EFFECT OF CICHORIUM INTYBUS LEAVES ON N- NITROSODIETHYLAMINE INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS

Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae) is used as traditional medicine in India for various liver related disorders. The present study evaluates the hepatoprotective potential of leaf extract on N- nitrosodiethylamine induced hepatotoxicity, which is commonly present in foods, beverages, tobacco smoke, herbicides, pesticides, drinking water, and industrial pollution. The leaves were sorted as per their size (short, medium, large) and subjected to extraction with ethanol, water and ethanol: water (1:1 w/w) by cold maceration and hot soxlation. The extract having the highest extractive value 80.7%w/w was selected for animal studies. Group I, II, III, served as control, toxic and standard. Group IV and V were post treatment receiving 400 mg/kg body weight and 800 mg/kg body weight respectively and group VI as pre treatment group receiving 800 mg/kg body weight of the extract before the induction of toxicity. The level of serum markers such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were significantly suppressed (P<0.0001) in both the groups receiving 400 mg/kg body weight and 800 mg/kg body weight of extract as compared to the toxic group. Activities of enzymic (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR)) antioxidants were significantly increased (P<0.05) on supplementation with the extract. Histopathological studies also evidenced the liver protective effect of the plant extract. The study results show that treatment with 800 mg/kg body weight Cichorium intybus extract before or after NDEA provides protection against the hepatotoxicity caused by NDEA.