Pharmacological Evaluation of Scopoletin in the Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity Model in Wistar Rats

BACKGROUND: Several phyto-chemicals have been identified and suggested as potential therapeutic options for hepatotoxicity management. OBJECTIVE: To assess the hepatoprotective effect of scopoletin, a pure phyto-chemical, in carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced hepatotoxicity model in Wistar rats. METHODS: Thirty-six rats in total, six in each group, were utilized in this study. Animals in group 1 received normal saline; those in group 2 received carbon tetrachloride in olive oil (0.5 ml/kg, i.p. in ratio 1:1); those in groups 3, 4, and 5 received oral scopoletin (1 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg dose-wise groups); and those in group 6 received N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) 150 mg/kg. Blood sampling was performed on day -3, day 1, and day 7 of the CCl(4) administration. Rats were sacrificed on day 7 of the experiment for histological examination and oxidative stress measurement of the liver. RESULTS: The 5 mg/kg scopoletin group showed a maximum reduction in AST levels [727.33 ± 29.15 in medium dose (MD) group vs 1526.66 ± 60.72 in the experimental control (EC) group (P < 0.001) and ALT levels of 532.66 ± 24.23 in MD group vs 894.83 ± 52.47 in EC (P < 0.01)]. The dose-dependent action was not observed with scopoletin doses. The protective effect of scopoletin was confirmed by MDA and GSH levels (P < 0.05) coupled with histo-pathological findings. In the present study, a reversible model of CCl(4)-induced hepatotoxicity was observed to get normalized in a week's time. CONCLUSION: The study confirms the hepatoprotective action of scopoletin in an acute model of hepatic injury with the putative anti-oxidant mechanism.