Role of ginseng as hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anti -inflammatory against methotrexate induced liver injury in rats

Background Ginseng, an ancient and famous medicinal herb in the Orient, has been used as a valuable tonic and for the treatment of various diseases including hepatic disorders. Ginseng extracts and individual ginsenosides have shown a wide array of beneficial role in the regulation of regular liver functions and the treatment of liver disorders

Objective: This study tries to determine the hepatoprotective , antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of ginseng on Methotrexate [MTX]-induced hepatotoxicity

Materials and Methods: forty rats [weigh 150-180 g] were used. The rats were kept in animal house for one week and had access to water and food . Temperature was kept at 37 [degree sign]C. After one week, the rats were randomly divided into four equal groups: Group [A] [control] received normal saline ; group [B ]received Ginseng[1.8 ml/kg/day] orally ; group[ C] received MTX [100 micro g/kg] intraperitoneally and group [D] received MTX [100 micro g/kg] intraperitoneally with ginseng [1.8 ml/kg/day] orally. After six weeks, the rats were decapitated and evaluation of liver function was done

Results: Ginseng treatment markedly suppressed the serum alanine aminotransferase [ALT] , aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and serum gama glutamil transpeptidase [?GTP] activiteis . Ginseng was attributed to stimulate anti-oxidant protein contents, such as glutathione peroxidase [GPX]. The marked increase of proinflammatory cytokines [ TNF alpha ] in MTX treated rats group was additionally attenuated by ginseng,

Conclusion: Ginseng effectively prevent liver injury, mainly through down regulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory response

Role of rosemary leaves extract as a protective agent against azathioprine-induced toxicity in rats

Rosemary is widely found along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Its leaves or extract were found to have a high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. It is also used as an antispasmodic, analgesic, anti-rheumatic and expectorant. These actions are mainly due to its content of essential oils. Azathioprine [AZA] is an immunosuppressive drug. It is widely used in many diseases. A major drawback is the occurrence of side-effects, especially acute pancreatitis. This work was done to study the effect of dietary supplement of rosemary leaves as a strategy for amelioration of the side-effects of azathioprine. Thirty-two adult male albino rats were used in this study. They were equally divided into four groups. Group I: control group, group II: rosemary group, the animals were given a daily oral dose of rosemary leaves extract. Group III: azathioprine group, the animals were given a single dose of AZA intraperitoneally. Group IV: rosemary azathioprine group: the rats were given daily doses of rosemary leaves extract then azathioprine in the last day of the experiment as in the previous regimen. The experiment continued for ten days. Blood samples were taken from all groups and examined for tumour necrosis factor alpha, serum amylase enzyme, C-reactive protein and renal function tests [serum urea and creatinine]. Rosemary significantly decreased the levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha, serum amylase enzyme and serum urea and C-reactive protein in rosemary AZA group compared to AZA group. The aqueous rosemary leaves extract has the ability to ameliorate the biochemical pathways of the side-effects of azathioprine, so it is advisable to give it concomitantly to patients treated by azathioprine

Effect of exercise training and vitamins e and c on antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in aging rats

There are many conditions that may affect the antioxidant enzyme activities, as aging and exercise. Moderate regular exercise up-regulate activities of antioxidant enzymes with depressant action on the lipid peroxidation processes, while strenuous exercise have a depressant effect on the activities of antioxidant enzymes with stimulatory action on the lipid peroxidation processes. Glutathione-S transferase [GST] and catalase are the major part of the specific antioxidant enzyme defence system response; malondialdehyde is the major indicator to lipid peroxidation processes which are affected by the exercise. To study the effect of moderate regular exercise and strenuous exercise with and without vitamin E or C supplementation on antioxidant defence system. Fifty six aging male albino rats were used in the present experiment. They were equally divided into seven groups. Group I: control group, Group II: moderate regular exercised group. Group III: strenuous exercised group. Group IV: moderate regular exercised group with vitamin E supplementation. Group V: strenuous exercised group with vitamin E supplementation, Group VI: moderate regular exercised group with vitamin C supplementation. Group VII: strenuous exercised group with vitamin C supplementation. The exercise was performed on a modified manual treadmill and the experiment continued for two months. Peripheral blood samples and muscular tissue samples were taken from all animal groups for estimation of glutathione-S transferase, catalase and malondialdehyde. The moderate regular exercise with or without vitamin E or C supplementation increased the antioxidant enzymes Glutathione-S transferase, catalase and decreased the malondialdehyde in serum and muscular tissue. The strenuous exercise decrease the antioxidant enzymes and increase the malondialdehyde production, while with vitamin E or C supplementation strenuous exercise enhanced the antioxidant enzymes and decreased the malondialdehyde production. The moderate regular exercise enhance the antioxidant defence system and so inhibit the lipid peroxidation production, while the strenuous exercise inhibit the antioxidant defence system activity and increase the lipid peroxidation production. Supplementation with vitamin E or C is essential to enhance the antioxidant defence system activities that decrease lipid peroxidation