Abstract

Ethanol induces different side effects on tissues and organs and it is associated with biochemical, physiological, and pathological alterations in the liver. Tragopogon graminifolius (TG) is traditionally used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of present study was to investigate TG effect against ethanol induced liver enzyme (ALT, AST and ALP) and nitric oxide (NO) secretion in male rat. In this experimental study, 30 male Wistar rats (210 ±10 g) have been randomly divided into the experimental, ethanol and control groups (6/group). The experimental groups were received one of TG hydroalcoholic extract (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg) for 15 days orally. One ml of distilled water was given to ethanol and control group daily. At the day of 15th, ethanol (5 g/kg) was given to all groups orally except control group. After one hour, cardiac blood sample was collected and serum levels of ALT, ALP, AST and NO concentration were measured. Data were analyzed by one way-ANOVA test. Ethanol increased ATL, AST, AP and NO in the serum of male rat. Pretreatment with TG extract prevent increasing the serum level of ALT (p=0.001), ALP (p=0.004) and NO (p=0.000) significantly during ethanol consumption. Moreover, serum AST decreased in experimental groups (p>0.05). TG extract has protective effect on ethanol-induced liver toxicity in rats and also verified claims of traditional medicine about hepatoprotective function of TG.

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