Protective effects of garlic-derived lectin on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in male wistar rats: Impacts on gross pathology and histopathology

Abstract

Background: Chemical-induced liver injury remains a major preclinical model for evaluating hepatoprotective agents. This study examines whether a garlic-derived lectin can ameliorate hepatic damage in rats with Carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: Thirty-six age-matched rats were randomly allocated into six groups (n = 6 each): (1) normal control; (2) disease control (CCl₄ only); (3) reference control receiving Silymarin (200 mg/kg, orally); and (4-6) treatment groups receiving garlic lectin intraperitoneally at 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg twice weekly. Hepatotoxicity was induced by IP injection of CCl₄ (2 mL/kg in 50% vegetable oil) twice weekly for five weeks; lectin or silymarin treatment was administered from weeks 6 to 8. At the end of treatment, liver tissues were collected for histopathological evaluation. Results: Histopathological assessment revealed that CCl₄ administration produced characteristic hepatic lesions, including microvesicular and macrovesicular steatosis, bile-duct proliferation, single-cell necrosis, and centrilobular necrosis. Treatment with garlic-derived lectin at 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg resulted in marked attenuation of these lesions: the prevalence and severity of steatosis, bile-duct proliferation, and necrotic foci were substantially reduced compared with the disease control. The extent of histological recovery in these groups approached that observed in the silymarin-treated reference group. Conclusion: Garlic-derived lectin at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg confers significant hepatoprotection in CCl₄-induced liver injury in rats, as demonstrated by pronounced improvement in liver histopathology. These findings support further investigation of garlic lectin as a promising candidate for mitigating chemically induced hepatic damage.