Prevention of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity by ternatin, a bioflavonoid from Egletes viscosa Less

The hepatoprotective effect of ternatin, a tetramethoxyflavone from Egletes viscosa L. was investigated in mice against acetaminophen-induced hepatic damage and lethality. Hepatotoxicity was assessed by quantifying serum acti vities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in liver homogenates as well as by histopathological examination of liver tissue. A cetaminophen (300 mg/kg) produced liver damage in mice as manifested by a 2 9-, 23- and 7-fold rise in serum levels of ALT, AST and LD, respectively, c ompared with controls. Ternatin (25 and 50 mg/kg) was able to prevent signi ficantly (p < 0.05) acetaminophen-induced acute increase in serum enzymes. In addition, the severity of histological alterations induced by acetaminop hen as evidenced by centrilobular necrosis and cellular infiltration were g reatly diminished in animals that received ternatin. The data suggest a hep atoprotective activity of ternatin in mice against toxicity induced by acet aminophen. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.