Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Momordica dioica Roxb. leaves

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 115; no. 1; pp. 61 - 66
• Main Authors: Jain, Avijeet, Soni, Manish, Deb, Lokesh, Jain, Anurekha, Rout, S.P., Gupta, V.B., Krishna, K.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 04.01.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - blood; Alkaline Phosphatase - blood; Animals; Antioxidant activity; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - isolation & purification; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Bilirubin - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon Tetrachloride; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; DPPH; Female; Free Radical Scavengers - chemistry; Free Radical Scavengers - isolation & purification; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; General pharmacology; Hepatoprotective activity; Histopathology; Liver - drug effects; Liver - pathology; Liver Diseases - prevention & control; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Momordica - chemistry; Momordica dioica Roxb; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Silymarin; Silymarin - pharmacology; Toxicity Tests, Acute; Hepatoprotective activity; Histopathology; DPPH; Silymarin; Momordica dioica Roxb; Carbon tetrachloride; Antioxidant activity; Hepatoprotector; Pharmacognosy; Cucurbitaceae; Extract; Plant leaf; Antioxidant; Flavonoid; Medicinal plant; Polyphenol; Anatomic pathology; Dicotyledones; Silibinin; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Phenols; Lignan; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.09.009

In present study, the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Momordica dioica Roxb. leaves were evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4) induced hepatic damage in rats. The extracts at dose of 200 mg/kg were administered orally once daily. The substantially elevated serum enzymatic levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (AST), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (ALT), serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP) and total bilirubin were restored towards normalization significantly by the extracts. Silymarin was used as standard reference and exhibited significant hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride induced haptotoxicity in rats. The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of rat liver sections. The results of this study strongly indicate that Momordica dioica Roxb. leaves have potent hepatoprotective action against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic damage in rats. Ethanolic extract was found more potent hepatoprotective. Meanwhile, in vivo antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities were also screened which were positive for both ethanolic and aqueous extracts. This study suggests that possible mechanism of this activity may be due to free radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities which may be due to the presence of flavonoids in the extracts.