Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of Commiphora berryi (Arn) Engl bark extract against CCl(4)-induced oxidative damage in rats

Oxidative damage is involved in the pathogenesis of various hepatic injuries. In the present study the capacity of Commiphora berryi (Arn) Engl bark as an antioxidant to protect against CCl(4)-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in Albino Wistar rats was investigated. Intraperitoneal injection of CCl(4), administered twice a week, produced a marked elevation in the serum levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin. Histopathological analysis of the liver of CCl(4)-induced rats revealed marked liver cell necrosis with inflammatory collections that were conformed to increase in the levels of SOD, GPx and CAT. Daily oral administration of methanolic extract of C. berryi (Arn) Engl bark at 100 and 200mg/kg doses for 15 days produced a dose-dependent reduction in the serum levels of liver enzymes. Treatment with C. berryi normalized various biochemical parameters of oxidative stress and was compared with standard Silymarin. Therefore, the results of this study show that C. berryi (Arn) Engl bark can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl(4)-induced oxidative damage in rats, and the hepatoprotective effect might be correlated with its antioxidant and free radical scavenger effects.