Detraction of Diclofenac-Associated Hepatotoxicity by Fresh Beet Root Juice in Male Albino Mice

The beet root as dietary supplement hepatoprotective ability has gained interest in recent days. The present study was designed to determine the potential hepatoprotective effect of beet root juice as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agent to eliminate the hepatotoxic effect of diclofenac as wide spread analgesic agent. Male albino mice were divided randomly into 4 groups, the 1st group served as control group, the 2nd group received 8 mL/kg of freshly prepared beet root juice, the 3rd group received oral administration 20 mg/kg of diclofenac and the 4th group pre-treated with beet root before one-hour diclofenac administration for 30 days. Biochemical results revealed sharp significant raised levels of liver enzymes level (AST, ALT, ALP and GGT) in the 3rd group that received diclofenac, besides to marked pathological changes manifested by high pathological scoring system such as hepatocytes degeneration, ballooning, infiltration and fibrosis. Immunohistochemical analysis elucidated massive incidence of MDA as an indicator of oxidative stress, moreover great number of neutrophils were seen as main component of inflammation. Whereas, pre-treatment of beet root juice one hour before diclofenac resulted in significant decrease of liver enzymes, clear attenuation of pathological features, decrease of pathological score. A great reduction of MDA in liver tissue and number of neutrophils stained histochemically. It was concluded that beet root juice possessed beneficial hepatoprotective role against diclofenac, as significant anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.