title: Protective effect of Pisonia aculeata on thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the protective effect of Pisonia aculeata (P. aculeata) on thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were administered 250 or 500 mg/kg p.o. of P. aculeata extract for 21 days and simultaneously administered thioacetamide (TAA) 50 mg/kg bw s.c. 1 h after the respective assigned treatments every 72 h. At the end of all experimental methods, all the animals were sacrificed by cervical decapitation. Blood samples were collected. Serum was separated and analyzed for various biochemical parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TAA induced a significant rise in aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, gamma glutamate transpeptidase (GGTP), lipid peroxidase (LPO) with a reduction of total protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Treatment of rats with different doses of plant extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.001) altered serum marker enzymes and antioxidant levels to near normal against TAA treated rats. The activity of the extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg was comparable to the standard drug, silymarin (50 mg/kg, p.o.).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It can be concluded that P. aculeata extract possesses a remarkable hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity against TAA induced hepatotoxicity. More research is required to derive an optimal therapeutic dose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Karpagam University, Eachanari Post-641 021, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anbarasu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rajkapoor
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giridharan
authors.forename: A Arul
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Amuthan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Satish
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000097:blood; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D039281:Nyctaginaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013853:Thioacetamide / Q000633:toxicity*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004798:Enzymes; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013853:Thioacetamide
keywords: Antioxidants; Biochemical parameters; Histopathology; Lipid peroxidation; Pisonia aculeate; Protective effect; Thioacetamide