Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Potential of Elaeagnus Angustifolia Extract

Currently, chemical drugs are used to treat liver disease, which is associated with serious side effects. Also, these common drugs and treatments, which are available to patients with liver disease, have high costs, especially in developing countries, and these treatments and medications can cause side effects and other harms. This study investigated the protective and antioxidant effects of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit on liver damage. The findings of this study showed that Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit may reduce oxidative stress and have liver protection effects due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic groups. This study was performed on 28 male rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups consisting of 7 rats per each group including control group, CCl4-induced liver damage group, the group received a low dose (100 mg/kg) of EAFE, and the group received a high dose (400 mg/kg) of EAFE. Toxicity induction by oral gavage was done for 28 days. On day 29, the injury was induced in the liver damage group and the groups receiving the extract. After 72 h of induction, blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for biochemical and oxidative stress markers and also liver tissue was evaluated for pathological examination. Our results showed that oral administration of both 100 and 400 mg/kg of EAFE decreased serum levels of liver enzymes of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after CCl4 toxicity. Also, EAFE was able to significantly reduce serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to its level in the CCl4-induced liver damage group and increased level of total antioxidant capacity, which was reduced in the CCl4-induced liver damage group and brought it closer to that of the control group. Notably, EAFE significantly reduced serum levels of urea, creatinine, and uric acid, which were elevated in the CCl4-induced liver damage group. These findings were confirmed by histopathological observations where EAFE was able to reduce the toxic effects of CCl4 on hepatocytes, as observed in animals with CCl4-induced liver damage. Findings of this study revealed that pretreatment with Elaeagnus angustifolia extract caused a marked improvement in biochemical and oxidative stress markers and also histopathological parameters following injury induction by CCl4 in rats҆ liver and it may have potential therapeutic properties in the condition of liver damage