Evaluation of Phyllanthus amarus as a hepatoprotective agent and its mode of action against paracetamol induced liver toxicity in Wistar rats

Abstract

It would be rather impossible for mankind to avoid dependence on newlinechemicals and drugs, but the ill effects caused by the drugs have to be newlineeffectively neutralised. Paracetamol, a promising antipyretic and analgesic newlinedrug, if consumed beyond therapeutic dose would result in toxic effects, newlinewhich may in some cases lead to death. Effective antidote in allopathic newlinesciences is NAC which acts only for the first 24hrs after paracetamol newlinepoisoning, did not exhibit any proven prophylactic hepatoprotective activity. It newlineis administered judiciously to prevent the adverse effects which occur newlinefrequently. Silymarin, a herb used as a hepatoprotectvie standard in animal newlinestudies is not a native herb and its efficacy was not found to be encouraging newlinein clinical studies. Keeping the above in view a herbal alternative was sought newlineafter. Phyllanthus amarus, having been indicated in liver diseases by ancient newlineAyurvedic texts and extensively investigated in recent times, is chosen for newlinethe present study. This herb is evaluated for its action as an antidote in acute newlineparacetamol poisoning in albino rats. A study was undertaken to ascertain newlinethe hepatoprotective action on concomitant administration with paracetamol newlinein sub-acute toxicity. Another study was carried out to study its prophylactic newlinehepatoprotective activity in albino rats. Immunohistochemistry and electron newlinemicroscopy were utilized to determine the possible mode of action of newlinePhyllanthus amarus (niruri) at molecular level and changes at sub cellular newlinelevel respectively. newlinePhyllanthus amarus an abundantly available herb is well known for its newlinehepatoprotective activity by native people. Much of the work has been newlinecarried out in phytochemical, pharmacognostic and other biological activities newlineof Phyllanthus amarus. This study is a novel approach to elucidate the newlinehepatoprotective function of aqueous extracts of Phayllanthus amarus. Its newlinethereuptic efficacy in Acute, subacute poisoning of albino rats at molecular newlineand subcellular newline