Abstract
Author(s): Y. Damodar Singh
Twenty Swiss albino mice (male) randomly divided into four groups were administered orally with vehicle (5% Tween 80), 1/20th (i.e. 175 mg/kg), 1/10th (i.e. 350 mg/kg) and 1/5th (i.e. 750 mg/kg) LD50 doses of methanolic leaf extract of Eupatorium adenophorum respectively; for a period of 90 days and the levels of various antioxidant enzymes such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were studied. Treatment of the mice with methanolic extract of E. adenophorum at the dose levels of 350 and 750 mg/kg revealed marked increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels and decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) as compared to control and mice treated with 175 mg/kg, while all the treated animals showed significant reductions in catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) activities as compared to control. The present findings suggest that methanolic leaf extract of E. adenophorum may be having dose dependant hepatotoxic effect on mice as it markedly induced lipid peroxidation and reversed the activities of the antioxidant enzymes.