Protective effect of Teucrium polium on carbon tetrachloride induced genotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of Teucrium polium (TP) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced spleen, erythrocyte's oxidative stress, and genotoxicity in rats. TP was found to contain large amounts of polyphenols (150 mg GAE/G of dry plant) and flavonoids (60 mg QE/g of quercetin dry plant). The CCl4 (0.5 ml/kg) treated rats exhibited significant reductions in serum vitamin A (VA), vitamin E (VE) and total antioxidant status (TAS). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) were significantly high in the CCl4 group compared to controls. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly decreased in CCl4 rats. Cytogenetic trials revealed remarkable increases in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) following CCl4 administration. Pretreatment with TP prevented damages caused by CCl4. Spleen characterised by necrosis was detected in CCl4 as compared to controls. Pretreatment with TP considerably decreased the perturbation.

Attenuation of Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatic Toxicity by a Dietary Supplement.

Advanced liver disease (ALD) is often characterized with overt malnutrition and liver fibrosis. In this study, a dietary supplement (DS) was first developed, including branch chain amino acids, fat soluble vitamins, zinc, medium chain triglycerides, soy lecithin, L-carnitine, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Benefits of DS were then tested using an ALD rat model treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 6, 8, and 10 weeks, respectively. Our study showed that CCl4-induced drop of serum albumin and ratio of branch chain to aromatic amino acids were significantly prevented at all three time points. DS also mitigated CCl4-induced elevation of classical liver function markers (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and bilirubin) at certain time points, depending on specific liver function markers. Moreover, CCl4-induced liver fibrosis was strongly inhibited at all three time points in a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) independent manner. These findings indicated multi-faceted benefits of DS in this animal model, suggesting that it could be a useful adjunctive treatment of ALD in clinic.

IN VITRO AND IN VIVO EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF STEVIA EXTRACT.

BACKGROUND: The current trend globally is the utilization of natural products as therapeutic agents given its minimum side effects. The leaves of Stevia contain several active ingredient compounds such as rebaudioside. Stevia extract have been used for many purposes. Active oxygen radicals can induce base modifications, DNA breakage, and intracellular protein crosslink's. This study was done to evaluate the potential of stevia extract as antibacterial and antioxidants actions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibacterial activity of different extracts of stevia was tested in vitro against different species of bacteria and hepato-protective efficacy was testes in rats injected with CCl4 as hepatotoxic. RESULTS: Acetone extract exhibited antibacterial activity against selected five bacteria species. The acetone extract suppressed the elevation of serum ALT (p <0.05) and AST (p <0.001) activities induced by CCl4. Animals given stevia extract showed prevention against deleterious effects of CCl4 by lowering lipid peroxidation and enhancement of antioxidant activities as SOD and CAT. The protection trial is better than treatment trial. Total phenolic content of aqueous and acetone extracts were found 30 mg and 85 mg gallic /gm extract respectively. While the total flavonoids were 40 mg and 80 mg quercetin/g respectively. The GC-MS analysis showed that monoterpene and indole are the main components. Aqueous extract don't show any antibacterial activity against the tested strains. The antioxidant properties were attributable to its phenolic content to scavenge free radicals. CONCLUSION: Acetone extract possess a potent antimicrobial and activity against deleterious effect of CCl4-caused liver damage.

[THE RHYTHMIC ORGANIZATION OF THE ANNUAL DYNAMICS OF FUNCTIONAL INDICATORS OF RAT LIVER UNDER TOXIC LOAD].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the annual dynamics of the functional state of the liver of rats with experimental hepatitis on early period of intoxication. Materials and methods: This research was conducted for three years on 172 adult male rats Wistar. The toxic hepatitis was caused by subcutaneous injection three times a 50% oil solution of carbon tetrachloride. The studies were conducted in the winter (January), summer (June-July), spring (April) and autumn (October) on the 4th day after the last administration of the toxin. Activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the level of total lipids (TL), total bilirubin (TB), malondialdehyde (MDA) and thymol (T) using standard sets of Biotest «Lachema¼ were determined in the blood serum. Statistic processing of primary chronograms of investigated parameters was performed with the program "сosinor analysis." Results: It was found that in the control animals was dominated by annual and circannual rhythms of the liver functions and in the spectra of the studied parameters were observed several subdominant harmonic. The maxima of liver function detected to the different time intervals on an annual scale, that is, they were not coordinated with each other. On day 4 experimental hepatitis was increased the average annual of study functions (with the exception of ТL) and in their rhythmic organization was observed the inner synchronization by period and acrophase. In the spectra of the rhythms of the studied parameters mainly was determined by only the annual harmonic with acrophase in the autumn months. It can together indicate the development of a powerful pathological process in the liver.

