EFFECTS OF PREMNA INTEGRIFOLIA LINN. ROOTS EXTRACTS IN CCL4 INDUCED TOXICITY IN RATS

Premna integrifolia Linn. roots are used in the Indian system of medicine for the treatment of diabetes, inflammation, liver disorders etc. The present study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Premna integrifolia L. (Family: Verbenaceae) in CCl4 (carbon tetrachloride) induced oxidative stress in Sprague-Dawley rats. CCl4 injection induced oxidative stress by a significant rise in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GRD). Pretreatment of rats with different doses of aqueous and methanolic extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly lowered TBARS levels in CCl4 treated rats. GSH and hepatic enzymes like SOD, CAT, GRD, and GST were significantly increased by treatment with the plant extracts, as compared to the CCl4 treated rats. The activity of the extracts at the dose of 500 mg/kg was comparable to the standard drug, silymarin (25mg/kg). The results showed that Premna integrifolia extracts protect liver from oxidative stress induced by CCl4 in rats.