Abstract
In Morocco, “Zizyphus lotus L.” is one of the most widely and traditionally used plant species to treat various diseases, including liver disorders. The present study was conducted to evaluate the aqueous extract of Zizyphus lotus L. fruit against carbon tetrachloride- (CCL4-) induced liver damage in Wistar rats. The animals were daily treated with the aqueous extract of Zizyphus lotus L. fruit using two doses separately 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 14 days. CCL4 was injected intraperitoneally (1 ml/kg body weight) at two times, 7th and 14th days. At the end of the treatment, rats were sacrificed, and the blood was collected for the assessment of biochemical parameters. Moreover, the body weight as well as liver weight was determined. The injection of CCl4 to the rats induced various alterations such as the increase of relative liver weight, serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, triglycerides, very low-density lipoproteins, total cholesterol (slight increase), creatinine, urea, uric acid, and malondialdehyde. On the contrary, the effects of CCL4 lead to the reduction in serum levels of high-density lipoprotein. However, the daily administration of the aqueous extract of Zizyphus lotus L. fruit to the injected rats with CCL4 restored this abnormal variation in these biochemical parameters to normal values. Based on the results obtained in this study, it seems that the aqueous extract of Zizyphus lotus L. fruit has an hepatoprotective effect against hepatic lesions induced by CCL4 in rats.
Highlights
The liver is one of the most important vital organs in our body; it takes care of several essential physiological functions such as metabolism, secretion, and storage [1]
The aim of the current study is to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of ZLF aqueous extract on the CCl4induced acute liver toxicity in the rats
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), highdensity lipoprotein (HDL-c), bilirubin direct and total, urea, creatinine, and uric acid (UA) kits were purchased from Biosystems, Spain
Summary
The liver is one of the most important vital organs in our body; it takes care of several essential physiological functions such as metabolism, secretion, and storage [1]. The liver plays a crucial role in the detoxification and excretion of endogenous and exogenous substances such as xenobiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, and viral infections [1, 2] This indicated the vulnerability of the liver which is mostly threatened by the toxic effects of xenobiotic compounds, leading to hepatic insufficiency. The alternative therapy remained an essential option, especially in the developing countries, such as Morocco, where the poverty and the precarious of sanitary system were dominated. In this country, traditional phytotherapy is well rooted [5]. Among the medicinal plants used by Moroccan people to treat various ailments, Zizyphus lotus L. (Desf ) (ZLF) known in Morocco by its vernacular name “Sadra,”
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