Hepatoprotective effect of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) in rat intoxication with mercury (II) chloride

Abstract

Chemical pollution of the environment poses a serious threat to public health, leads to an increase in morbidity, including an increase in diseases of the hepatobiliary system. Liver diseases and the severity of their course require a comprehensive solution to this problem and the creation of new effective medicines. Special attention is paid to herbal medicines with comprehensive preventive and therapeutic potential. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of the dry extract of aerial part of chicory on a model of acute intoxication in rats with mercury (II) chloride. Methods. The study was performed on male Wistar rats. A model of acute toxic liver damage was caused by a single subcutaneous injection of mercury (II) chloride at a dose of 3 mg / kg. The dry extract of chicory were administered into the stomach of rats 1 hour before injection of mercury (II) chloride and in the following 20 days at doses of 100 and 500 mg / kg. The hepatoprotector Silimar ® was administered according to the same scheme at a therapeutic dose of 100 mg /kg. On the 21st day of the experiment, integral health indicators of experimental animals were recorded, peripheral blood samples were taken to determine biochemical parameters. At the end of the experiment, pathohistological studies of the rat liver were performed. Statistical processing of the obtained results was carried out using the licensed program Statistica version 13 (TIBCO Software Inc, USA). Results. A study on rats with an experimental model of acute liver intoxication with mercury (II) chloride showed that the studied extract showed hepatoprotective effect at doses of 100 and 500 mg/kg, reducing their death and toxic effect on the liver, normalizing biochemical and morphological parameters. According to the degree of severity of the hepatoprotective effect on the specified model of liver pathology, the dry extract of chicory in these doses corresponded to Silimar®, a hepatoprotector currently widely used in medical practice. Conclusion. The study revealed for the first time new aspects of the pharmacological activity of the dry extract of chicory, which were manifested in its antitoxic effect. The results of the study served as the basis for the creation of a new medicine based on the studied extract for the treatment of liver diseases of various etiologies, including those caused by intoxication with heavy metal salts.