Antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Artemisia absinthium L. in rat

Introduction: Artemisia absinthium L. (AA) is a large, diverse genus of the family Asteraceae. AA has long been used as customary herbal medicine in world for the treatment of gastric pain, cardiac stimulation, improvement of memory and for the restoration of declined mental function. The aim of present study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of AA on some factors reflecting the development of oxidative toxic stress in plasma. Methods: Twenty male rats were equally divided in to 4 groups (5 rats each). Group I acted as control (received normal salin). Treatment groups were II, III and IV which were given Artemisia 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day respectively only by gavage for 24 hours. After treatment, blood specimens were collected. Liver enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) with total antioxidant power (TAP) and total thiol groups (TTG) concentrations were measured. Results: Levels of ALT, AST and TTG were decreased in the group II compared to the control (group I). ALT and AST in 50 mg/kg group was observed compared with control group. Also, TTG increased in Artemisia 50 mg/kg group compared to control group. Conclusion: Results suggests that alcoholic extract of Artemisia can ameliorate liver toxicity in rats through reducing the serum levels of ALT, AST, and oxidative damage.