Assessment of antioxidant capacity of ethanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea leaves in vitro and in vivo

The purpose of the present study was to prepare ethanol extract of Portulaca oleracea L. leaves (PLE) that is rich in phenolic compounds and investigate there in vitro and in vivo antioxidative activities using ethanol to induce oxidative stress in the liver. This study includes two phases. The first phase includes assessment of antioxidant capacity in vitro using 1,1- Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazo-line-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. In the second phase (assessment of antioxidant capacity in vivo), the levels of antioxidant parameters in the alcoholic liver disease rats were studied and the protective effect of ethanolic extract of P. oleracea L. in the alcoholic liver disease rats was examined to further understand their mechanisms. In vitro studies with DPPH and ABTS showed that PLE possesses antioxidant activity. In vivo administration of ethanol (7.9 g/kg body weight/day) for 45 days with PLE (100 mg/kg body weight/day) signicantly decreased the activities of liver markers enzyme serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transferase in serum towards near normal level. In addition, PLE also signicantly reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation and in addition, signicantly restored the enzymatic  and non-enzymatic antioxidants level in the liver of alcohol administration rats. Our study suggests that ethanol extract of P. oleracea leaves play a benecial role in the treatment of alcohol induced tissue damage, which could be one of its therapeutic values.   Key words: Alcoholic liver disease, Portulaca oleracea L., oxidative stress, ethanolic extract, antioxidants, rats.