Effect of two esters of N-methylanthranilic acid from Rutaceae species on impaired kidney morphology and function in rats caused by CCl4.

AIMS: Herein we investigated the potential protective effects of methyl N-methylanthranilate (MA) and isopropyl N-methylanthranilate (IA), two naturally occurring plant constituents from Rutaceae taxa, in a rat model of acute intoxication with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) by tracking changes in kidney tissue morphology and function. MAIN METHODS: The antioxidant capacity of IA and MA was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid radical cation (ABTS(+)) assays and superoxide-scavenging test. Wistar rats were treated daily with MA and IA for seven days in a dose of 200mg/kg. Twenty-four hours after a CCl4 injection, rats were sacrificed and blood samples were used for the evaluation of urea and creatinine. Kidney tissue specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff and Jones stain and evaluated for morphological changes. Quantification of structural changes determined by histological analysis of kidney tissue was assessed by a morphometric analysis of glomeruli using ImageJ software. KEY FINDINGS: IA and MA applied in high doses on their own did not cause any significant damage to kidney tissue. A pretreatment with MA prior to the administration of CCl4 significantly prevented the increase of serum levels of decreased kidney function markers, while that of IA did not. Histopathological evaluation of the kidneys also revealed that MA reduced the incidence of kidney lesions. SIGNIFICANCE: Our experiments showed that methyl-, and not isopropyl-, N-methylanthranilate possesses a protective potential against CCl4-induced kidney damage in rats. The results are of interest due to the presence of natural or synthetic methyl N-methylanthranilate in the human diet and their potent analgesic properties.

[Immune homeostasis impairment in acute carbon tetrachloride intoxicated rats corrected by administration of tocopherol acetate and unithiol].

The results of experiments on noninbred albino rats showed that the acute intoxication with carbon tetrachloride (CT) at a dose of 1 LD50 reduced the parameters of cellular immune response and function of Th1 cells more significantly than the levels of humoral immune response and Th2-lymphocyte function, decreases the blood content of immunoregulatory cytokines IFN-g, IL-2, IL-4 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-13, while not changing the concentration of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and increasing the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. The application of unithiol, tocopherol acetate, and combinations partially restores the parameters examined. The combined effects of drugs during intoxication with CT does not exceed their separate action.

Role of the sympathetic nervous system in carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammation.

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is widely used as an animal model of hepatotoxicity and the mechanisms have been arduously studied, however, the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity remains controversial. It is also known that either CCl4 or SNS can affect systemic inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in a mouse model of CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammatory response. Mice exposed to CCl4 or vehicle were pretreated with 6-OHDA or saline. The serum levels of aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase in the CCl4-poisoning mice with sympathetic denervation were significantly lower than those without sympathetic denervation. With sympathetic denervation, hepatocellular necrosis and fat infiltration induced by CCl4 were greatly decreased. Sympathetic denervation significantly attenuated CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation in liver and serum. Acute CCl4 intoxication showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines [eotaxin-2/CCL24, Fas ligand, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-6, IL-12p40p70, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], as well as decreased expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and keratinocyte-derived chemokine. The overexpressed levels of IL-1α, IL-6, IL-12p40p70, MCP-1/CCL2, and TNF-α were attenuated by sympathetic denervation. Pretreatment with dexamethasone significantly reduced CCl4-induced hepatic injury. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the SNS plays an important role in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammation and the effect may be connected with chemical- or drug-induced hepatotoxicity and circulating immune response.

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-d-ribofuranoside alleviated carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatitis in mice.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is one of the principal cellular energy sensors participating in maintenance of energy balance but recent evidences also suggested that AMPK might be involved in the regulation of inflammation. In the present study, the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) was used to investigate the potential roles of AMPK in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatitis. The experimental data indicated that treatment with AICAR significantly decreased the elevation of plasma aminotransferases and alleviated hepatic histological abnormalities in CCl4-exposed mice. Treatment with AICAR also inhibited the increase of myeloperoxidase (MPO), the induction of TNF-α, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide and the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-3 and MMP-9 in mice exposed to CCl4. These effects were associated with suppressed nuclear accumulation of NF-κB p65. These results indicated that the AMPK activator AICAR effectively suppressed the inflammatory responses and alleviated liver damage induced by CCl4, implying that AMPK activation might be beneficial for ameliorating inflammation-based liver damage.

