Brai Bartholomew I C, Adisa Rahmat A, Odetola Adebimpe A
Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, P. M. B. 2013, Yaba, Lagos. Nigeria.
Laboratories for Biomembrane and Cancer Research, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2014 Jan 28;11(2):237-44. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v11i2.2. eCollection 2014.
Natural products from plants have received considerable attention in recent years due to their diverse pharmacological properties, including antioxidants and hepatoprotective activities. The protective effects of aqueous extract of Persea americana (AEPA) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats was investigated.
Liver damage was induced in rats by administering a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of CCl4 and olive oil [3 ml/kg, subcutaneously (sc)] after pre-treatment for 7 days with AEPA. Hepatoprotective effects of AEPA was evaluated by estimating the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and levels of total bilirubin (TBL). The effects of AEPA on biomarkers of oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation) and antioxidant enzymes namely, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were measured in liver post mitochondrial fraction.
AEPA and Reducdyn® showed significant (p<0.05) hepatoprotective activity by decreasing the activities of ALT, AST, ALP and reducing the levels of TBL. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, levels of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls were also decreased dose-dependently in the AEPA-treated rats. Pre-treatment with AEPA also decreased the serum levels of glutathione significantly.
These data revealed that AEPA possesses significant hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced toxicity attributable to its constituent phytochemicals. The mechanism of hepatoprotection seems to be through modulation of antioxidant enzyme system.
近年来，植物来源的天然产物因其多样的药理特性，包括抗氧化和保肝活性，受到了广泛关注。本研究调查了美国鳄梨水提取物（AEPA）对雄性白化大鼠四氯化碳（CCl4）诱导的肝毒性的保护作用。
在用AEPA预处理7天后，通过皮下注射（sc）给予大鼠1:1（v/v）的CCl4和橄榄油混合物[3 ml/kg]诱导肝损伤。通过评估丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（AST）、碱性磷酸酶（ALP）的活性以及总胆红素（TBL）水平来评价AEPA的保肝作用。在肝线粒体后组分中测量AEPA对氧化损伤生物标志物（脂质过氧化）和抗氧化酶，即过氧化氢酶（CAT）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPx）和谷胱甘肽S-转移酶（GST）的影响。
AEPA和Reducdyn®通过降低ALT、AST、ALP的活性以及降低TBL水平，显示出显著（p<0.05）的保肝活性。在AEPA处理的大鼠中，抗氧化酶活性、丙二醛和蛋白质羰基水平也呈剂量依赖性降低。用AEPA预处理还显著降低了血清谷胱甘肽水平。
这些数据表明，AEPA对CCl4诱导的毒性具有显著的保肝作用，这归因于其所含的植物化学物质。保肝机制似乎是通过调节抗氧化酶系统。
