Hepatoprotective Activity of Inula cuspidata Flower, Stem and Whole Plant Extract against Carbon tetrachloride Induced Toxicity in Rats

The liver serves a vital function in human system. It has the primary metabolic function of regulating the blood concentration of most metabolites, particularly glucose and amino acids. Any injury to it or impairment of its function may lead to many implications on one’s health. Management of liver diseases is still a challenge to modern medicine. The allopathic medicine has little to offer for the alleviation of hepatic ailments whereas the most important representatives are of phytoconstituents. In the present study, the aqueous extract of flower, stem and whole plant of Inula cuspidata at the dose of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg (orally administered) was studied for the hepatoprotective effect using Carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in wistar albino rats. Various determinants of liver injury, such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transferase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB) were evaluated. It was observed that SGOT, SGPT, TB and DB were found to be elevated in CCl4 group as CCl4 causes severe liver injury leading to elevated enzyme level and increased bilirubin levels. High dose (400mg/kg) of flower extract of Inula cuspidata produced the maximum decrease in the elevated SGPT level followed by the high dose of Whole plant extract. The minimum SGOT level was observed with high dose flower extract followed by high dose of whole plant extract. Similar results were observed in the case of alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin. The stem extract was found to have the least activity. The overall experimental results suggests that the biologically active phytoconstituents such as flavonoids, glycosides, sesquiterpene lactones present in the aqueous extract of plant Inula cuspidata might be responsible for the significant (p<0.001) hepatoprotective activity and the results justify the use of Inula cuspidata as a hepatoprotective agent.