Potential in vitro antioxidant and protective effects of Soymida febrifuga on ethanol induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells.

There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress is implicated in pathogenesis of various diseases, including alcoholic liver injury. In the present study, we investigated the comparative protective effects of leaf, bark, root and root bark extracts of Soymida febrifuga (Roxb.) A. Juss. (Meliaceae) against ethanol induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. Comparatively, methanolic and aqueous extracts of bark and leaf significantly attenuated the cytotoxicity of the ethanol, as determined by cytotoxicity, lipid peroxidation, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferases and asparatate aminotransferases, than the root and root bark extracts. Ethanol induces liver toxicity through free radical generation so initially in vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of bark and leaf have shown higher total phenolic content, reducing power, metal chelating, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide (murine macrophage cells) scavenging activity than the root and root bark extracts.