Protective effects of seaweeds against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in rats

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 173 - 176
• Main Authors: Wong, C.K, Ooi, V.E.C, Ang, P.O
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: alanine transaminase; Animals; Antioxidants - pharmacology; aspartate transaminase; Biological and medical sciences; brown seaweeds; carbon tetrachloride; Carbon Tetrachloride - adverse effects; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - pathology; Digestive system; Disease Models, Animal; enzyme activity; extracts; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - pathology; macroalgae; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal properties; Myagropsis myagroides; oral administration; Phaeophyta; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; prevention; protection; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sargassum; Sargassum henslowianum; Sargassum siliquastrum; sargasum siliquastrum; Seaweed - chemistry; seaweed products; toxicity; Asia; China; ISEW, China, People's Rep., Hong Kong; Rat; Hepatoprotector; Algae; Rodentia; Hepatic disease; Extract; Biological activity; Sargassum; Marine environment; Prevention; Heterokontophyta; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Aquatic weed; Plant origin; Digestive diseases; Phaeophyceae; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/S0045-6535(99)00407-5

Three species of seaweeds collected from Tung Ping Chau, Hong Kong, were screened for their hepatoprotective activity using carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4)-induced liver injury in the rat as a model of chemical hepatitis. A single oral dose of 1.25 ml/kg of CCl 4 was able to produce significantly elevated levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transminase (GOT). Administration of 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg of aqueous extracts from Myagropsis myagroides, Sargassum henslowianum and S. siliquastrum, respectively, significantly reduced the CCl 4-induced acute elevation in the levels of GPT and GOT in rats. The same result was also seen in the histopathological study of liver tissue. The seaweed crude extracts probably acted to protect against CCl 4-induced liver injury through their antioxidant properties.