Hepatoprotective effects of ethanolic extract of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on paracetamol-induced hepatic damage in rats

The study was designed to evaluate the possible hepatoprotective effect of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on paracetamol poisoning in rats. Twenty five male Wistar rats were used in this study. They were divided into 5 groups of 5 rats. Groups I and II received normal saline (0.9% physiological saline). Animal in groups III-V were administered Cnidoscolus aconitifolius at 100, 500 and 1,000 mg kg(-1), respectively for 7 days. All animal in groups II-V were given paracetamol at 3 g kg(-1) by gastric gavage on days 8 and 9. Animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation on day 10 after an overnight fast. Paracetamol overdose caused significant (p<0.05) increase in the plasma Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides (TAG) with total cholesterol (TC) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL-cholesterol) and significant (p<0.05) decrease Total Protein (TP) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL-cholesterol) in rats treated with paracetamol alone when compared with rats pre-treated with extract of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius. Pre-treatment with ethanolic extract of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius led to significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum ALT, ALP, AST, LDL and BUN when compared with the paracetamol treated rats in dose-dependent manner. The extract also similarly caused significant (p<0.05) increase in HDL values compared with paracetamol treated group. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that Cnidoscolus aconitifolius can ameliorate paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity. Significant hepato-protective activity was observed in rats treated with the dose of 1000 mg kg(-1) b.wt.

Interactions between reactive oxygen species and cancer: the roles of natural dietary antioxidants and their molecular mechanisms of action

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are natural products inevitably generated along with cellular metabolism. Due to their extreme reactivity, they can damage DNA, proteins and lipids. Dietary antioxidants have been shown to take part in cellular reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions in which they can act as either antioxidants (election donors) or pro-oxidants (election acceptors) depending on the physiological environment and general oxidative state. Organisms have developed efficient machinery and mechanisms to keep the production of ROS under tight control, these same mechanisms have also been found to regulate other intracellular processes. p53 is a sequence-specific transcription factor and critical tumour suppressor gene that is most frequently mutated in human cancer. Cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, can now be ameliorated, blocked or reversed with ubiquitous polyphenolic and organosulphur compounds present in natural dietary antioxidants.

Curcumin: from food spice to cancer prevention

Curcumin [1, 7-bis (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1, 6 heptadiene-3, 5-dione] is an orange-yellow component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice often found in curry powder. It is known to have a variety of biologic and pharmacologic activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anticarcinogenic potential. It is a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 with capacity to simultaneously induce detoxifying enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase and as such may find application as a chemopreventive agent. Curcumin is a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, lipooxygenase, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), nuclear factor-kappaB, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and protein kinase C and has also been demonstrated to play a vital role against pathological conditions such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases.