Aqueous garlic extract attenuates hepatitis and oxidative stress induced by galactosamine/lipoploysaccharide in rats

Injection of D-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide (DGaIN/LPS) is useful as an experimental model of acute hepatic damage. Juvenile rats were used for investigation. The hepatoprotective activity of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract (AGE) at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight for 14 days, intraperitoneal (i.p.) prior to the induction of DGalN/LPS, was investigated against DGalN/LPS-induced hepatitis in rats. DGalN/LPS (300 mg/kg body weight/30 microg/kg body weight, i.p.), induced hepatic damage that was manifested by a significant increase in the activities of marker enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma glutamyl transferase (gamma GT)], bilirubin, lipid peroxides (LPO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity level in serum. Also, the lipid profile in serum and liver homogenate including total cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and phospholipids were significantly deteriorated. The antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, SOD; reduced glutathione, GSH; catalase, CAT and glutathione peroxidase, GPX) in liver homogenate were significantly decreased in the DGalN/LPS. Pretreatment of rats with AGE reversed these altered parameters near to normal control values. Results of this study revealed that AGE could afford a significant protection in the alleviation of DGalN/LPS-induced hepatic damage.