The therapeutic potential of aqueous extract of Falcaria vulgaris in the treatment of fatty liver disease: a histopathological and biochemical approach

The recent experiments have indicated the potential of ethno-medicinal plants on the control, prevention, and treatment of fatty liver disease. In this study, we assessed the potential of aqueous extract of Falcaria vulgaris in treatment of fatty liver disease by investigating the histopathological and biochemical approaches. In beginning of the research, a total of 10 Wistar male rats were selected as the negative healthy control, and 50 rats were treated with a high-fat diet for 4 months. Then, the animals were randomly divided into six subgroups, including negative healthy control group, untreated group, and four groups receiving the aqueous extract of F. vulgaris at 25, 50, 100, and 200-mg/kg concentrations. After 2 months, the rats were sacrificed, and blood and liver samples of them were collected to analyze the histopathological and biochemical parameters. The data were analyzed by SPSS-21 software. Different groups of F. vulgaris significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the increased concentrations of ALP (alkaline phosphatase), AST (aspartate transaminase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein), triglyceride, total and conjugated bilirubin, glucose, and GR (glutathione reductase) and enhanced the concentrations of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), total protein, albumin, SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), and GPx (glutathione peroxidase) as compared to the untreated group. Also, F. vulgaris reduced the degree of hepatic steatosis as compared to the untreated group. It appears that the aqueous extract of F. vulgaris can treat fatty liver disease in rats. Extraction of active molecules will be the future work to peruse. © 2018, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature