Hepatoprotective activity of Limnophila repens (creeping marshweed) protects against paracetamol-induced toxicity

Researchers from India assessed the hepatoprotective activity of Limnophila repens (creeping marshweed) against paracetamol. They reported their findings in a study published in the International Journal of Green Pharmacy.

• The liver plays a central role in all metabolic processes inside the body. It is responsible for metabolizing a number of xenobiotics.
• Because of its function, the liver is more susceptible to the toxicity of chemical substances, particularly modern medications.
• Hepatotoxicity is a huge problem often caused by drug metabolism. Liver disorders are quite difficult to diagnosis and have high fatality rates.
• For their study, the researchers evaluated the hepatoprotective properties of the methanol extract of L. repens against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity.
• To induce the condition in rats, they administered (2 g/kg) paracetamol to the animals for seven days.
• Some of the rats were pretreated with 200 or 400 mg/kg/day of the extract for seven days prior to paracetamol treatment.
• The researchers then analyzed blood samples to measure alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total bilirubin, cholesterol and proteins levels.
• They also performed histopathological studies of liver samples.
• The researchers reported that treatment with the methanol extract of L. repens considerably reduced the hepatotoxic effects of paracetamol and restored serum biochemical parameters to near normal levels.
• Treatment with paracetamol caused loss of normal liver architecture and severe congestion of blood vessels, along with hepatic cell necrosis, vacuolization, plasma cells infiltration, degeneration of hepatocytes’ nuclei and liver fibrosis.
• In contrast, the majority of liver cells pretreated with L. repens methanol extract remained normal.
• The researchers also observed that samples pretreated with the highest dose of the extract had well-arranged hepatocytes at the recovery stage and showed no signs of necrosis.
• Phytochemical analysis revealed that L. repens contains several bioactive compounds, such as:
  • Flavonoids
  • Volatile oils
  • Alkaloids
  • Tannins
  • Phenolic compounds
  • Phytosterols
  • Glycoside

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that L. repens has significant hepatoprotective properties, particularly against drug-induced toxicity.

Journal Reference:

Venkateswarlu G, Ganapaty S. HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF LIMNOPHILA REPENS AGAINST PARACETAMOL-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS. International Journal of Green Pharmacy. 2019;13(3):268-274. DOI: 10.22377/ijgp.v13i3.2598