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Liver protective effect of chloroform extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaves is attributed partly to its antioxidant action and the presence of flavonoids

Authors

  • Zainul Zakaria aBorneo Research on Algesia, Inflammation and Neurodegeneration (BRAIN) Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Sabah, Malaysia
  • Roro Azizah bDepartment of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Campus C Universitas Airlangga, Jalan Mulyorejo Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
  • Syahriel Abdullah gInstitute of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Sabah, Malaysia
  • Arifah Kadir fDepartment of Veterinary Pre-clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Tavamani Balan eFaculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
  • Maizatul Omar dHerbal Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Shah Alam, Malaysia
  • Amal Zainol cDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Azfar Azmi cDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Adibah Sahmat cDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Lilis Sulistyorini bDepartment of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Campus C Universitas Airlangga, Jalan Mulyorejo Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

Keywords:

Liver injury, paracetamol intoxication, hepatoprotection, non-free radical scavenging, endogenous antioxidant enzymes system

Abstract

Context Bauhinia purpurea L. (Fabaceae) is used in the Ayurvedic system to treat various oxidative-related ailments (e.g., wounds, ulcers etc.). Therefore, it is believed that the plant also has the potential to alleviate oxidative-related liver damage. Objective This study elucidates the hepatoprotective activity of chloroform extract of B. purpurea leaves (CEBP) in paracetamol (PCM)-induced liver injury (PILI) rats. Materials and methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6) were pre-treated once daily (p.o.) with CEBP (50–500 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days before being administered (p.o.) a hepatotoxic agent, 3 g/kg PCM. Liver enzyme levels were determined from the collected blood, while the collected liver was used to determine the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and for histopathological examination. CEBP was also subjected to radical scavenging assays and phytochemical analysis. Results CEBP significantly (p < 0.05) reversed the toxic effect of PCM by increasing the serum levels of AST and ALT, and the activity of endogenous catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) while reducing the liver weight/body weight (LW/BW) ratio. Other than low TPC value and radical scavenging activity, CEBP had a high antioxidant capacity when evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. UHPLC-ESI-MS analysis of CEBP showed the presence of flavonoids. Discussion and conclusions CEBP exerts its hepatoprotective activity through a non-free radical scavenging pathway that involves activation of the endogenous enzymatic antioxidant defense system. Further study is needed to identify the responsible bioactive compounds before the plant can be developed as a future alternative hepatoprotective medicament for clinical use. Keywords: Liver injury, paracetamol intoxication, hepatoprotection, non-free radical scavenging, endogenous antioxidant enzymes system

Author Biography

Zainul Zakaria, aBorneo Research on Algesia, Inflammation and Neurodegeneration (BRAIN) Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Sabah, Malaysia

bDepartment of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Campus C Universitas Airlangga, Jalan Mulyorejo Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

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