ABSTRACT
The Germander (Teucrium polium) is commonly used as a medicinal plant in Algeria against a variety of human diseases. This study aims to investigate the antioxidant, anti-hemolytic and antihyperuricemic effects of the Algerian germander (Teucrium polium L.) extract. T. polium witch was collected from Bordj Bouarreridj, Algeria and extracted with methanol to give the methanolic extract (TPME). The objective of this work is to disassemble, at first, the antioxidant effect of TPME in vivo and in vitro, secondarily to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and finally to study for the first time the hypouricemic activity. The quantification of polyphenols and flavonoids showed that the TPME contains 160.72±0.78 µg EAG/mg of polyphenols and 37.96±0.317 µg EQ/mg of flavonoids. The antioxidant activities were carried out in mice by an in vivo assay, the plasma ability to inhibit DPPH radical and FRAP. TPME showed a protective effect against oxidative stress in erythrocytes. The total antioxidant defence system appears to be enhanced in the plasma, by increased FRAP levels probably due to higher levels of polyphenols in the Teucrium polium extract. The treated group showed an essential activity in the DPPH test compared to Vit C and control groups (28.64±5.84% vs 47.27±6.78% and 21.42±3.89%, respectively). The total antioxidant capacity of plasma and red blood cells was determined using the kinetics of hemolysis by the determination of HT50 (hemolysis half-life). The HT50 which was 179.6±10.53 min for treated group for, 158.2±3.85 for Vit C group and 146.5±1.78 min for the control, respectively. The present work demonstrated that Teucrium polium extract exerts a strong in vivo free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. These activities are probably related to polyphenols and flavonoids. Hyperuricemia witch is induced by injection of potassium oxonate "PO", the uric acid, urea and creatinine were measured in plasma and supernatant of the liver. To evaluate their hypouricemic effect, TPME was administered intraperitoneally to potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic mice at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. TPME caused a decrease in plasma uric acid (3.3±0.18 mg/l) compared to control group (1.48±0.07 mg/l), almost the same value of uric acid of "PO" group. For "OP" group, value of uric acid in plasma is increased 4 times (6.33±1.22 mg/l) and almost 2 times for liver supernatant (31.36± 5.4 mg/l), the administration of 10 mg/kg of allopurinol decreased uric acid levels to normal (1.89±0.32 mg /l, 16.36±1.03 mg /l, respectively for plasma and supernatant). The findings data for the supernatant didn’t show any significant decrease in plasma and liver uric acid comparing the urea level of "OP" group (0.48 g/l); we can conclude that the rate of urea and creatinine after treatment with plant extract is normal and that the results of this study indicate the absence of renal damage in mice. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of TPME in vivo The administration of TPME (100 mg/kg body wt.), reduced ear edema induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), achieving a low degree of anti-inflammatory activity (%I = 18.46±1.59%), the effect was comparable with that of diclofenac used as a reference drug (%I = 38.84±1.87 %). The histopathological analysis indicated that the treatment with TPME led to a moderate decrease of the inflammatory infiltrate with a persistence of the oedema, against the injection of diclofenac, led to a significant reduction of the leucocytes. These results support the use of this plant in traditional medicine for inflammation disorder.
ABSTRACT
Germander (Teucrium polium) is commonly used as medicinal plant in Algeria against a variety of human diseases. This study aims to evaluate toxic effects of T. polium methanol extract (TPME) in Swiss albino mice. Biochemical parameters, organs morophology and histopathology were investigated. TPME gave a LD50 of 442.81 and 686.77 mg/kg of body weight (b.w.) in male and female mice, respectively. The acute treatment for seven days at a dose of 100 mg/kg of b.w. didn’t show any difference in body weight, relative mass and blood biochemical parameters. Histopathological examination revealed a moderate congestion in kidneys and an inflammatory infiltrate in liver. The chronic effect for 30 days at doses of 50 and 75 mg of TPME/kg of b.w. resulted in a significant increase of renal (urea), hepatic (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) parameters, accompanied by a significant decrease of cholesterol level. Histopathological examination confirmed the biochemical tests by the observation of necrosis areas, ballooning degeneration and peliosis in liver sections and the presence of marked vascular congestion in kidneys in both sexes. In conclusion, the use of Teucrium polium L. may cause hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity after prolonged herb administration.