PROTECTION FROM HEPATIC ISCHEMIA AND IMPROVEMENT OF LIVER REGENERATION BY THUJA ORIENTALIS

Liver is a vital organ performing wide range of functions; oxidative damage is implicated in the pathogenesis of various liver disorders. Present study was aimed at evaluating protective ability of Thuja orientalis Linn against thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Thuja orientalis has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various disorders. Thuja orientalis has the biological capabilities of detoxication, antioxidation, and antiinfection. In this study, we evaluated the antihepatotoxic effect ofThuja orientalis aqueous and petroleum ether extract on the thioacetamide induced liver injury in a rat model. Hepatic damage, as reveled by histology and the increased activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and decreased levels of serum total protein (TP), albumin (Alb) and globulin (G) were induced in rats by an administration of 50 mg/kg thioacetamide was injected intraperitoneally (i.p). Thuja orientalis extract significantly inhibited the elevated AST, ALP and ALT activities and the decreased TP, Alb and G levels caused by thioacetamide intoxication. From this study, it can be concluded that the aqueous and petroleum ether extracts of Thuja orientalis possesses effective hepatoprotective activity.