Antioxidant effect of Coscinium fenestratum in carbon tetrachloride treated rats.

Antioxidant effect of methanol extract of Coscinium fenestratum stem powder was examined using carbon tetrachloride-intoxicated rat liver as the experimental model. Hepatotoxic rats were treated with the methanol extract for 90 days (daily, orally at the dose of 60 mg/kg body weight). Lipid peroxidation in carbon tetrachloride-administered rats was evidenced by a marked elevation in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and diene conjugates, and also a profound diminution in glutathione content in the liver. Rats co-administered with the methanol extract retained an almost normal level of these constituents. The decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in carbon tetrachloride-intoxicated rats, and its retrieval towards near-normalcy in the methanol extract co-administered animals revealed the effectiveness of Coscinium fenestratum in combating oxidative stress due to hepatic damage. The findings provide a rationale for further studies on isolation of active principles and its pharmacological evaluation.