[EXPERIMENTAL FOUNDATION FOR LINSEED AND WALNUT OILS APPLICATION IN GASTROENTEROLOGY].

In the article the influence of the hepatotropic effect of linseed and walnut oils on the lipid composition of the rats' blood serum under CCl4 intoxication has been presented. Lipid metabolism was characterised by the assessment of total cholesterol content in the blood serum, non-etherified cholesterol, cholesterol ethers, cholesterol lipoproteids of high-, low- and very low- density as well as triaclglycerins. In rats with experimental severe liver insufficiency associated with cholesterol increase in low-density lipoproteid fraction alongside its decrease in high-density lipoproteid fraction hypercholesterolemia was progressing. Cholesterol etherification inhibition (by 31.1%) was also observed. The tendency to less intensive disorders (by 1.7-2.0) as well as the tendency to lipid metabolism normalisation in animals have been revealed under the influence of lipophilic substances studied.

Soya phospholipid complex of mangiferin enhances its hepatoprotectivity by improving its bioavailability and pharmacokinetics.

BACKGROUND: Mangiferin is a xanthonoid present in Mangifera indica. It has been reported for a variety of pharmacological activities, including hepatoprotection. However, the major disadvantage of mangiferin is its reduced biological activity due to poor absorption, low bioavailability and rapid elimination from the body after administration. The aim of this study was to prepare a phospholipid complex of mangiferin to overcome these limitations and to investigate the impact of the complex on hepatoprotective activity and bioavailability. RESULTS: The results showed that the complex has an enhanced hepatoprotective and in vivo antioxidant activity as compared to pure mangiferin at the same dose level (30 and 60 mg kg⁻¹). The complex restored the levels of serum hepatic marker enzymes and liver antioxidant enzymes with respect to carbon tetrachloride-treated animals. The complex also increased the bioavailability of mangiferin in rat serum by 9.75-fold compared to pure mangiferin at the same dose level and enhanced the elimination half-life (t(1/2 el)) from 1.71 ± 0.12 h⁻¹ to 3.52 ± 0.27 h⁻¹. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the complexation of mangiferin with soya phospholipid enhanced the hepatoprotection and in vivo antioxidant activity, which may be due to the improved bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of mangiferin in rat serum.

Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of silymarin phytosomes compared to milk thistle extract in CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Milk thistle extract is a well-known hepatoprotectant with low bioavailability (20-50%). The objective of the present study is to prepare and characterize silymarin phytosomes and to test the hepatoprotective effect of the phytosomes in CCl4 induced liver injury in rats compared to milk thistle extract. Phytosomes were prepared using lecithin from soybeans and from egg yolk. The prepared phytosomes were examined using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H(1)NMR). The loading efficiency was >85% in all phytosomal formulations. Formula P2 (with the molar ratio of soybean lecithin to silybin 1:1) and P4 (with the molar ratio of egg-yolk lecithin to silybin 0.25:1) exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) faster release than milk thistle extract. The in vivo study revealed that phytosomes significantly (p < 0.05) decreased glutamic pyruvic transaminase and super oxide dismutase activities compared to milk thistle extract.

Inhibitory effect of Nymphaea pubescens Willd. flower extract on carrageenan-induced inflammation and CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Nymphaea pubescens Willd. is used as ingredient of ethnic diet and folk medicine in South-East Asia. The water (NPW), methanol (NPM) and chloroform (NPC) extracts of N. pubescens flowers were investigated for NO·, O2·â» and DPPH radical scavenging and iron chelating activities in vitro. NPW was found to be the most potent free radical scavenger (EC50<100 µg/mL) whereas NPC did not show EC50 at 500 µg/mL. Therefore, NPW was selected for further studies on anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities, using standard in vitro and in vivo models. NPW exhibited inhibition of nitrogen radical generation in LPS-activated macrophages (IC50=75.5 µg/mL) through suppression of iNOS protein, with no associated toxicity in the cells. Further, 500 mg/kg of NPW reduced rat paw edema by ~50% after 6h of carrageenan administration. Hepatoprotective activity of NPW was also evaluated in vivo on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity model in rats. NPW treatment (500 mg/kg/day for ten days) attenuated CCl4-induced increase in serum enzymes, viz. alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and bilirubin. Also, glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-levels were restored towards normalcy in the liver of CCl4-treated rats, indicating the hepatoprotective role of NPW, which was found to contain a fair amount of flavonoids, phenolics, and saponin constituents.

