Abstract
Purpose: To explore the hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anti-amylase, and anti-glucosidase effects of the medicinal plant Ziziphus spina-christi (L.).
Methods: Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) methanol extract (ZS-1) and its ethyl-acetate (ZS-2), n-butanol (ZS-3), and aqueous (ZS-4) fractions were evaluated for their hepatoprotective, anti-amylase, and antiglucosidase activities. Adult male Wister rats were divided into 11 groups (I- XI) with 6 mice per group. Group I was normal control, while the treatment groups were as follows: group II, CCl4; group III, Silymarin + CCl4; group IV, Ziziphus spina-christi total methanol extract (ZS-1), 100 mg/kg) + CCl4; group V, ZS-1 (200 mg/kg) + CCI4; group VI, ethyl acetate fraction (ZS-2), 100 mg/kg + CCI4; group VII: ZS-2 (200 mg/kg) + CCI4; group VIII, butanol fraction (ZS-3), 100 mg/kg) + CCI4; group IX, ZS-3 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4; group X, aqueous fraction (ZS-4), 100 mg/kg) + CCl4; group XI: ZS-4 (200 mg/kg) + CCl4. Silymarin was used as the standard. Biomarkers of liver and kidney toxicity and histopathological changes were evaluated.
Results: Liver and kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), non-protein sulfhydryls (NP-SH) and total protein levels were elevated in CCI4-treated rats; however, ZS-1 and ZS-4 of Z. spina-christi significantly reduced these levels. ZS-2 and ZS-3 did not significantly improve the studied parameters. These results were confirmed by results from histopathological examination. ZS-1 and ZS-2 showed mild inhibitory activities against alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase (54 and 43 % at 100 pg/ml, respectively).
Conclusion: The results indicate that ZS-1 and ZS-4 samples displayed dose-dependent hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects, whereas ZS-2 and ZS-3 samples did not exhibit these effects. Similarly, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes are considerably inhibited by ZS-1 and ZS-2