Studies on effects of garlic lectin in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in male wistar rats

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant efficacy of a garlic derived lectin in rats with Carbon tetrachloride induced hepatoxicity. Thirty six rats of uniform age were randomly divided into six groups consisting of six rats each group and treated as follows. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats of groups II to VI by injecting intraperitoneally, Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) @ 2 ml/kg bw in 50 per cent vegetable oil twice a week for a period of five weeks. Treatment protocols were intiated from 6th week to 8th week of the study. The groups were normal control (Group I, NC), disease control (Group II, DC), hepatotoxicity rats treated with Silymarin @ 200 mg/kg bw orally for four times a week (Group III, RC), hepatotoxicity rats treated with garlic lectin @ 10 mg/kg bw by IP route twice week (Group IV, GL 10), hepatotoxicity rats treated with garlic lectin @ 20 mg/kg bw by IP route twice week (Group V, GL 20), hepatotoxicity rats treated with garlic lectin @ 40 mg/kg bw by IP route twice week (Group VI, GL 40). Compared to disease control, there was a significant improvement in evaluator parameters such as body weight, absolute and relative liver weight, remarkably improved haematological, sero-biochemical, antioxidant changes in treatment groups. Histopathologically, the treatment groups showed substantial improvement in lesions like microvesicular steatosis, macrovesicular steatosis, bile duct proliferation, single cell necrosis and centrilobular necrosis in the liver. Thus, the current study concludes that a mid and higher dose of garlic lectin @ 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, respectively, has significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.