Aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. decelerates acetaminophen-induced acute liver damage by reducing cell death and oxidative stress in mouse experimental models.

BACKGROUND: Acetaminophen (AAP)-induced oxidative stress can cause cell death to induce liver damage. The antioxidant effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (HS) was shown in previous studies. In this study the effect of HS extract (HSE) on AAP-induced liver injury in BALB/c mice was investigated.
RESULTS: In vivo, BALB/c mice were fed orally with 200, 400 or 600 mg kg(-1) HSE for 2 weeks and then injected with 1000 mg kg(-1) AAP. Pretreatment with HSE decreased lipid peroxidation and increased catalase activity and glutathione level. It also decreased AAP-induced liver injury, accompanied by decreased expression of pJNK, Bax and tBid in the liver. Additionally, HSE protected BALB/c normal liver cells from AAP-induced damage in vitro.
CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that HSE can protect the mouse liver from AAP-induced injury and that the protective mechanism might involve decreasing oxidative stress and reducing cell death. (c) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.