Protective effect of celosian, an acidic polysaccharide, on chemically and immunologically induced liver injuries.

Hepatoprotective effect of celosian, an acidic polysaccharide isolated from the water extract of the seed of Celosia argentea, was investigated using chemical and immunological liver injury models. Celosian inhibited the elevation of serum enzyme (GPT, GOT, LDH) and bilirubin levels on carbon tetrachloride (CC1(4))-induced liver injuries in rat. In addition, the hepatoprotective effect of celosian was also observed in this model of liver injury by histopathological findings. Moreover, celosian suppressed rises in GPT or mortality on fulminant hepatitis induced by D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (D-Ga1N/LPS) or Propionibacterium acnes/LPS in mice. These findings suggested that celosian is an active component in protection against chemical and immunological hepatitis and the activity was found to be a dose dependent. Celosian showed a concentration dependent inhibitory effect on lipid peroxide (LPO) generation in vitro. Though celosian did not reduce the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), it protected against recombinant human TNF-alpha (rhTNF-alpha)-induced liver injury in D-galactosamine sensitized mice.