HEPATOPROTECTIVE EVALUATION OF BIXA ORELLANA L. SEED EXTRACT AGAINST ACUTE ETHANOL-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS

Disorders caused by excessive use of alcohol known as alcohol use disorders (AUD) are the most common cause of liver diseases including cirrhosis. In adults, the most common cause of death is alcohol consumption which leads to an array of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). Present study has been conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective activity of Bixa orellana L. (BO) seed extract against acute ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The characterization of BO seed extract was performed using standard biochemical analysis. 50% ethanolic extract of Bixa orellana (BOE 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) was administered daily for 8 days in experimental animals for the assessment of hepatoprotective activity. To develop hepatotoxicity, animals were orally administered with alcohol (40%) 12 ml/kg at 2 h after the doses of BOE every day for eight consecutive days except the rats of normal group. The hepatoprotective activity was assessed using various biochemical parameters like aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatise, bilirubin, albumin, cholesterol and lactate dehydrogenase. However, the results demonstrated that the treatment with Bixa orellana seed extract significantly (P<0.05 – P<0.001) and dose-dependently prevented alcohol-induced increase in serum levels of hepatic enzymes such as AST, ALT, ALP, BIL, ALB, CHL and LDH. Histopathological study further attenuated the hepatocellular necrosis and led to reduction in inflammatory cells infiltration. The present study concludes and suggests that Bixa orellana seed extract significantly protected the liver from alcohol induced toxicity. It also showed that the extract contains numerous antioxidant compounds with hepatoprotective effect.