Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench seed extract alleviates acute acetaminophen induced liver damage in rats

852-860Acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP), commonly called the ‘paracetamol’, is one of the most regularly utilized medicines, particularly in children. When administered at the recommended doses, it is a safe medication. However, oxidative stress and inflammation caused by exposure to toxic doses lead to centrilobular hepatic necrosis. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is utilized in the therapy, however it has potential adverse effects. On the other hand, it is known that the seeds of the common vegetable Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (AE), a herbal product, possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. In the present study, we explored whether AE can be used as an alternative to standard NAC therapy without any adverse effect in the treatment of acute APAP induced liver injury. Forty male Wistar rats were placed into five groups: Control, AE, APAP, APAP+AE and APAP+AE+NAC groups. Antioxidants such as native thiol and total thiol were found rised in the APAP group by adding AE (p =0.043 and p =0.028, respectively). Anti-inflammatory indicator IL-10 was also found increased, while marker ALT, which is a sign of hepatotoxicity, got decreased (P=0.005 and P <0.001, respectively). Histologically, AE has been shown to improve worsened congestion (P =0.003), cytoplasmic vacuolization (P =0.01), sinusoidal dilatation (P =0.001), Kupffer cell proliferation (P <0.001) and inflammation (P