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The hepatoprotective effects of Limonium sinense against carbon tetrachloride and β ‐D‐galactosamine intoxication in rats
Author(s) -
Chaung ShangShing,
Lin ChunChing,
Lin Julian,
Yu KuoHo,
Hsu YuFang,
Yen MingHong
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.1236
Subject(s) - carbon tetrachloride , acute toxicity , chemistry , toxicity , liver injury , pharmacology , galactosamine , traditional medicine , liver function , median lethal dose , biochemistry , medicine , biology , galactose , organic chemistry
In the present study, the hepatoprotective action of Limonium sinense (Plumbaginaceae) was evident after carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) and β ‐D‐galactosamine (D‐GalN), respectively, challenge in rats. The plant materials were divided into two parts: (1) the roots extracted with water (WRE) and (2) the leaves extracted with methanol and fractionated with chloroform (CLE). Both WRE and CLE were extremely avonoid‐enriched extracts. In an CCl 4 ‐induced acute liver damage study, pretreatment with WRE at 300 mg/kg i.p. and CLE at 100 mg/kg i.p. signicantly reduced the amino‐transaminases levels of SGOT ( p < 0.01) and SGPT ( p < 0.01) previously increased by CCl 4 intoxication. In D‐GalN‐induced acute liver damage study, administration of WRE (300 and 500 mg/kg) or CLE (100 mg/kg) p.o. also signicantly reduced the SGOT ( p < 0.01) and SGPT ( p < 0.01) levels previously increased by D‐GalN intoxication. Furthermore, the serum triglyceride level was increased after pretreatment with WRE or CLE previously reduced by D‐GalN intoxication. All of the liver function proles were conrmed to have improvement of liver lesion in histopathological obsvervation. In an acute toxicity test on ICR mice, the LD 50 of WRE was 777.6 mg/kg i.p. An in vitro study showed that CLE possessed a more potent cytotoxicity to human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep3B) (EC 50 = 43.1 µg/mL) than the other organic fractions, which were fractionated from methanol extracts of the leaves of L. sinense . The present results conclude that L. sinense possesses a hepatoprotective efcacy, and is relatively safe in rats. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.