Hepatoprotective potential of solvent-derived artichoke leaf extracts against cyclophosphamide-induced liver injury in rat model

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

In this study, the protective effects of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) leaf extracts against hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide (CP), a cytotoxic agent, were investigated. Thirty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into five equal groups. The control and CP groups received 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) via gavage for 10 days. On the 7th day, a single intraperitoneal dose of CP (200 mg/kg body weight) was administered to the rats in both the CP and the experimental groups. The rats in the experimental groups were also treated with n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and methanolic (MeOH) extracts (1g/kg body weight, via gavage) each dissolved in DMSO, for 10 days. In the LC-QTOF-MS analyses of the extracts, apigenin-7-O-rutinoside was present exclusively in the EtOAc extract, while this extract also had the highest concentrations of luteolin-7-O- glucoside, apigenin 7-glucoside, apigenin, oxo-octadecatrienoic acid, hydroxy-octadecatrienoic acid, and hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid. In the plasma and liver tissue samples of the CP group, levels of MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β increased, while antioxidant markers levels and IL-10 levels decreased. Compared to the CP group, the MeOH extract group showed reduced levels of MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β, along with increased levels of GSH (except in liver tissue), GPx, SOD, and IL-10 in both plasma and liver samples. In the EtOAc group, liver MDA levels were significantly reduced and plasma GSH levels were elevated. However, changes in plasma IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α levels were not statistically significant. In the n-hexane group, none of the examined parameters showed significant changes. Histopathological examinations of liver tissues in the CP group revealed sinusoidal dilation, hyperemia in the central veins, vacuolar degeneration, and increased Kupffer cell activation. In contrast, the EtOAc group exhibited a marked reduction in these anomalies, indicating notable histological improvement. The MeOH group showed a reduction in hyperemia and vacuolar degeneration, while the n-hexane group demonstrated only limited tissue recovery. Consequently, the results of this study demonstrated that the EtOAc extract, rich in diverse phenolic compounds, was the most effective in mitigating CP-induced hepatic degeneration. Meanwhile, the MeOH extract, which had the highest total phenolic content, exhibited the strongest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and contributed to partial histological improvement.