title: Antioxidant Activity of The Ancient Herb, Holy Basil in CCl4-Induced Liver Injury in Rats.
abstract: An herbal preparation called "holy basil plus herbal powder" (HBPP) containingOcimum santum, Withania somnifera, Pongamia pinnata, Plumbago indica, Emblica officinalisandCurcuma longawas investigated as an antioxidant and hepatoprotectiveagent. The antioxidant activity of HBPP was investigated in rats with liver injury induced by oral administration of carbon tetrachloride:olive oil (1:1). HBPP was administered orally at 500 mg/kg daily for 7 days before. HBPP exhibited statistically significant antioxidant activity, as shown by increased levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GRD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and decreased level of lipid peroxidation (LPO). HBPP performed equally well as silymarin, a well-established antioxidant preparation used to protect against liver injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Research and Development Unit, Nagarjuna Herbal Concentrates Ltd, Thodupuzha, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Yuvaraj
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ponnusam
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Research and Development Unit, Nagarjuna Herbal Concentrates Ltd, Thodupuzha, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Therasilin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Louis
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pharmacology, Research and Development Unit, Nagarjuna Herbal Concentrates Ltd, Thodupuzha, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Madhavachandran
authors.affiliation: CareKeralam Ltd, Koratty, Thrissur Dt, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Sewanthi Ayurvedic Seriers, Vancouver, Canada; World Institute for Scientific Exploration, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA.
authors.forename: Neelam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thoprani
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hamblin
authors.affiliation: World Institute for Scientific Exploration, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA; Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Shanmugamurthy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
keywords: Holy basil plus herbal powder; antioxidant activity; carbon tetrachloride; hepatoprotection; liver enzymes