title: Hepatoprotective effects of artemisia scoparia against carbon tetrachloride: an environmental contaminant.
abstract: The hepatoprotective activity of crude extract of artemisia scoparia (aerial parts) was investigated against experimentally produced hepatic damage using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) as a model hepatotoxin. CCl4 at the dose of 1.5 ml/kg, produced liver damage in rats as manifested by the rise in serum levels of AST and ALT to 395 +/- 110 and 258 +/- 61 IU/l (mean +/- SEM; n = 10) respectively, compared to control values of 106 +/- 15 and 26 +/- 04. Pretreatment of rats with plant extract (150 mg/kg) significantly lowered (P < 0.01), the respective serum GOT and GPT levels to 93 +/- 05 and 27 +/- 03 IU/l, indicating hepatoprotective action. Pentobarbital sodium (75 mg/kg)-induced sleeping time in mice was found to be 140.8 +/- 1.5 min (n = 10) which was similar (P > 0.05) to that obtained in the group of animals pretreated with the plant extract (139.9 +/- 1.8 min). CCl4 treatment extended the pentobarbital sleeping time to 212.2 +/- 19.1 min and pretreatment of animals with plant extract reversed the CCl4-induced prolongation in pentobarbital sleeping time to 143.9 +/- 5.5 min (P < 0.001) which further confirms the protective action of the plant extract against CCl4-induced liver damage. These data indicate that the plant artemisia scoparia is hepatoprotective and validate the folkloric use of this plant in liver damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Gilani
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Janbaz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002252:Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010154:Pakistan; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010424:Pentobarbital