Free radical scavenging activity of Berberine in acetaminophen induced liver injury

Objective: Evaluation of free radical scavenging activity of Berberine (BBR) in acetaminophen (AAP) induced liver injury. Study design: Experimental study Place and Duration: Animal house, Isra University Hyderabad from October 2015 to March 2016. Methodology: A sample of 80 male Wistar rats was selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and was divided into a control and three experimental groups. Acetaminophen, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and BBR were administered in standard doses. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture after 18 hours of post experiment period. Liver function test, anti oxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by ELISA assay kit (Fortress Diagnostics). The data was analyzed on Statistix 10.0 software (USA) at 95% CI (P≤ 0.05). Results: The BBR showed anti oxidant and anti peroxidant activity against acetaminophen induced liver injury. BBR treated animals showed increased serum and tissue SOD, GPX, CAT, and GSSH with a reduction in tissue MDA (p=0.0001). Liver injury ameliorating effect of BBR was superior to N-acetyl cysteine. Conclusion: The present study suggests Berberine protects against acetaminophen-induced liver injury by its free radical scavenging activity.