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• Huo, H
• Wang, B
• Liang, Y
• Bao, Y
• Gu, Y
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• Wang, B
• Liang, Y
• Bao, Y
• Gu, Y
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• Wang, B
• Liang, Y
• Bao, Y
• Gu, Y

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(10), 6529-6543; doi:10.3390/ijms12106529

Article

Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Licorice Extract against CCl₄-Induced Oxidative Damage in Rats

Hai Zhong Huo, Bing Wang, Yong Kang Liang, Yong Yang Bao and Yan Gu*

Department of General Surgery, Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 28 July 2011; in revised form: 4 September 2011 / Accepted: 26 September 2011 / Published: 6 October 2011

(This article belongs to the Section Bioactives and Nutraceuticals)

Download PDF Full-Text [888 KB, uploaded 6 October 2011 11:22 CEST]

Abstract: Licorice has been used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of various disorders. Licorice has the biological capabilities of detoxication, antioxidation, and antiinfection. In this study, we evaluated the antihepatotoxic effect of licorice aqueous extract (LE) on the carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury in a rat model. Hepatic damage, as reveled by histology and the increased activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and decreased levels of serum total protein (TP), albumin (Alb) and globulin (G) were induced in rats by an administration of CCl₄ at 3 mL/kg b.w. (1:1 in groundnut oil). Licorice extract significantly inhibited the elevated AST, ALP and ALT activities and the decreased TP, Alb and G levels caused by CCl₄ intoxication. It also enhanced liver super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR), Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities and glutathione (GSH) level, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Licorice extract still markedly reverses the increased liver hydroxyproline and serum TNF-α levels induced by CCl₄ intoxication. The data of this study support a chemopreventive potential of licorice extract against liver oxidative injury.

Keywords: licorice; CCl₄; rat; antioxidant; AST; liver

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