In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effect of the water extract of Viburnum opulus L. (VO) on carbon tetrachloride (CCL4)- induced hepatotoxicity in rats, hypoglycemic activity and acute lethality of the same extract in mice.
Biochemical parameters of hepatic damage such as serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin concentrations were determined. CCl4 (0.8 mLikg i.p for 7 days) treatment increased the serum AST, ALT, ALP and bilirubin levels significantly as compared to controls. Treatment of animals with silibinin (50 mg/kg) +CCl4 (0.8 mL/kg i.p.) and VO (100 mg/kg, i.p.) +CCl4 (0.8 mL/kg i.p.) for 7 days lowered the levels of ALT and AST but was not significant. It was observed that ALP levels higher than normal values. The results of biochemical tests were also confirmed by histopathological examination. VO showed a few balooning degeneration, apoptosis, centrilobular necrosis in the liver tissue and bridging necrosis similar to silibinin-treated group. To compare hypoglycemic activity of VO, glibenclamide was used as the reference agent. However, VO has hypoglycemic activity neither in diabetic mice nor in their healty controls.
The present study revealed that the water extract of Viburnum opulus had slight hepatoprotective effect on carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver toxicity in rats and no hypoglycemic activity in mice. The LD50 of VO was determined as 5.447 g/kg.
Keywords: Viburnum opulus, Caprifoliaceae, Hepatoprotective activity, Hypoglycaemic activity, Median lethal dose.