Antihepatotoxic activity of Spilanthes ciliata

Abstract

The ethanol extract of the whole plant of Spilanthes ciliata was screened for its hepatoprotective effects in Wistar rats. A significant hepatoprotective effect was obtained against paracetamol-induced hepatic damage as evident from decreased levels of serum enzymes and an almost normal histological architecture of the liver, following treatment with the plant extract prior to paracetamol overdose-induced liver damage. The extract was also effective in increasing the choleretic activity of anaesthetized normal rats. The extract shortened hexobarbitone-induced sleeping time in mice, which was increased by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treatment, besides showing significant antilipid peroxidant effects in vitro.