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Antioxidant effect of Sargassum polycystum (Phaeophyceae) against acetaminophen induced changes in hepatic mitochondrial enzymes during toxic hepatitis.

Balaji Raghavendran HR, Sathivel A, Devaki T

Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Patel Road, Chennai 600 025, India.

The present study was aimed to examine the protective effects of Sargassum polycystum (Phaeophyceae) alcoholic extract on changes in liver mitochondrial enzymes against acetaminophen induced toxic hepatitis in experimental rats. The levels of protein, lipid peroxide, glutathione (GSH) in mitochondrial fraction, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were also determined. The activities of tricarboxylic acid enzymes such as isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD), alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (alpha-KGD), succinate dehydrogenase (SD), malate dehydrogenase (MD), NADH dehydrogenase, and cytochrome-c-oxidase were determined in mitochondrial fraction. The rats intoxicated with acetaminophen showed significant elevation in the levels of lipid peroxides with decreased levels of protein, GSH, SOD, CAT and impaired tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities. The prior oral administration of S. polycystum alcoholic extract showed significant diminution in the severity of toxic hepatitis in acetaminophen-induced rats by maintaining the activities of tricarboxylic acid enzymes with concomitant improvement in the hepatic mitochondrial antiperoxidative status when compared with intoxicated animals. The results obtained in the present study indicate that the protective effects of S. polycystum extract may be due to the presence of some active compounds that are inhibitory against the free radicals generated during lipid peroxidation in acetaminophen induced toxic hepatitis.

Published 19 September 2005 in Chemosphere, 61(2): 276-81.
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