HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES L. IN CARBON TETRACHLORIDE INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN ALBINO WISTAR RATS
To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Hippophae rhamnoides L. in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in albino wistar rats. Animals were divided into five different groups containing of six rats each. Group I acts as control were administered single daily dose of normal saline (10ml/kg bwpo) for 10 days. Group II received normal saline for 9 days and on the 10th day carbon tetrachloride 1.0ml/kgbwpo were administered to induce hepatotoxicity. Group III and IV received Hippophae rhamnoides L. at two different doses (100mg/kg and 400mg/kg bwpo) respectively. Group V received Silymarin (140mg/kg bwpo) daily for 10 days. Carbon tetrachloride was induced by single oral administration of 1.0ml/kg bwpo on the 10th day for groups III, IV and V. On the 10th day, animals were anaesthetized after 1 hour receiving carbon tetrachloride under ether and the blood was collected from the retro orbital plexus. Centrifugation at 2500rpm at 300C was done to separate the serum. The transaminase enzymes such as AST, ALT, and ALP were measured in the serum of respective groups to study the liver function. To evaluate the action of Hippophae rhamnoides L., histopathological study was done to measure the characteristics such as centrizonal necrosis, sinusoidal dilation and hepatic fatty degeneration. Results revealed that, there is a tremendous elevation in the liver enzymes such as ATP, ALT, and AST associated with CCl4 administration. In addition to that, administration of CCl4 in rats caused liver tissue abnormalities such as centrizonal necrosis, sinusoidal dilation and hepatic fatty degeneration. The aqueous extract of Hippophae rhamnoides L. showed significant reduction in the liver tissue abnormalities and liver enzymes. In this present study, it has shown that Hippophae rhamnoides L. demonstrate a strong hepatoprotective activity against CCl4 induced rats.