The antihepatotoxic efficacy of aqueous extract of Indigofera tinctoria (250, 500 mg/kg body weight) and silymarin were investigated against paracetamol induced liver damage in rats. Paracetamol at the dose of 3g/kg body weight orally one day only produced liver damage in rats as manifested by the significant rise in serum levels of aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), g-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), bilirubin, cholesterol, lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and decrease the protein level compared to control. Histopathological changes of liver sample were compared with respective control. Treatment of rats with I. tinctoria (250, 500 mg/kg body wt.), once daily for 10 days to paracetamol treated rats shows lowered significantly the afore mentioned clinical parameter whereas protein level increased. Further more, liver tissues were processed for histopathological observation. The extract alone treated rats did not adversely affect the serum biochemical and histopathological observation. Significant antihepatotoxic efficacies of the Indigofera tinctoria extracts were reported.
