Preclinical Study of Celtis Occidentalis Leaves Extract on Pancreatic Injury and Inflammation Against Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Rats

Acetaminophen is used as a painkiller and to alleviate fever. With or without a prescription, overdoses of acetaminophen lead to acute inflammation of the pancreas, cause degeneration of pancreatic tissues, and elevate the blood pancreatic enzyme level. This research aims to investigate the protective and anti-inflammatory potential of the methanolic extract of Celtis occidentalis leaves against acetaminophen-instigated acute pancreatitis. Thirty adult male Swiss albino rats were divided into five groups; each group has six individuals (n = 6). Group I is considered a control group without any treatment. Group II was given a single dose of acetaminophen (1000 mg/kg/b.w.) for fourteen days consecutively. Group III was given a dose of acetaminophen (1000 mg/kg/b.w.) before Imipenem (500 mg/kg/b.w.) administration. Groups IV and V were also given a single dose of acetaminophen (1000 mg/kg/b.w.) before the administration of methanolic extracts of low dose (150 mg/kg/b.w.) and high dose (300 mg/kg/b.w.). Results clearly indicate that the pancreatic enzymes (serum amylase and serum lipase) significantly increased in the acetaminophen treated group, which shows the induction of acute pancreatitis. Animals treated with methanolic extracts of low dose (150 mg/kg) and high dose (300 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.01 and P<0.001) reduced the serum pancreatic enzyme level. Histopathological assessment of the pancreatic tissues of different treatment groups also revealed that acetaminophen severely altered the pancreas morphology, but treatment with methanolic extract (150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) vigorously recovered the alterations as compared to the Imipenem (500 mg/kg) treated group. It should be concluded that the methanolic extract of C. occidentalis has bioactive compounds with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that potently regenerate histological alterations induced by acetaminophen in the pancreas.