Abstract
Background: Liver diseases are increasingly recognized as significant public health issues, with cirrhosis alone ranking 12th as the leading cause of death worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-fibrotic effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Crinum distichum (CDE) in male Wistar rats with Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis.
Methods: Phytochemical profiling of CDE was assessed through High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) analysis. Seventy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: control group, CCl4-intoxicated group, and CCl4-intoxicated group + sylimarin (100 mg/kg body weight (b.w)) group, 3 other CCl4-intoxicated groups receiving different doses of CDE at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg b.w, respectively. Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal administration of 50% CCl4 (2 mL/kg b.w) dissolved in olive oil twice a week for 6 weeks. Afterward, animals were orally treated once per day with CDE or silymarin for 7 or 14 consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed, and biochemical parameters related to liver damage and liver histology were assessed at each time point. Student’s t-test or One-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test using Graphpad Prism software was used to analyze the data obtained. P < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Verbaboside, citroside A, Apigenin 7-O-(6”-O-acetylglucoside), and 9,12,13-TriHOME were the phytochemicals successfully identified in CDE. The treatment of CCl4-intoxicated rats with CDE significantly (p<0.05) decreased serum activity of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, as well as hepatic content of triglycerides and total cholesterol, as compared to CCl4-intoxicated and non-treated animals. Similarly, in CCl4-intoxicated rats, CDE treatment significantly (p<0.05) decreased hepatic content of malondialdehyde, restored the activity of antioxidant superoxide dismutase and catalase, and preserved the normal liver architecture.
Conclusion: Our findings highlighted the ability of CDE to reverse CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats, and subsequently valorized C. distichum as a potential source of active ingredients for the treatment of liver fibrosis, though further in-depth investigations are necessary to confirm their anti-fibrotic effects.
Keywords: Liver fibrosis; oxidative stress; CCl4; Crinum Distichum.
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