title: Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) root extract regulates the oxidative status and antioxidant gene transcripts in CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.
abstract: The ability of Cichorium intybus root extract (chicory extract) to protect against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity was evaluated in male rats. The rats were divided into four groups according to treatment: saline (control); chicory extract (100 mg/kg body weight daily, given orally for 2 weeks); CCl4 (1 ml/kg body weight by intraperitoneal injection for 2 consecutive days only); or chicory extract (100 mg/kg body weight daily for 2 weeks) + CCl4 injection on days 16 and 17. The levels of hepatic lipid peroxidation, antioxidants, and molecular biomarkers were estimated twenty-four hours after the last CCl4 injection. Pretreatment with chicory extract significantly reduced CCl4-induced elevation of malondialdehyde levels and nearly normalized levels of glutathione and activity of glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase, catalase (CAT), paraoxonase-1 (PON1), and arylesterase in the liver. Chicory extract also attenuated CCl4-induced downregulation of hepatic mRNA expression levels of GPx1, CAT and PON1 genes. Results of DNA fragmentation support the ability of chicory extract to ameliorate CCl4-induced liver toxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrate that chicory extract is rich in natural antioxidants and able to attenuate CCl4-induced hepatocellular injury, likely by scavenging reactive free radicals, boosting the endogenous antioxidant defense system, and overexpressing genes encoding antioxidant enzymes.
authors: Department of Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.
authors: Yasser S
authors: YS
authors: El-Sayed
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Edfina, Egypt.
authors: Mohamed A
authors: MA
authors: Lebda
authors: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
authors: Mohammed
authors: M
authors: Hassinin
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
authors: Saad A
authors: SA
authors: Neoman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D002252:Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000378:metabolism*; D018651:Cichorium intybus; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride