Abstract:Rubia cordifolia Linn (Rubiaceae) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and is officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for the treatment of diverse diseases. The hepatoprotective effects of R. cordifolia essential oil extracted using hydrodistillation against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic damage in rats were evaluated. R. cordifolia essential oil was administered at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg orally and once daily for 21 days before CCl4 administration. CCl4 treatment significantly increased the activities of various serum enzymes and markers, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglycerides (TC), which were dose-dependently restored to normal levels after the administration of R. cordifolia essential oil. The liver and spleen indices, as well as catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the mice treated with the essential oil were similar to those of the normal control group. These results, together with the results of liver histopathology, showed that R. cordifolia essential oil exhibited hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced injury, and these effects were comparable to the effects of biphenyl dimethyl dicarboxylate (DDB) used as standard reference. The results of this study strongly indicate that R. cordifolia essential oil has a potential hepatoprotective action against CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats.
