Effects of Lawsonia inermis L. (Henna) leaves’ methanolic extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

BACKGROUND Natural products with therapeutic properties such as plants, minerals, and animal products, for many years, were the main sources of drugs for the treatment of numerous diseases; hence selection of Lawsonia inermis L. (Henna) to study its hepatoprotective activity was considered. OBJECTIVES This was an attempt to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of L. inermis leaves' methanolic extract on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS The L. inermis leaves' methanolic extract, which obtained by maceration, was orally administered in doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg to the tested animals to assess its effects on serum levels of hepatotoxicity parameters, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, and total proteins along with histopathological liver sections examination, while silymarin (25 mg/kg), a potent hepatoprotective drug, was used as standard control. RESULTS The two doses of the plant extract showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective effect, as evident by the significant reduction (P < 0.05) in serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, and bilirubin along with the improvement in histopathological liver sections compared to CCl4-only treated animals. CONCLUSION As experimentally evident, it could be concluded that this plant material could provide a hepatoprotective effect that could be attributed to its antioxidant properties.