Protective effect of Aquilegia vulgaris L. on aflatoxin B(1)-induced hepatic damage in rats.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of ethanol and ethyl acetate extract obtained from Aquilegia vulgaris L. on microsomal lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione level and antioxidant enzymes activity in the liver of rats intoxicated with aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)). Animals were pretreated with 12 daily p.o. doses of the extracts tested (100mg/kg body weight). Then AFB(1) was administered intraperitoneally at a single dose of 1.5mg/kg b.w. to evoke the liver damage. α-Tocopherol was used as a positive control. Reduced glutathione (GSH) was depleted in aflatoxin-treated rats by 80% in comparison with that in the controls. The extracts restored the GSH concentration up to the basal level. Microsomal lipid peroxidation stimulated by Fe(2+)/ascorbate (assessed by measuring TBARS) was enhanced in AFB(1)-treated rats by 28% as compared to that in the control group. The extracts caused a decrease in TBARS level by 40% and 27%. Only two antioxidant enzymes were affected by AFB(1) administration. The activity of catalase was reduced by 24% and the activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was increased by 33%. The pretreatment with ethyl acetate and ethanol extract reduced the GST activity by 76% and 30%, respectively. No significant changes in the activity of other antioxidant enzymes were observed in rats treated with the extracts and AFB(1). It can be concluded that multiple pretreatment with the extracts obtained from A. vulgaris attenuated aflatoxin B(1)-induced hepatic damage as evidenced by inhibition of lipid peroxidation and preventing reduced glutathione depletion.