Planta Med 2013; 79 - PI42
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1352132

Hepatoprotective activity of Brassica oleraceae L. var. italica

F Hashem 1, H Motawea 1, A El-Shabrawy 2, S El-Sherbini 1, K Shaker 3, A Farrag 4
  • 1National Research Centre, Pharmacognosy Dept. Cairo (12622), Egypt.
  • 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacognosy, Dept. Kasar Alani Cairo, Egypt.
  • 3National Research Centre, Natural Products Chemistry, Dept. Cairo (12622), Egypt.
  • 4National Research Centre, Pathology, Dept. Cairo (12622), Egypt.

Three compounds were isolated from ethanol extract of the powdered inflorescences of Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenk by special methods. These compounds were identified through spectroscopic analysis as obtucarbamate, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. When total ethanol and different successive extracts were investigated for hepatoprotective activity 1 (prophylaxis and therapeutic), the biochemical parameters revealed that, all the extracts showed significant decrease in the liver enzymes when paracetamol causes liver damage was given before the extract (therapeutic) or given after the extract (prophylactic). By scrutinizing the histopathological 2 results, it is obvious that the prophylactic activity of the extracts was better than the curative effect. In case of pretreatment of rats with different extracts (1 g/kg) for seven days prior to a single dose of paracetamol (2 g/kg) that most of the hepatic lobules appeared more or less like normal especially petroleum ether extract, ethyl acetate combined with ethanol extract and chloroform extract which assure the results obtained from the biochemical parameters. As for the rats that were given a single dose of paracetamol (2 g/kg) followed by the extracts (1 g/kg) for seven days, the tested extracts showed swelling, degeneration in the hepatocytes and some other rats showed congestion in the central vein. In addition, liver of other rats showed normal structure. So it can be concluded that broccoli has a good activity as hepatoprotective against liver damage.

Keywords. Brassica oleracea, obtucarbamate, hepatoprotective.

References:

[1] Mitra S. K., Venkataranganna, M. V., Sundaram R. and Gopumadhavan, S. (1998). Protective effect of HD-03, a herbal formulation, against various hepatotoxic agents in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 63(3): 181 – 186.

[2] Drury, R.A.B. and Wallington E.A. (1980). Carleton's histopathological technique, 4th edition, Oxford University Press.