Abstract
We investigated the protective and in vivo antioxidant effects of p-coumaric acid on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were orally pre-treated with p-coumaric acid (at 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight) for 15 days before the subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride (1.5 mL/kg). Silymarin served as a positive control for hepatoprotection. Blood and tissue samples were obtained and used to assess the effects of p-coumaric acid using quantitative and qualitative histological evaluation, glutathione levels, protein determination, and liver enzymes. p-Coumaric acid treatment did not demonstrate any toxicological abnormalities in mice. p-Coumaric acid and silymarin reduced the extent of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage and preserved normal hepatic enzymes (P <0.05). p-Coumaric acid pre-treatment led to a diminution in increased malondialdehyde and decreased glutathione following carbon tetrachloride administration (P <0.05). Furthermore, p-coumaric acid restored changes in superoxide dismutase and caspase-3 gene expression as a result of carbon tetrachloride exposure. In conclusion, p-coumaric acid helps restore toxicant-induced liver injury in rats via avoidance of lipid peroxidation, inhibition of cell death and preservation of antioxidant mechanism.