Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of andrographis paniculata against acetaminophen (paracetamol) induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats

The antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect of Andrographis paniculata on Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) induced hepatotoxicity inalbino rats was investigated. Oral administration Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)of (250mg/kg body wt.) for 8 days resulted in a significant elevation of SGOT, SGPT,ALP and bilirubin and the levels of lipid peroxidation in liver. Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) also caused a significant reduction in the activities of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and reduced the Glutathione level in liver. Administration of A. Paniculata extract ( 250 mg /kg body weight and 500 mg/kg body weight.) significantly decreased the serum hepatic marker enzymes viz SGOT,SGPT,ALP and level of bilirubin along with the significant decrease in the levels of lipid peroxidation in the liver. In addition the A.paniculata extract significantly increased the activities of SOD, CAT and reduced GSH level in the liver of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) intoxicated albino rats. Our results demonstrated that the ethanolic extract of A. Paniculata exhibited antioxidant and the hepatoprotective property. The results of the hepatoprotective activity of Andrographis paniculata extract is comparable to that of the commercially available silymarin preparations