title: Hepatoprotective activity of Amaranthus spinosus in experimental animals.
abstract: The hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of 50% ethanolic extract of whole plant of Amaranthus spinosus (ASE) was evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic damage in rats. The ASE at dose of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg were administered orally once daily for fourteen days. The substantially elevated serum enzymatic levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (AST), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (ALT), serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP) and total bilirubin were restored towards normalization significantly by the ASE in a dose dependent manner. Higher dose exhibited significant hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of rat liver sections. Meanwhile, in vivo antioxidant activities as malondialdehyde (MDA), hydroperoxides, reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were also screened which were also found significantly positive in a dose dependent manner. The results of this study strongly indicate that whole plants of A. spinosus have potent hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic damage in experimental animals. This study suggests that possible mechanism of this activity may be due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolics compound in the ASE which may be responsible to hepatoprotective activity.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacognosy and Ethnopharmacology Division, National Botanical Research Institute (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Rana Pratap Marg, Post Box No. 436, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Hussain
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeashan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amresh
authors.forename: Satyawan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Chandana Venkateswara
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D027721:Amaranthus / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000378:metabolism; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D005978:Glutathione; D001663:Bilirubin