Berberis vulgaris aqueous extract prevention of carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity and lipopolysaccharides/paracetamol induced hepatitis in rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Berberis vulgaris water extract (BWE) against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and LPS/PCM induced- hepatic inflammation in the experimental animal models. CCl4 (100 ug/kg, oral) administration for 28 days as well as the co-administration of LPS (250 ug/kg bw) and PCM (2 g/kg bw) for 28 days resulted in massive elevation in serum and hepatic prooxidants and inflammatory parameters (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), tissue tumor necrosis factor–alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-12 and nitric oxide (NO) with depletion in antioxidants system (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). These alterations were combined with elevation of serum liver function tests (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase level and (ALP). Oral administration of the BWE (100 mg/kg) for 15 days showed hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects against both CCl4 and LPS/PCM as it increased the activities of antioxidants enzymes, decreased the prooxidants and inflammatory markers levels and improved the serum liver function tests levels. The obtained findings thus suggest that B. vulgaris aqueous extract has protective roles against hepatic toxicity and hepatic inflammation due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Key words: Carbon tetrachloride, paracetamol, lipopolysaccharide, glutathione peroxidase, alanine transferase.