Hepato-ameliorative effect of hesperidin and ellagic acid on mercuric chloride intoxicated rats

Protective efficacy of Hesperidin and Ellagic acid on hepatotoxicity induced by mercuric chloride for 7 days in rats, Rattus norvegicus, were carried out in the present study. At sub-lethal dose of mercuric chloride (1.23 mg/kg body weight) was administrated in rats for 7 days through oral dose. After completing the scheduled exposure time, the intoxicated rats were sacrificed and then whole liver organ was isolated immediately and they used for bio-enzymological analyses. In the present experimental study, the following biochemical and bio-enzymological studies were carried out to find the levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and super oxidedismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GP_X) activities in whole liver tissue. The results revealed that treatment with mercuric chloride caused marked elevation in the level of free radicals (LPO) and simultaneously decreased in the level of SOD, CAT, GP_X, activities and GSH content in rat liver tissue. The hesperidin and ellagic acid (5 mg/kg body weight) treatment on mercury-intoxicated rats were restoring these oxidant and antioxidant activities near to normal level when compared to mercuric chloride intoxicated groups. These results suggested that the protective efficacy of hesperidin and ellagic acid on mercuric chloride induced hepatotoxicity in rats have been proven.