Hepatoprotective activity of puerarin against carbon tetrachloride-induced injuries in rats: a randomized controlled trial.

The protective effects of puerarin on liver damage were evaluated by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Male rats were orally treated with puerarin daily, and received CCl4 intraperitoneally twice a week for 4 weeks. Our results showed that puerarin at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg b. w. significantly reduced the elevated activities of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase at least 15%, 17%, 14% and 18%, respectively. In addition, puerarin at different doses significantly decreased (p<0.05) the level of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances compared to the CCl4-treated group. Furthermore, the treatment of puerarin was also found to significantly increase the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione content at least 40%, 12%, 25%, 52%, 17% and 44% in the liver of CCl4-treated rats, respectively. Liver histopathology also showed that puerarin reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl4. The results suggest that puerarin exhibits potent hepatoprotective effects on CCl4-induced liver damages in rats, and that the hepatoprotective effects of puerarin may be due to both the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and to increase of antioxidant enzymes activity.

In vitro and in vivo hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract from Meconopsis integrifolia (Maxim.) Franch.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Meconopsis integrifolia (Maxim.) Franch is a high mountain endemic species used as a traditional Tibetan and Mongolian herb to treat hepatitis, pneumonia, and edema. This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of Meconopsis integrifolia ethanolic extract (MIE) in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The in vitro antioxidant property of MIE was investigated by employing various established systems. Rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury were used to assess the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effect of MIE in vivo. The level or activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin (TB) in the blood serum and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) in the liver and kidney of the rats were assayed using standard procedures. RESULTS: MIE exhibited strong antioxidant ability in vitro. In the rats with CCl4-induced liver injury, the groups treated with MIE and silymarin showed significantly lower levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and TB. MIE demonstrated good antioxidant activities in both the liver and kidney of the rats in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: MIE exhibits excellent hepatoprotective effects and antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo, supporting the traditional use of Meconopsis integrifolia in the treatment of hepatitis.

Carthamus red from Carthamus tinctorius L. exerts antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect against CCl(4)-induced liver damage in rats via the Nrf2 pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Carthamus red isolated from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L., a Chinese traditional medicine) is evaluated for antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Carthamus red was isolated from a Na2CO3 extract of safflower and its analysis was carried out by HPLC/MS. Acute toxicity study was determined and the antioxidant activity was investigated using various established in vitro systems. An in vivo study against CCl4-induced liver injury was also conducted and compared with that of silymarin, a known hepatoprotective drug. RESULTS: Carthamus red did not show any toxicity and mortality up to 2000mg/kg dose, and it showed strong antioxidant ability in vitro. In the in vivo study, carthamus red treatment lowered the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP and total protein in liver damage rat models. Meanwhile, Nrf2, GSTα and NQO1 expressions were up-regulated at the protein level by carthamus red intervention. Additionally, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and level of GSH were elevated by carthamus red intervention, while the content of TBARS, which is an oxidative stress marker, was lessened. HE stain analysis showed that the condition of liver damage was mitigated. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that carthamus red may serve as a candidate with strong a hepatoprotective effect and antioxidant activity in liver damage.

Hepatoprotection by chemical constituents of the marine brown alga Spatoglossum variabile: a relation to free radical scavenging potential.

