Chemical constituents and hepatoprotective effect of Cassia Occidentalis L. cultivated in Egypt

Abstract EN

This study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of the different successive extractives of the aerial parts of Cassia occidentalis L., on carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) induced hepatotoxicity in adult Wistar rats.

Sixty-six male albino rats were divided into eleven groups.

First group received Tween only and served as control group.

The second group injected with CCL4 (1:1) in olive oil, at a dose of 2 ml/kg B.W.

The third group injected with CCL4 in the same dose and Silymarin (25 mg / kg) orally for 7 days and served as reference group.

Groups from four to eleven served as test groups injected with CCL4 in the same previous dose in addition to oral daily administration by one of either 200 or 400 mg /kg B.W.

from each of the four extractives of Cassia occidentalis (total methanolic, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n- butanol extracts).

Treatment started one day after the injection of CCl4 and extended for two weeks.

Parameters for liver function tests: Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Bilirubinas as well as kidney function tests: Serum urea and Creatinine were determined spectrophotometrically.

The different extractives of C.

occidentalis L.

showed improvement in both liver and kidney function indices, while ethyl acetate exteractive either in 200 or 400 mg/kg B.W., showed the best results.

Histopathology of liver tissue specimens supported these results.

The biologically guided fractionation of C.

occidentalis L.

methanolic extract, revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited a significant dose dependant protective effect on both liver and kidney.

The ethyl acetate fraction revealed activity approached that of silymarin (a known hepatoprotective agent).

Chromatographic fractionation of the ethyl acetate fraction afford 6 purified compounds, identified on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic analysis as: naringenin (1), quercetin (2), 1,8-dihydroxy anthraquinone (3), 1,3,8-trihydroxy anthraquinone (4), chrysoeriol-7-O-rutinoside (5) and rutin (6).

The isolated phenolics probably account for the hepatoprotective effect of the extract