Hepatoprotective effects of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) against carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury in rats

BACKGROUND: Liver injuries induced by carbon tetrachloride are the best-characterized system of xenobiotic-induced hepatotoxicity and commonly used model for the screening of hepatoprotective activities of drugs. The present study evaluates the hepatoprotective activity of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), family Elaeagnaceae, on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in male albino rats. The study was performed on Sprague-Dawley male albino rats weighing about 180-200 g. The animals were pretreated with three different doses of leaf extract (50, 100 and 200 mg kg(-1) body weight) for S days. Hepatotoxicity was induced by single oral administration of 1.5 mL CCl4 kg(-1) body weight on the fifth day. The animals were then sacrificed and assessed for various biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Administration of CCl4 significantly enhanced glutamate oxaloacetate transferase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transferase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin, and decreased total protein levels in the serum. Treatment with CCl4 also significantly decreased reduced glutathione (GSH), and decreased glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. CCl4 treatment also caused a significant increase in hepatic lipid peroxidation as assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the tissue. Pretreatment of leaf extract at a concentration of 100 and 200 mg kg(-1) body weight significantly (P < 0.05) protected the animals from CCl4-induced liver injury. The extract significantly restricted the CCl4-induced increase of GOT, GPT, ALP and bilirubin and better maintained protein levels in the serum. Further, it also enhanced GSH and decreased MDA levels. CONCLUSION: The results show that sea buckthorn leaf extract has significant hepatoprotective effects which might be due to its antioxidant activity and can be developed as a nutraceutical or food supplement against liver diseases. (c) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry.