Cajanus cajan Linn. (Leguminosae) prevents alcohol-induced rat liver damage and augments cytoprotective function.
OBJECTIVE
Cajanus cajan Linn. (Leguminosae) is a nontoxic edible herb, widely used in Indian folk medicine for the prevention of various liver disorders. In the present study we have demonstrated that methanol-aqueous fraction (MAF2) of Cajanus cajan leaf extract could prevent the chronically treated alcohol induced rat liver damage.


METHODS
Chronic doses of alcohol (3.7 g/ kg) orally administered to rats for 28 days and liver function marker enzymes such as GPT, GOT, ALP and anti-oxidant enzyme activities were determined. Effect of MAF2 at a dose of 50mg/kg body weight on alcohol treated rats was noted.


RESULTS
Alcohol effected significant increase in liver marker enzyme activities and reduced the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes. Co-administration of MAF2 reversed the liver damage due to alcohol; it decreased the activities of liver marker enzymes and augmented antioxidant enzyme activities. We also demonstrate significant decrease of the phase II detoxifying enzyme, UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT) activity along with a three- and two-fold decrease of UGT2B gene and protein expression respectively. MAF2 co-administration normalized UGT activity and revived the expression of UGT2B with a concomitant expression and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of many cytoprotective genes.


CONCLUSIONS
Cajanus cajan extract therefore shows a promise in therapeutic use in alcohol induced liver dysfunction.
Kundu
Rakesh
R
Department of Zoology, School of Life Science, Visva-Bharati A Central University, Santiniketan, India.
Dasgupta
Suman
S
Biswas
Anindita
A
Bhattacharya
Anirban
A
Pal
Bikas C
BC
Bandyopadhyay
Debashis
D
Bhattacharya
Shelley
S
Bhattacharya
Samir
S
D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D036561:Cajanus; D019610:Cytoprotection; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase