hepatotoxicity. Nanoparticles of sizes less than 220 nm with spherical shape were prepared using PLGA and PVA respectively as polymer and stabilizer. Test animals were injected via intraperitoneal route with 1 mL/kg CCl4 (8% in olive oil) twice a week over a period of 8 weeks to induce hepatotoxicity. On the days following the CCl4 injection, test animals were orally administered with either curcumin or its equivalent dose of ηCur. Behavioural observation, biochemical analysis of serum and histopathological examination of liver of the experimental animals indicated that ηCur offer significantly higher hepatoprotection compared to curcumin.
Highlights
Liver is a vital organ of the body
Curcumin has been shown to protect the liver against mercury-induced hepatic injuries and CCl4 -induced liver fibrosis in rats [9,10]
Our results provide a valuable confirmation of the hepatoprotective effect of curcumin nanoformulations previously shown in acute models
Summary
Liver is a vital organ of the body. As it plays important functions in digestion, metabolism and detoxification, which are necessary for survival, liver injury may lead to serious health consequences and even to death. Treatment options are available, managing liver damage is still a challenge to the modern medicine. Polyherbal formulations are often prescribed as hepatoprotective agents [1], which generally contain a combination of natural antioxidants synergistically acting together to protect the liver cells from damage [2]. One such natural antioxidants is curcumin, which is extracted from.
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