Effect of the traditional medicinal plants Rhazya stricta, Balanitis aegyptiaca and Haplophylum tuberculatum on paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity inmice

This work examines the effects of lyophilized extracts of the medicinal pla nts Rhazya stricta, Balanites aegyptiaca and Haplophylum tuberculatum on li ver damage induced by paracetamol in mice. Rapid HPLC finger prints for som e of these extracts were made. The hepatoprotective effects of the plant ex tracts were compared with that of the standard hepatoprotective agent silym arin. The extracts (1 g/kg) and silymarin (0.1 g/kg) were given orally for 5 consecutive days On the last day of treatment a hepatotoxic oral dose of paracetamol (0.6 g/kg) was given, and 3 h later, the hepatic function of mi ce was evaluated using pentobarbitone -induced sleeping time, the concentra tion of reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver, and the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma -glutamyl tr ansferase (GGT) and cholesterol concentration in plasma. The livers were we ighed and examined for macro- and microscopic changes. Pretreatment with R. stricta or with silymarin protected the livers of treated mice against par acetamol hepatotoxicity as evidenced by a significant improvement of the ab ove liver function tests. B. Aegyptiaca had a relatively modest hepatoprote ctive activity, while H. tuberculatum was almost ineffective. Oral pretreatment of mice for 5 consecutive days with an extract of R. stri cta or silymarin protected about 57% and 92% of the treated mice, respectiv ely, against the lethal effect of paracetamol (1 g/kg). B. aegyptiaca and H . tuberculatum protected only 27% and 16% of the animals, respectively. Cop yright (C) 2001 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.