Abstract
Objectives:
The liver is often damaged by environmental toxins, poor eating habits, alcohol and over-thecounter drug use that damage and weaken the liver, leading to important public health problems such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and alcoholic liver diseases. It is cardinal to treat liver disorders, because it affects the biochemistry of the cell directly. Damage to the liver can be prevented by including a balanced diet that includes nutrients and herbs that support a healthy liver. Premna tomentosa (PT) is one such herbal drug used widely in India for the treatment of liver disorders, and we have already reported the hepatoprotective potential and antioxidant property of methanolic extract of PT leaves. Because injury to the liver can promote a variety of reactions with consequent effect on lipids, the present study was designed to elucidate the hypolipidemic effect of PT extract in acetaminophen (AA)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
Design and subjects:
Animals were pretreated with PT extract (750 mg/kg, orally) for 15 days and then induced with hepatotoxicity by AA (640 mg/kg, intraperitoneally).
Results:
PT extract pretreatment significantly inhibited induced alterations in the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, serum lipoproteins, and lipid-metabolizing enzymes.
Conclusions:
The results indicate that PT extract improves lipid metabolism and has the potential for use in hepatic disorders.
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