Abstract
Thioacetamide (100 mg/kg), when administered to normal rats, caused a significant
increase in the activities of 5′-nucleotidase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and a
decrease in the activities of glucose 6-phosphatase and succinate dehydrogenase enzymes
in the liver. DNA, RNA, and proteins were increased while the cytochrome P450 in the microsomal fraction and the glycogen content in the liver were decreased significantly.
Elevations in the activities of GOT, GPT, and alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin content
in serum were also observed. Picroliv, a standardised glycoside fraction of Picrorhiza kurroa, in doses of 12.5 and 25 mg/kg prevented most of the biochemical changes induced
by thioacetamide in liver and serum. The hepatoprotective activity of Picroliv was
comparable with that of silymarin, a known hepatoprotective agent obtained from seeds
ofSilbum marianum.
Key words
Picrorhiza kurrooa
- thioacetamide - silymarin - hepatotoxicity - hepatoprotection - Picroliv
