Effect of methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis against carbon tetrachloride- induced acute liver injury in rats

Background: Dicranopteris linearis (family Gleicheniaceae) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities but no attempt has been made to study its hepatoprotective potential. The aim of the present study was to determine the hepatoprotective effect of methanol extracts of D. linearis (MEDL) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in rats. Methods: 6 groups (n = 6) of rats received oral test solutions: 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 200 mg/kg silymarin, or MEDL (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg), once daily for 7 consecutive days, followed by hepatotoxicity induction with CCl4. Blood and liver were collected for biochemical and microscopic analysis. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant studies (e.g. 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)- and superoxide anion-radical scavenging assays, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test and total phenolic content (TPC) determination), phytochemical screening and HPLC analysis. Results: Pretreatment with MEDL and silymarin significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the serum levels of AST, ALT and ALP, which were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in DMSO-pretreated group following treatment with CCl4. Histological analysis of liver tissues in groups pretreated with MEDL and silymarin showed mild necrosis and inflammation of the hepatocytes compared to the DMSO-pretreated group (negative control group). The MEDL showed higher DPPH- and superoxide anion-radical scavenging activity as well as high TPC and ORAC values indicating high antioxidant activity. Conclusions: MEDL exerts hepatoprotective activity that could be partly contributed by its antioxidant activity and high phenolic content, and hence demands further investigation

Essential oil compositions and antioxidant properties of the roots of twelve Anatolian Paeonia

Essential oil compositions and antioxidant potentials of fourteen ethanol (75%) root extracts prepared from twelve taxa of the genus Paeonia (Paeoniaceae), including P. arietina Anders., P. daurica Andrews, P. x kayae N. Ozhatay, P. kesrouanensis Thieb., P. mascula (L.) Miller subsp. arasicola G. Kaynak,. Yilmaz & R. Daskin, P. mascula (L.) Miller subsp. bodurii N. Ozhatay, P. cf. mascula L. (Mill.) subsp. mascula (two samples from central and northeastern Anatolia), P. cf. officinalis Retz., P. peregrina Miller (two samples from western and northwestern Anatolia), P. tenuifolia L., P. turcica Davis & Cullen, and P. wittmanniana Hartwiss ex Lindl. were assessed. The chromosome numbers of the root tips of the species were examined using chromosome staining technique with Shiff's reagent under Leitz microscope. The essential oils of the roots of the Paeonia species were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) and the major components were identified as salicylaldehyde (10%-94.4%), cis-myrtanal (5.5%-59.7%), and methyl salicylate (2%-52.2%). Antioxidant potentials were tested against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) radicals using propyl gallate and rutin as the references. Total phenolic contents of the ethanol extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau's method. The extracts exerted moderate NO scavenger effect and displayed insignificant DPPH radical scavenger activity at 500 mu g mL(-1). On the other hand, P. daurica, P. tenuifolia and P. cf. mascula subsp. mascula are diploids with 2n = 10, while other nine taxa are tetraploids with 2n = 20