Abstract
Recently, there is an increasing interest in searching for harmless natural products isolated from plant materials that can be used as beneficial dietary supplements and/or therapeutic drug candidates. The present study aimed to test the potential protective role of Pulicaria petiolaris (PP, Asteraceae) against hepatic and cardiotoxic effects associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. PP was given orally for 5 days at two different doses before LPS injection. Results have shown that LPS induced remarkable hepatic and cardiac injurious effects in mice. Hepatic damage was evident through increased serum transaminases, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and activity. Estimation of high levels of serum creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I indicated cardiac damage. Histopathological examination of liver and heart confirmed the biochemical results. Increase in oxidative stress along with a depressed antioxidant status of liver and heart were observed in LPS-intoxicated animals. Furthermore, LPS induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and subsequent elevation of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6). On the other hand, PP treatment successfully safeguards both organs against LPS-induced injury as indicated by the improvement of the biochemical and histopathological parameters. These results suggest that PP ameliorates LPS-induced hepatic and cardiac oxidative injurious effects via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.