Antihepatotoxic Effects of Boerhaavia diffusa L. on Antituberculosis Drug, Rifampicin Induced Liver Injury in Rats

摘要

The aim of the present study was to investigate the antihepatotoxic effect of aqueous leaf extract of Boerhaavia diffusa (BDEx) on rifampicin induced liver injury. The activities of serum hepatic marker enzymes viz., aspartate aminotransferase (AST, 95.30+-2.96), alanine aminotransferase (ALT, 51.27+-2.52) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP, 167.04+-2.59), levels of bilirubin (0.96+-0.01), cholesterol (95.88+-3.29) and protein (8.43+-0.10) were estimated in control rats. Significant elevation of serum hepatic marker enzymes (AST, 254.59+-3.10; ALT, 181.95+-2.45; ALP, 316.57+-2.35), bilirubin (3.46+-0.28) and cholesterol (151.09+-1.15) whereas protein (5.28+-0.07) level decreased in rats treated with rifampicin (1 g kg"' b. wt. orally one day only). Oral administration of BDEx (250 and 500 mg kg"1 b. wt. once daily for 28 days) and silymarin to rifampicin induced liver injury rats caused significantly (p<0.05) attenuated the aforementioned parameters. The maximum antihepatotoxic effect against rifampicin induced liver injury was achieved with BDEx 500 mg kg"1 b. wt. but doses higher than 500 mg kg"1 b. wt. were less effective. These results are compared to the reference hepatoprotective agent silymarin. These results suggest that BDEx possess the antihepatotoxic activity against rifampicin induced liver injury.