HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF INULA CAPPA DC. AQUEOUS EXTRACT AGAINST CARBON TETRACHLORIDE INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS

Abstract

Inula cappa is well known for its medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, digestive, depurative, carminative, analgesics, antipyretics, treatment of peptic ulcer etc. The present study focuses on the ability of I. cappa to alleviate liver damage caused by over carbon tetrachloride. The aqueous extract of whole plant of I. cappa (400 mg/kg, p.o) significantly showed hepatoprotective activity followed by whole plant extract at dose of 200mg/kg body weight and least hepatoprotective effect was observed with stem extract. Histopathological liver sections also revealed that the normal liver architecture was disturb ed by hepatotoxin in carbon tetrachloride group, whereas the liver sections of the rat treated with the aqueous extract showed normal cellular architecture and is comparable with the standard silymarin treated group. Hence the aqueous extract of whole plant confirms hepatoprotective effect in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in rats.