The potential mitigating activity of <i>Cassia absus</i> seed extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury

Introduction: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) is a chemical that can induce injury in the liver. The aim was to evaluate any potential hepatoprotective potential of a seed extract from Cassia absus against CCl4 -induced liver toxicity in Wister rats. Methods: To this end, an aqueous-methanolic extract of C. absus seeds was prepared by maceration. In vitro testing of the extract included phytochemical screening and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to evaluate the phenolic compound constituents. An in vivo study involved a single exposure to CCl4 either alone or in combination with the hepatoprotective agent, silymarin, or C. absus seed extract administered orally over 28 days. Serum biochemical markers of liver cell injury were measured and post-mortem liver tissues were examined histopathologically using eosin-hematoxylin staining and microscopy. Results: The HPLC analysis specifically identified the presence of gallic acid, vanillic acid, catechin, and p-coumaric acid. In addition, no changes were observed in animal body and liver weights during the treatment protocol. However, both the plant seed extract and silymarin reversed the CCl4 induced elevated serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine transaminase (P&lt;0.05) in addition to the histopathological injury. The plant extract also had a dose-related hepatotoxic mitigating effect, and the findings were analogous to those with the hepatoprotective standard comparator, silymarin. Conclusion: These study outcomes substantiate a protective effect of C. absus seed extract against CCl4 -induced hepatotoxicity in the animal model.