Despite many liver disorders, clinically useful drugs are scarce. Moreover, the available therapies are facing the challenges of efficacy and safety. Alhagi camelorum has been used in folk medicine globally for millennia to treat several ailments. Alhagi camelorum (Ac) is an old plant with a significant therapeutic value throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our goal was to determine the hepatoprotective activity of Alhagi camelorum against valproic acid induced hepatotoxicity using an animal model. The animals were segregated in 4-groups (6 male rats each) weighing 250-290 g. Group-1 animals were treated with normal saline, Group-2 animals were treated with VPA at the dose of 500 mg/kg i.p for 14 days consecutively, while Group-3 and 4 were treated with valproic acid (VPA) at the dose of 500 mg/kg i.p for 14 days along with 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of Ac hydroalcoholic extract respectively. Subsequently, blood serum samples and liver tissues were collected for biochemical and histopathological analysis. Phytochemical screening was carried out to screen for phytochemical classes and HPLC analysis was conducted to screen polyphenols. The antioxidant activity was carried by different assays such as DPPH, SOD, NO etc. KEY RESULTS: The administration of Ac showed hepatoprotection at the doses of 400 and 600 mg/kg. Ac significantly reduces the elevated serum levels of liver biomarkers compared to the valproic acid-induced hepatotoxic group. These findings were confirmed with histopathological changes where Ac was capable of reversing the toxic effects of valproic acid on liver cells CONCLUSION: It is concluded that Ac showed significant hepatoprotective effects at different doses in the animal model used in this study.
Alhagi camelorum (AC) is an old plant with a significant therapeutic value throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The overuse of cisplatin (Cis > 50 mg/m2) is associated with observed nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, gastrotoxicity, myelosuppression, and allergic reactions. Remedial measures are needed for the protection of nephrotoxicity against cisplatin. Thus, we investigated the nephroprotective effects of AC plant extract to prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in albino Wistar rats. The presence of polyphenols, phenolic compounds, tannins, and saponins was revealed during phytochemical investigation, and a significantly intense antioxidant activity was recorded. There were no toxicological symptoms in the treated rats, and no anatomical, physiological, or histological abnormalities were found compared to the control rats. The results of correcting cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity revealed that the extract has a significant ability to treat kidney damage, with most parameters returning to normal after only three weeks of therapy. It is concluded that co-administration of cisplatin with AC extract showed exceptional nephroprotective effects at a dose of 600 mg/kg for Cis-induced nephrotoxicity.