Hepatoprotective Effect of Turmeric from Fatty Liver Induced by Ethanol in Rats as Compared to Silymarin

Abstract

Alcoholic fatty liver is one of the important and earliest pathological changes caused by the ethanol abuse. The present work was undertaken to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of turmeric on fatty liver in comparison with silymarin. Fatty liver was induced in male albino rats by administration of ethanol (7.9g/kg/day) by gavage for 6 weeks (EtOH group). Control rats were given distilled water equivalent to volume of ethanol by gavage (control group). Turmeric was given in simultaneously with ethanol administration (EtOH-turmeric group). Silymarin was used as a comparison treatment (EtOH-silymarin group). The present results showed that ethanol treatment caused significant increase in serum and liver lipids together with hepatic damage was manifested by a significant increase in hepatic marker enzymes activities, which were attenuated by turmeric and silymarin treatment. Also ethanol resulted in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) elevation and antioxidant defense system (glutathione peroxidase; GSH-Px and superoxide dismutase; SOD) impairment in liver. Administration of turmeric simultaneously to alcohol-treated rats significantly suppressed the elevation of TBARs levels and enhanced the GSH-Px and SOD activities in liver. The effects were comparable with that of silymarin. Histological changes of the liver were paralleled to biochemical indices. These data indicated that turmeric possessed ability to prevent chronic ethanol-induced fatty liver. The protective effects should be associated with its antioxidant activities.