title: Protective effects of Artemisia arborescens essential oil on oestroprogestative treatment induced hepatotoxicity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Currently, natural products have been shown to exhibit interesting biological and pharmacological activities and are used as chemotherapeutic agents. The purpose of this study, conducted on Wistar rats, was to evaluate the beneficial effects of Artemisia arborescens oil on oestroprogestative treatment induced damage on liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 36 Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups; a control group (n = 9), a group of rats who received oestroprogestative treatment by intraperitoneal injection (n = 9), a group pre-treated with Artemisia arborescens then injected with oestroprogestative treatment (n = 9), and a group pre-treated with Artemisia arborescens (n = 9). To minimize the handling stress, animals from each group were sacrificed rapidly by decapitation. Blood serum was obtained by centrifugation and the livers were removed, cleaned of fat, and stored at -80℃ until use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the current study, oestroprogestative poisoning resulted in oxidative stress, which was demonstrated by 1) a significant increase of lipid peroxidation level in hepatic tissue 2) increased levels of serum transaminases (aspartate amino transferase and serum alanine amino transferase), alkaline phosphatase, glycemia and triglycerides and a decrease in the level of cholesterol 3) alteration of hepatic architecture. Pre-administration of Artemisia arborescens oil was found to alleviate oestroprogestative treatment induced damage by lowering lipid peroxidation level and by increasing activity of catalase, superoxide-dismutase, and glutathione-peroxidase in liver and by reducing disruption of biochemical parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Therefore, the results obtained in this study confirmed that Artemisia essential oil protects against oestroprogestative administration induced hepatotoxicity by restoration of liver activities.
authors.affiliation: Physiopathologie environnementale, valorisation des molécules bioactives et modélisation mathématique, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Road Soukra km 3.5 - PB n° 1171-3000 Sfax-, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sabah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhibi
authors.affiliation: Physiopathologie environnementale, valorisation des molécules bioactives et modélisation mathématique, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Road Soukra km 3.5 - PB n° 1171-3000 Sfax-, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Amani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ettaya
authors.affiliation: Physiopathologie environnementale, valorisation des molécules bioactives et modélisation mathématique, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Road Soukra km 3.5 - PB n° 1171-3000 Sfax-, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Abdelfettah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elfeki
authors.affiliation: Physiopathologie environnementale, valorisation des molécules bioactives et modélisation mathématique, Faculty of Sciences of Sfax, Road Soukra km 3.5 - PB n° 1171-3000 Sfax-, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hfaiedh
keywords: Artemisia arborescens oil; Oestroprogestative treatment; oxidative stress