Hepatoprotective effect of euphorbia hirta on carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury in rats

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of alcoholic extract of Euphorbia hirta on carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury in albino rats. Intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (1 ml/kg body weight every 72 hrs for 16 days significantly increased serum pyruvate transaminase, serum oxalate transaminase and serum bilirubin levels in rats. Histopathologically it produced hepatic necrosis, especially in the central lobular region. Simultaneous treatment with Euphorbia hirta (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight daily) and carbon tetrachloride, caused improvement of both biochemical and histopathological parameters compared to that of carbon tetrachloride treatment group alone. However, the extract exhibited significant (p < 0.001) hepatoprotective activity at 200 mg/kg p.o, which was comparable to the activity exhibited by the standard reference silymarin in carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity model. These findings were confirmed by the results of the histopathological study of liver.