AMELIORATION OF ACETAMINOPHEN-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY USING SOLANUM TORVUM SW. FRUIT EXTRACT IN WISTAR RATS

Objective: Ayurveda and Chinese pharmacopeia have highlighted the traditional medicinal uses of Solanum torvum Sw. The fruits are ethnomedical used in the treatment of liver and spleen enlargement, cough, and also used as a hematopoietic, antimicrobial, and analgesic agent. In the present study, the amelioration of acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity of the aqueous extract of S. torvum Sw. fruits is evaluated. Methods: The hepatoprotective activity of the fruit extract against APAP insult was evaluated by assessing it is in vivo antioxidants status, membrane-bound adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases), and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle marker enzymes and also through histopathological studies of the liver. Results: Administration of the aqueous fruit extract of the plant caused a significant increase in the in vivo antioxidant status as evident from the reduction in lipid peroxidation caused by APAP and improvement in the mitochondrial membrane stability which is proved from the activity of membrane-bound ATPases and TCA cycle marker enzymes. Histological studies also supported the fact that the plant extract proved to revive the architecture of the toxin damaged liver tissues in par with silymarin. The chemical pathological changes were consistent with histopathological observations suggesting marked hepatoprotective effect of the aqueous extract of S. torvum. Conclusion: The results showed that the extract of S. torvum Sw. fruits has hepatoprotective potential which may be due to the antioxidant activity of its phytoconstituents, especially flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, etc.