Antihepatotoxic Activity of Colocasia Esculenta Leaf Juice

Influenced by the ancient literature of various communities and reports presented by modern authors regarding the medicinal uses of Colocacia esculenta., present study was conducted to investigate the antihepatotoxic efficacy associated with Colocacia esculenta whole leaf juice. The antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective studies were carried against two well known hepaotoxins paracetamol and CCl4 using in vitro liver slice method. The free radicals generated by CCl4 and paracetamol cause oxidative stress as well as damage various cell organellaes consequently resulting in injury to the hepatocytes. The extent of damage caused by these free radicals as well as evaluation of antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective efficacy associated with the Colocacia esculenta leaf juice was measured using the leakage of marker enzymes of liver function viz AST, ALT and ALP in the incubation medium. In presence of CCL4 as well as paracetamol there was increase in the levels of marker enzymes indicating hepatotoxicity of these compounds. At one and two hours interval insignificant alterations were observed in the enzymes levels. Marked elevations of toxicity marker enzymes were noted at four hours in presence of CCl4 as well as paracetamol. However the leaf juice of Colocacia esculenta remarkably declined the leakage of AST, ALT and ALP in the medium indicating hepatocyte integrity. The investigation is supportive to conclude that the Colocacia esculenta leaf juice as a whole possesses antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective efficacy when tested in vitro using rat