Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of punicalagin and punicalin on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats

Punicalagin and punicalin, isolated from the leaves of Terminalia catappa L ., are used to treat dermatitis and hepatitis. Both compounds have strong a ntioxidative activity. The antihepatotoxic activity of punicalagin and puni calin on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced toxicity in the rat liver was evaluated. Levels of serum glutamate-oxalate-transaminase and glutamate-pyruvate-trans -aminase were increased by administration of CCl4 and reduced by drug treat ment. Histological changes around the liver central vein and oxidation dama ge induced by CCl4 also benefited from drug treatment, The results show that both punicalagin and punicalin have anti-hepatotoxic activity but that the larger dose of punicalin induced liver damage. Thus e ven if tannins have strong antioxidant activity at very small doses, treatm ent with a larger dose will induce cell damage.