Abstract
Hepatoprotective effect of methanol extracts of Zingiber officinale and Cichorium intybus
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt 2Clinical Nutrition Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, 51452, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence Address:
A H Atta Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza Egypt E-mail: attaattia52@yahoo.com
The present work was carried out to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of ginger, chicory and their mixture against carbon tetrachloride intoxication in rats. Carbon tetrachloride treatment significantly elevated the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyltransferase activities and the serum triglycerides and cholesterol concentration as compared to control group. It also increased RBCs counts and Hb concentration, total or differential leucocytes counts. However it decreased platelet counts, platelet distribution width, mean platelet volume, platelet larger cell ratio. Methanol extract of ginger (250 and 500 mg/kg) and chicory (250 and 500 mg/kg) given alone or mixed (1:1 wt/wt) significantly restored the carbon tetrachloride-induced alterations in the biochemical and cellular constituents of blood. No toxic symptoms were reported in doses up to 5 g/kg. Alkaloids and/or nitrogenous bases, carbohydrates and/or glycosides, tannins, flavonoids, saponins and unsaturated sterols and/or triterpenes are the main active constituents of their methanol extract. The hepatoprotective effect of ginger and chicory was also confirmed by the histopathological examination of liver tissue.
