Hepatoprotective activity of <i style="">Hemidesmus indicus</i> R. Br. in rats

Abstract

Treatment of rats with paracetamol and CCl₄ produced a significant increase in the levels of serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total and direct bilirubin. Rats pretreated with methanolic extract of roots of <i style="">H. indicus </i>(100-500 mg/kg body weight, po) exhibited rise in the levels of these enzymes but it was significantly less as compared to those treated with paracetamol or CCl₄ alone. The results of methanolic extract of <i style="">H. indicus</i> were comparable with the standard hepatoprotective agent silymarin (100 mg/kg). Maximum hepatoprotective effect was found to be at the dose of 250 mg/kg body weight in case of CCl₄ induced hepatic damage while 500 mg/kg body weight in case of paracetamol induced hepatic damage. The results suggest that methanolic extract of <i style="">H. indicus</i> roots possesses a potential antihepatotoxic activity.