Potential Effects of Garlic Oil and Curcumin on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Rats

Many herbal natural products have succeeded in reducing the toxicity of many toxins, such as that caused by carbon tetrachloride. Examples of these natural products are garlic oil and curcumin that are characterized by their high antioxidant activity. The protective effect of garlic oil, curcumin and their combination against CCl4 hepatotoxicity was investigated in male albino Wistar rats. 40 rats divided into five groups (n=8): 1st group (G1) as the negative control, 4 groups injected by CCl4 to induce liver toxicity. The 2nd Group (G2) (positive control), 3rd group (G3) was treated with garlic oil, 4th group (G4) was treated with curcumin, and 5th group (G5) was treated with a combination of garlic oil and curcumin. The CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in G2 decreased the antioxidants (reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) and high-density lipoprotein, and increased lipid peroxidation, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, the very lowdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol and the atherogenic index that severely injured live tissue as revealed by the elevated liver function parameters and liver histology. Hepatotoxicity of G3, G4, and their combination in G5 was attenuated by the administration of garlic oil, curcumin, and their combination, respectively. Garlic oil, curcumin and their combination showed significant hepatotoxic activities by restoring the altered biochemical and histopathological parameters. In G5, the garlic oil and curcumin combination showed better protection than either garlic oil or curcumin, separately.