Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of gallic acid in paracetamol‐induced liver damage in mice

Objectives The aim of this research paper was to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of gallic acid in paracetamol‐induced liver damage in mice. Methods In the present study, the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of gallic acid were evaluated against paracetamol‐induced hepatotoxicity in mice and compared with the silymarin, a standard hepatoprotective drug. The mice received a single dose of paracetamol (900 mg/kg body weight i.p.). Gallic acid (100 mg/kg body weight i.p.) and silymarin (25 mg/kg body weight i.p.) were administered 30 min after the injection of paracetamol. After 4 h, liver marker enzymes (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase) and inflammatory mediator tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) were estimated in serum, while the lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione‐S‐transferase and glutathione) were determined in liver homogenate of the control and experimental mice. Key findings Increased activities of liver marker enzymes and elevated TNF‐α and lipid peroxidation levels were observed in mice exposed to paracetamol (P < 0.05), whereas the antioxidant status was found to be depleted (P < 0.05) when compared with the control group. However gallic acid treatment (100 mg/kg body weight i.p.) significantly reverses (P < 0.05) the above changes by its antioxidant action compared to the control group as observed in the paracetamol‐challenged mice. Conclusions The results clearly demonstrate that gallic acid possesses promising hepatoprotective effects.