title: Free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective actions of the medicinal herb, Crassocephalum crepidioides from the Okinawa Islands.
abstract: Free radical scavenging and protective actions against chemically induced hepatotoxicity of Crassocephalum crepidioides were investigated. A water extract of C. crepidioides strongly scavenged superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and also stable radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. Galactosamine (GalN, 400 mg/kg) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.5 microg/kg) induced hepatotoxicity of rats as seen by an elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and of lipid peroxidation in liver homogenates was significantly depressed when the herbal extract was given intraperitoneally 1 and 15 h before GalN and LPS treatment. Similarly, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver injury as evidenced by an increase in AST and ALT activities in serum was also inhibited by the extract pretreatment. Isochlorogenic acids, quercetin and kaempferol glycosides were identified as active components of C. crepidioides with strong free radical scavenging action. These results demonstrate that C. crepidioides is a potent antioxidant and protective against GalN plus LPS- or CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan. yaniya@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aniya
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Chika
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Manami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyahira
authors.forename: Chiho
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.forename: Shizuka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichiba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007564:Japan; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride