Abstract

HELIOTROPIUM UNDULATUM ATTENUATES HYDRAZINE INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY: INVOLVEMENT OF CYTOCHROME P450 CYP2E1 AND OXIDATIVE STRESS

Ouafa Deffa, Hanane Aissaoui, Ratiba Mekkiou, Ahmed Menad, Fadila Benayache, Samir Benayache and Souad Ameddah*

Abstract

Background: Hepatoprotective effect of numerous phytochemicals derived herbal origin have been reported to exhibit chemopreventive potential. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective role of Algerian sahara Heliotropium undulatum on hydrazinehepatotoxicity. Methods: A model of hepatotoxicity was produced by giving rats intraperitoneally (ip) a single dose of 300 mg/kg of hydrazine (HD) after successive oral administration of the n-BuOH extract of Heliotropium undulatum’s leaves (BEHUL) or Vit E (200 mg/Kg, 25 mg/Kg per day) respectively for ten days. Results: HD caused a marked rise in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and exhibited an hepatic oxidative stress, the hepatic CYP2E1 plays an essential role in the hepatotoxicity of hydrazine. However, pretreatment with BEHUL restored (72.1-75.67 %) the liver function, produced a detectable decrease (76.56 %) in malondialdehyde (MDA), enhanced (71.28 %) catalase (CAT) and (79.17 %) superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as cellular antioxidant defense, lowered (79.28 %) the CYP2E1 activity and suppressed the parenchymal hepatic lesions. Conclusion: The present results demonstrated that BEHUL may play an important role in the protection against HD-induced hepatotoxicity via oxidative stress. The present study may help in explaining at least in part the mechanism of action of BEHUL that could be attributed of phyto-constituents like polyphenols.

Keywords: Heliotropium undulatum, hydrazine, Liver, CYP2E1, oxidative stress.