A search for protective activity of aqueous extract of Punica granatum var. pleniflora against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Punica granatum var. pleniflora (Golnar in Persian) is a subspecies of pomegranate that only has the blooms with no fruit generation. The plant has been used for the treatment of liver diseases in Iranian folk medicine.

In the present study, the hepatoprotective effects of aqueous extract of Punica granatum var. pleniflora (APG) were evaluated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats along with its in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities. In vitro free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of APG were also measured by DPPH method and the determination of polyphenol and flavonoids contents.

Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by CCl4 administration and the extract were administered orally at three different doses.

At the end of the experiment, the serum biomarkers of liver injury, including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), bilirubin, and total protein were significantly decrease in APG-treated animals when compared to CCl4-intoxicated rats (P<0.001). Besides, in vivo examination showed that the extract prevented CCl4-induced hepatic oxidative stress in rats, which demonstrated by the restoration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the lessening of lipid peroxidation (P<0.001). In addition, APG diminished the increase of relative liver weight induced by CCl4 in rats (P<0.001).

To conclude, this study showed that APG possesses potent free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Also, the hepatoprotective properties of APG against CCl4-induced liver injury may be partly mediated by its antioxidant activity due to the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids in the plant.