Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Protective effect of leaf extract of Ficus carica L. against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic toxicity in mice and HepG2 cell line

Syeda Hira¹ , Muhammad Gulfraz¹, SM Saqlan Naqvi¹, Rehmat Ullah Qureshi², Hina Gul¹

¹Department of Biochemistry; ²Department of Botany, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.

For correspondence:- Syeda Hira Email: hiranaqvi22@yahoo.com Tel:+923365406913

Accepted: 17 December 2020 Published: 31 January 2021

Citation: Hira S, Gulfraz M, Naqvi SS, Qureshi RU, Gul H. Protective effect of leaf extract of Ficus carica L. against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic toxicity in mice and HepG2 cell line. Trop J Pharm Res 2021; 20(1):113-119 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v20i1.17

© 2021 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To determine the in vivo and in vitro hepatoprotective effects of Ficus carica.

Methods: The methanol leaf extract of Ficus carica L was further fractionated into n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions. For in vivo study, male albino mice were divided into twelve groups. Hepatotoxicity was induced in the mice using carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄). The extract of F. carica and its fractions were administered at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg. Silymarin was used as standard hepatoprotective drug. The protective effects of the extract and fractions were determined via assay of biochemical parameters and antioxidant enzymes in the liver. The histopathology of the liver was also studied. Moreover, the in vitro hepatoprotective effect of the extract and fractions against CCl₄-induced damage was determined in HepG2 cell line.

Results: There were significant increases in the serum levels of liver biomarkers in CCl₄-treated group, whereas treatments with plant extract and fractions significantly reduced the levels of these parameters (p < 0.05). In addition, results from histopathology revealed evidence of protective effect of Ficus carica through reversal of CCl₄-induced decreases in the activities of liver antioxidant enzymes.

Conclusion: These results indicate that methanol leaf extract of Ficus carica L. and its fractions exert significant and dose-dependent hepatoprotective effects in vivo and in vitro.

Keywords: Ficus carica, Hepatoprotection, Carbon tetrachloride, Liver biomarkers