IN VITRO & IN VIVO ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE POTENTIAL OF CARALLUMA ADSCENDENS VAR. ATTENUATA AGAINST ETHANOL TOXICITY

Caralluma adscendens var. attenuata is a succulent plant grows in tropical areas. It has been reported for the presence of phenolics, flavanoids, tannins etc., which are responsible for antioxidant activity and hepatoprotection. Several biological activities like anti diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerogenic were also reported. The present study was aimed to evaluate invitro antioxidant property as the prime step to carryout invivo antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of methanolic stem extract of this plant. In vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by determination of total phenolics, flavonoids content, reductive ability and free radical scavenging activity assays. In vivo studies were performed against ethanol induced liver toxicity in rats using Silymarin as standard. In this study serum catalase, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione levels were quantified. The results obtained by this study revealed that the concentration of the liver protecting enzymes was not affected by ethanol when animals were coadministerd with plant extract. Rats which were pretreated with methanolic extract of Caralluma adscendens var. attenuata inhibited the stimulated serum levels of serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin when compared with silymarin. The research findings reveal that Caralluma adscendens var. Attenuata has significant antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities. Keywords: Alcoholism; Hepatotoxicity; Caralluma adscendens var. Attenuata; Antioxidants; silymarin; Hepatoprotection.