CONTEXT: In the course of searching hepatoprotective agents from natural sources, the protective effect of chemical constituents of the marine brown alga Spatoglossum variabile Figaro et DE Notar (Dictyoaceae) against CCl4-induced liver damage in Wistar rats was investigated. The compounds were first investigated for in vitro radical scavenging potential and were also tested for ß-glucuronidase inhibition to further explore the relationship between hepatoprotection and antiradical potential. METHODS: The compounds cinnamic acid esters 1 and 2 and aurone derivatives 3 and 4 were first investigated for in vitro radical scavenging potential against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH), and superoxide anion radicals. In vivo hepatoprotective studies were performed in seven groups (n = 6) of Wistar rats. The test groups were pretreated with compounds (10 mg/kg body weight, po) orally for 30 min before the intraperitoneal administration of a dose of 20% CCl4 diluted with dietary cooking oil. Moreover, compounds were also tested for ß-glucuronidase inhibition to explore the relationship between hepatoprotection and radical scavenging potential. RESULTS: The test compounds 1-4 were found to exhibit antiradical activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals with IC50 values ranging between 54 and 138 µM, whereas aurone derivatives 3 and 4 additionally exhibited superoxide anion scavenging effects with IC50 values of 95 and 87 µM, respectively. In addition, these compounds were found to be weak inhibitors of xanthine oxidase (IC50 ≥1000 µM). In animal model, pretreatment with compounds 2-4 significantly blocked the CCl4-induced increase in the levels of the serum biochemical markers. CONCLUSION: It appears that the hepatoprotection afforded by these compounds was mainly due to their radical scavenging activity that protected the cells from the free radicals generated by CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.

Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration on tissue regeneration due to carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in experimental model.

The mechanism by which granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) could lead to the protection from liver injury is not well known. Therefore, the resolution of this role needs further basic and clinical experimental investigation. Acute liver injury was induced in rats by single intraperitoneal injection of a 0.50-mL/kg dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or vehicle of 150 µg/kg was given immediately after intoxicating the liver by CCl4 . The animals were divided into four groups of twelve each. Administration of G-CSF caused a decrease in the activity of liver enzymes,  aminotransferases, compared with the untreated group.

Protective role of ghrelin against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced coagulation disturbances in rats.

Recent data indicate that ghrelin has protective effects in different organs and cell types including the pancreas, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ghrelin plays a protective role against CCl4-induced coagulation disturbances in rats. Fourty male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups including group 1 (1 ml physiological saline s.c., for 5 days), group 2 (CCl4, i.p., single dose of 1.6 g/kg), group 3 (ghrelin, s.c., 10 nmol/kg/day, for 5 days) and group 4 (ghrelin, 10 nmol/kg/day, for 5 days plus CCl4, i.p., single dose of 1.6 g/kg on the 5th day). Fibrinogen level, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), platelet counts and alanine transaminase (ALT) activity were evaluated. The values of PT, aPTT and ALT activity were increased (p < 0.05), while fibrinogen level was decreased (p < 0.05) due to CCl4 treatment alone. Pre-treatment with ghrelin prior to the administration of CCl4 reduced (p < 0.05) PT, aPTT and ALT values and increased (p < 0.05) fibrinogen level when compared with CCl4-treated only group. The results of this study suggest that exogenously administered ghrelin may play a protective role against CCl4-induced coagulation disturbances in rats.

[Hemorheological effects of thiophane on tetrachloromethane induced hepatic damage].

Carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis in rats is accompanied by blood hyperviscosity syndrome development. A course intragastric administration of thiophane under these conditions prevents the increase in whole blood viscosity by normalizing the microrheological indices (deformability and aggregation of erythrocytes), which is manifested by increasing oxygen availability for tissues.

Protective potential of Royal Jelly against carbon tetrachloride induced-toxicity and changes in the serum sialic acid levels.

Royal Jelly (RJ) is used in the Turkish folk medicine for the treatment of number of disorders. The present study describes the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of the RJ against carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced acute liver damage. Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the experiment. CCl(4) (0.8 ml/kg; s.c.) and RJ (50, 100, 200mg/kg; orally) were given every other day, for 20 days. Malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione in whole blood and tissues; ceruloplasmin, sialic acid, ascorbic acid, retinol, ß-carotene and liver enzymes levels in serum were measured. Additionally, histopathological alterations in the liver were examined. RJ exerted the significant protective effect on liver damage as well as on oxidative stress induced by CCl(4), resulting in reduced lipid peroxidation and improved endogenous antioxidant defence systems. It also reduced the elevated levels of liver enzymes. Histopathological study further confirmed the hepatoprotective effect of RJ, when compared with the CCl(4) treated control groups. In conclusion, present study reveals biological evidence that supports the use of RJ in the treatment of chemical-induced hepatotoxicity.