Pharmacological and antioxidant actions of garlic and/or onion in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] in rats

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] includes a broad spectrum of fat-induced liver injury, ranging from mild steatosis to cirrhosis and liver failure. This study investigates the hepatoprotective properties of garlic and onion in NAFLD rat model. Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 9 groups; normal [I], NAFLD induced with high fat diet [HFD; II], NAFLD switched to regular diet [RD; III], NAFLD-HFD or NAFLD-RD treated with garlic [IV, V] onion [VI, VII] or the combined garlic+onion [VIII, IX] respectively. A NAFLD rat model was established by feeding the animals with a high-fat diet for 12 wk. These animals were then treated with garlic or/and onion or vehicle for 8 wk [weeks 13-20] and then killed to obtain serum samples and liver tissues. Liver histology, lipids, parameters of oxidative stress, TNF-alpha and TGF-p were measured. The liver in NAFLD-HFD showed typical steatosis, accompanied with mild to moderate lobular inflammatory cell infiltration. Serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, leptin, cholesterol, triglycerides, TNF-alpha, TGF-P and hepatic MDA were significantly increased [P<0.05] compared with normal group. This was accompanied with reduction of hepatic GSH, GR, GPx, GST, SOD and serum adiponectin. These changes were to a less degree in NAFLD-RD group. Combined administration of garlic+onion produced a better and significant decrease in liver steatosis, serum liver enzymes, oxidative markers and lipid peroxidation versus each one alone. In the same time, NAFLD-induced inflammation was also mitigated via reduction of TNF-alpha and TGF-P. In addition, these results were better in the group IX versus group VIII

Effect of Ficus sycomorus and Azadirachta indica extracts on liver state of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni

The potential role of hepatoprotective and antipathological effect of Ficus sycomorus and Azadirachta indica extracts was evaluated for scavenging the reactive oxygen species [ROS] and reduced the oxidative damage and pathological changes in the liver of S. mansoni infected mice. The levels of alanine aminotransferase [ALT], asparate aminotransferase [AST] and gamma glutamyl transferase [GGT] were evaluated in the infected mice and treated orally with each plant extract 12 weeks post infection [P.I.] in a dose of 500 mg/kg of each plant extract for five consecutive days and sacrificed two weeks P.I. The infection of mice showed an elevation of ALT, AST and GGT. Treatment of mice with 70% methanol extract of each plant extract reduced significantly ALT, AST and GGT elevation. The highest reduction was with the methanolic extract of F. sycomorus [42%, 35% and 44% for ALT, AST and GGT respectively]. Fractionation of the methanolic extract of each plant was carried out. The effect of ethyl acetate and butanolic fractions of each plant was also evaluated. The result showed that the two fractions lowered the levels of the tested enzymes and decreased the number and size of granuloma diameters with an increased in the percentage of degenerated ova