Hepatoprotective effects of Echinacea purpurea against copper oxide nanoparticles-induced hepatic toxicity in albino rats

The expanding use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) in numerous industries and their extensive applications raised their potential hazardous effects. Echinacea purpurea (E. purpurea) possesses numerous medicinal benefits owing to its anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to assess the role of E. purpurea in mitigating CuO-NPs induced liver toxicity in rats. Twenty-eight adult male albino rats were divided into four equal groups. The first group (G1) received saline (1ml per rat) daily via stomach tube. G2 was received E. purpurea at a dose of 150 mg/kg b.wt. daily via stomach tube. CuO-NPs was administered orally to G3 at a dose of 300 mg/kg b.wt. every day. G4 was given CuO-NPs and E. purpurea daily in the same dose and route. After four weeks of the experiment, liver specimens and serum samples were taken from rats in all groups. The findings showed that E. purpurea alleviated the hepatic damage induced by CuO-NPs through improvement of body weight, hematological parameters, serum ALT, AST, and ALP, also by restoring the antioxidant state, as evidenced by elevated catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and lowered malondialdehyde (MDA). Additionally, E. purpurea maintained liver tissue architecture, and decreased immunoreactivity of caspase-3 (Cas-3). This study concluded that E. purpurea administration attenuated the hepatotoxicity of CuO-NPs treated rats through its antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.