Hepatotoxicity effect of some Iranian medicinal herbal formulation on rats

Movahedian, Ahmad; Asgary, Sedigheh; Sadeghi Mansoorkhani, Hossein; Keshvari, Mahtab

Hepatotoxicity effect of some Iranian medicinal herbal formulation on rats

Authors

¹ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Isfahan Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

² Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute; Physiology Research Center, Isfahan, Iran

³ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Physiology Research Center, Isfahan, Iran

⁴ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: The public conviction that 'herbal remedies are safe' has led to an increased consumption of these products. This study was performed in view of the wide distribution of herbal remedies, the risks posed by self-treatment with these products, and the existing reports about the toxic effects of some medicinal herbs.
Materials and Methods: In this study the effect of some of the most used herbal drops of A, B, C, and D on the liver function of rats was examined at different doses, namely minimum dose, maximum dose, and 2.5 times the maximum dose indicated in the brochures. The rats were administered the said doses via a feeding tube for 50 days. The liver function parameters including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total serum protein, albumin, and urea were measured using the spectrophotometric method.
Results: The animals' liver tissues were examined pathologically. The A drop did not change the liver function parameters significantly. The B drop increased the LDH by 34% compared to the controls, at the maximum administered dose. The C and D drops increased the ALT, AST, and LDH significantly compared to the controls. The histological findings suggest the possible effect of C and D drops on the function of hepatocytes.
Conclusions: We recommend that the herbal formulations available in pharmaceutical markets be more closely controlled in terms of quality, as well as toxicity, especially with regard to the possible effects on the hepatic function.

Keywords

References

1.	Bissell DM, Gores GJ, Laskin DL, Hoofnagle JH. Drug-induced liver injury: Mechanisms and test systems. Hepatology 2001;33:1009-13. [PUBMED]
2.	Larrey D. Drug-induced liver diseases. J Hepathol 2000;32:77-88.
3.	Lee WM. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity. N Engl J Med 2003;349:474-85. [PUBMED]
4.	Herbal medicines and perioperative care. JAMA 2001;286:208-16.
5.	Barrett B, Kiefer D, Rabago D. Assessing the risks and benefits of herbal medicine: An overview of scientific evidence. Altern Ther Health Med 1999;5:40-9. [PUBMED]
6.	Egan CD. Addressing the use of herbal medicine in the primary care setting. J Am Acad Nurse Pract 2002;14:166-71. [PUBMED]
7.	Fungh-Berman A. Herbal supplements: Indications, clinical concerns, and safety. Nutr Today 2002;37:122-4.
8.	Shad JA, Chinn CG, Brann OS. Acute hepatitis after ingestion of herbs. South Med J 1999;92:1095-7. [PUBMED]
9.	Bach N, Thung SN, Schaffner F. Comfrey herb tea-induced hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Am J Med 1989;87:97-9. [PUBMED]
10.	Kavitha P, Ramesh R, Bupesh G, Stalin A, Subramanian P. Hepatoprotective activity of Tribulus terrestris extract against acetaminophen-induced toxicity in a freshwater fish (Oreochromis mossambicus). In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2011;47:698-706. [PUBMED]
11.	Tapia MO, Giordano MA, Gueper HG. An outbreak of hepatogenous photosensitization in sheep grazing Tribulus terrestris in Argentina. Vet Hum Toxicol 1994;36:311-3. [PUBMED]
12.	Glostonbury JR, Doughty FR, Whitaker SJ, Sergeant E. A syndrome of hepatogenous photosensitisation, resembling geeldikkop, in sheep grazing Tribulus terrestris. Aust Vet J 1984;61:314-6.
13.	Sangeeta D, Sidhu H, Thind SK, Nath R. Effect of Tribulus terrestris on oxalate metabolism in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 1994;44:61-6. [PUBMED]
14.	Haroun ME, Mohmoud OM, Adam SE. Effect of feeding Cuminum cyminum fruits, Thymus vulgaris leaves or their mixture to rats. Vet Hum Toxicol 2002;44:67-9.
15.	Ozbek H, Ug¡ras¸ S, Dülger H, Bayram I, Tuncer I, Oztürk G, et al. Hepatoprotective effects of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil. Fitoterapia 2003;74:317-9.
16.	Mcintyre M. A review of the benefits, adverse events, drug interactions, and safety of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum): The implications with regard to the regulation of herbal medicines. J Altern Complement Med 2000;6:115-24. [PUBMED]

Advanced Biomedical Research