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Antioxident and Hepatoprotective Activity of Cassia tora against Carbon

Tetrachloride Induced Liver Damage

2*
1
Ankita Sahu , Vinit Singh Baghel , Dhananjay Shukla 2
1 NEERI Jal nigam district laboratory, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh
2 Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chhattishgarh

* Email of corresponding author : vsbaghel173@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The study was done to evaluate the phytochemicals present in the Cassia tora seeds and to
evaluate various ethanopharmacological uses of the same. In the traditional medicine system

C. tora is used in treating various ailments and is said to be useful in cleansing liver. In our
study we prepared the aqueous extract of the C. tora seeds and subjected it to various

qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis. The in-vitro antioxidant activity of the

extract were analyzed by DPPH radical scavenging assay and reducing power was analyzed
by taking readings against ascorbic acid as standard. Upon receiving the expected results

Albino Wister rats were used as animal model to test the hepatoprotective activity of the
extract in vivo against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity. The animals were

divided into four groups: one positive control, one negative control and two treatment groups.
First the toxicity studies were done on the animals to select the maximum tolerated dose of

th
th
extract and then 1/10 and 1/20 part of maximum tolerated dose was selected as treatment
dose. The treatment group were given the extract at 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of the body
th
weight respectively, the positive control was given saline and on the 8 day negative control
along with treatment groups was administered CCl4 at 1.5mg/kg of body weight. After 24
hours the blood and tissue samples were collected and analyzed for various parameters used

to define hepatic well-being. We found that the extract at higher dose had least liver damage

compared to low dose and negative control. This results hence supports the idea for C. tora
seeds to be hepatoprotective in nature.

Keywords - Cassia tora, hepatoprotective activity, Cassia tora seeds, antioxidant activity,
pharmacological activity.

1. INTRODUCTION

Alternative medicines today are used by about 60% of the world population and this percent
includes the population from the developed countries (Ballabh and Chaurasia, 2007). India

has long been known to use plants as a source of medicinal important derivatives. The

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