AMELIORATION OF HEPATIC DAMAGE AND GENETIC TOXICITY IN CCL4- INDUCED RATS BY JATROPHA CURCAS EXTRACT

Abstract

The current study is conducted to evaluate the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activity of Jatropha curcas leaves methanolic extract. Additionally, evaluation the changes in gene expression and DNA damage in female rat liver after intraperitoneally injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) as well as demonstration the possible therapeutic effects of J. curcas extract in comparison with the reference hepatoprotective drug; silymarin were studied. The present results declare  that, injection of rats with CCl₄ twice a week for six consecutive weeks induced hepatic toxicity. However, treatment of intoxicated rats with 250 mg/kg body weight daily for one month with methanolic extract of J. curcas showed enhancement in the glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels with percentages of improvement reached to 28.34, 12.78, 47.88 and 51.65%, respectively.  In addition, the results indicated that treatment of female rats with CCl₄ significantly increased the DNA damage in liver cells and significantly induced alterations of the genes expression encoding antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT and GPx as well as HSP70 proteins in liver tissues as compared to control rats. While, treatment with J. curcas extract as compared to silymarin decreased significantly the rate of the DNA damage and suppressed the alterations in the gene expression of rats induced by CCl₄. Thus, the present results strongly suggeste that, J. curcas extract has markedly ameliorative role associated with CCl­­₄-induced _{geno  and}  hepatotoxicity in rats.