A PRELIMINARY BIOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF HELICTERES ISORA L. STEM BARK IN CARBON TETRACHLORIDE INDUCED TOXICITY IN RATS.

Helicteres isora, a tall shrub common in central and western India is an effective antidote to snake bite and is also used for various intestinal disorders. The potential efficacy for hepatocellular regeneration of the ethanolic extract of Helicteres isora L. at doses of 150 and 250 mg/kg was investigated in CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats for 21 days. Significant hepatoprotective effects were obtained against toxin induced liver damage as evident from assessed biochemical markers such as acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), total protein, and oxidative stress parameters as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), calalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in liver, kidney and plasma. The results revealed that at the dose of 250 mg/kg. Helicteres isora L. had a hepatocurative potential after CCl4 intoxication in rats and provided a scientific rationale for the traditional use of this plant in the management of liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]