International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Available online at www.globalresearchonline.net

Liver disease is still a worldwide health problem. The liver plays an essential role in drug and xenobiotic metabolism and in maintaining the biological equilibrium of the organism. In view of severe undesirable side effects of synthetic agents, there is growing focus to follow systematic research methodology and to evaluate scientific basis for the traditional herbal medicines that are claimed to possess hepatoprotective activity. The present study is carried out to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extracts of Bacopa monnieri (BM) and Vinca rosea (VR) with particular reference to antioxidant enzymes activities of Glutathione S-transferase (GST), Glutathione reductase (GR), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Lipidperoxidase (LP), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and Glutathione (GSH) content. The animals were divided into five groups with six rats in each. Group 1 received Saline water, group 2 received Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) through i.p. route for 14 days to induce hepatic damage. The BM and VR extracts were given (180 mg/kg/day) for 21 days orally to group 3 and group 4 respectively. Group 5 received Silymarin orally which is referred as drug control. CCl4 treated rats exhibited significant decrease in GST, GR, GPx, LP, SOD and CAT enzyme activities and GSH levels in the liver compared to controls. Pretreatment with ethanolic extracts of BM and VR exert antioxidative effects by ameliorating the status of antioxidant metabolism, thus showing hepatoprotective activity. Our results suggest the ability of BM and VR extracts to modulate antioxidant metabolism in liver of CCl4 induced liver damage