Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate potential of Glycyrrhiza glabrapolysaccharides to offer protection against acute liver injury in rats. Rats were administered a single oral dose carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄, 640 mg/kg b.w., 1:1 in groundnut oil) and sacrificed 7 days of post-treatment. Hepatic damage was assessed by employing biochemical parameters. Our results demonstrated that treatment of rats with G. glabra polysaccharides significantly prevented the increased activities of and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), ALP and LDH in serum. G. glabra polysaccharides treatment also restored CCl₄-induced altered caspase-3, TGF-β1 and TGF-β1 mRNA. Our findings provide evidences to demonstrate that G. glabrapolysaccharides treatment significantly offsets CCl₄-induced liver injury in rats.

Key words: Glycyrrhiza glabra polysaccharides, rat, TGF-β1 mRNA, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), carbon tetrachloride.