Screening of Hepatoprotective Drugs against Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Hepatotoxicity by Non-invasive Method

The study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of pre-treatment with Ethanolic extract of fruits of Gardenia jasminoides against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in Wister rat model. Liver damage in Wister rats was induced by administering CCl4 (0.7 ml/kg, ip) on alternative days for one week. Gardenia jasminoides (80, 200 and 400 mg/kg, po.) was given for one week. Silymarin (100 mg/kg, po.) was used as a reference drug. Silymarin and Ethanolic extract of Gardenia jasminoides (Shown to be hepatoprotective substances) prevented the CCl4 induced reduction of ascorbic acid extraction in urine. The results indicate that the measurement of ascorbic acid excretion can be used as a non-invasive test for screening protective substances against CCl 4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats.