THE ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA LEAVES: IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDIES

Hussien, Hanan Tantawy; Tag, Hend M.; Ahmed, Eman; Nabil, Zohour I.; El-Naggar, Mohamed S.

doi:10.21608/ejz.2022.139640.1083

THE ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA LEAVES: IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDIES

Document Type : Original Research Papers

Authors

¹ Zoology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

² Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

10.21608/ejz.2022.139640.1083

Abstract

Tinospora cordifolia has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat a number of diseases for a long time. The antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of the ethanolic extract of T. cordifolia leaves (TC extract) were tested in the present study on the cultured rat hepatocytes and thioacetamide (TAA)-treated rats. For in vivo experiments, forty male Wistar rats were allotted randomly into eight groups (n=5): group “1” acted as the control group, group “2” represented the TAA-treated rats, groups “3-5” were treated with different doses of TC extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively, orally/daily for 4 weeks); while groups “6-8” were TAA-treated rats that received 50, 100, and 200 mg, respectively, of TC extract/kg body weight (orally/daily for 4 weeks). The TC extract exhibited no marked cytotoxic activity against the cultured hepatocytes at IC₅₀≤500 µg/mL (after 48 hours) in the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The in vivo experiments revealed that the TC extract (at doses ≥100 mg/kg body weight) modulated significantly (P<0.05) the increase in the plasma aminotransferases and C-reactive protein levels, and lactate dehydrogenase activity, in the TAA-treated rats. In addition, the TC extract (at doses ≥50 mg/kg body weight) boosted significantly (P<0.05) the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and the glutathione content, in the hepatic tissues of the TAA-treated rats. Moreover, the histological results confirmed the hepatoprotective effects of the TC extract in the TAA-treated rats. In conclusion, the TC extract showed a hepatoprotective activity in the TAA-treated rats by its powerful antioxidant potential.

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