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.
