Protective effect of Pisonia aculeata on thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of Pisonia aculeata (P. aculeata) on thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were administered 250 or 500 mg/kg p.o. of P. aculeata extract for 21 days and simultaneously administered thioacetamide (TAA) 50 mg/kg bw s.c. 1 h after the respective assigned treatments every 72 h. At the end of all experimental methods, all the animals were sacrificed by cervical decapitation. Blood samples were collected. Serum was separated and analyzed for various biochemical parameters.

Results: TAA induced a significant rise in aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, gamma glutamate transpeptidase (GGTP), lipid peroxidase (LPO) with a reduction of total protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Treatment of rats with different doses of plant extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.001) altered serum marker enzymes and antioxidant levels to near normal against TAA treated rats. The activity of the extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg was comparable to the standard drug, silymarin (50 mg/kg, p.o.).

Conclusions: It can be concluded that P. aculeata extract possesses a remarkable hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity against TAA induced hepatotoxicity. More research is required to derive an optimal therapeutic dose.