Hepatoprotective, Antihyperlipidemic and Radical Scavenging Activity of Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) on Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Alcohol catabolism produces oxidative stress, causing cell death and inflammation in liver tissue principally. Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) are medicinal plants that have shown a potent antioxidant activity related with anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was the evaluation of Hawthorn and Rosemary methanol extracts as preventive treatment in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). ALD rat model was used to measure serum hepatic enzyme levels (AST, ALT, γ-GT and ACP), total bilirubin, liver glycogen, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL) as well as histopathological analysis in hepatic tissues was recorder. Phytotreatments showed preventive effect, decreasing AST, γ-GT, lipid peroxidation and bilirubin indictors while TAC and liver glycogen stores increase. Interestingly, Rosemary diminished the levels of ALT and ACP. Remarkable both treatments show liver tissue damage reduction. Hawthorn proved antihyperlipidemic effect, eviting increase in all lipid indicators, while Rosemary showed antihyperlipidemic effect only in LDL levels without affecting HDL levels. The results indicate that Hawthorn and Rosemary treatments have different mechanisms of action; however they show hepatoprotective effect against ALD in rat model. Hawthorn and Rosemary could be used to prevent or help in the treatment of ALD.

Quantitative measurement of oxidative damage in erythrocytes as indicator in benzene intoxications.

The metabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons by the organism forms products that cause cell death depending on the type of exposure. Benzene exposure has been linked to oxidative stress, hepatic damage, aplastic anemia, and hematopoietic cancer as lymphoid and myeloid leukemia. However, there are not fast methods to evaluate chronic benzene exposure in human blood. The objective of this work was the evaluation of the correlation between oxidative damage with benzene exposure and the level of cellular plasma membrane stability (CPMS) in erythrocytes to use it as a future indicator to determine the grade of benzene intoxications. CPMS in vitro assays were used to evaluate damage for benzene, toluene, and xylene. Erythrocytes CPMS assays in vitro shows a progressive reduction with benzene, toluene, and xylene suggesting that aromatic hydrocarbons complexity favors CPMS damage. Eight groups of Wistar rats (n = 5) were used to study the level of damage on CPMS by acute and chronic benzene administration. Enzymatic, metabolic, histological, and oxidative damage tests were performed. Acute administration (100 µL/100 g/single dose) showed a decrease of 66.7% in CPMS, while 63.6% for chronic administration (5 µL/100 g/every 2 days/3 months) showing a correlation with liver damage principally (transaminases activity increase, glycogen level decrease, and high oxidative damage). Tissue damage was observed in bone marrow, kidney, spleen, and lungs. Benzene produces damage on CPMS depending on the exposure time and dose. The CPMS technique could be used as an important aromatic hydrocarbons intoxication indicator.