Ameliorative effects of pycnogenol® on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic oxidative damage in rats

This study evaluated the putative antioxidant activity of Pycnogenol® (PYC) against CCl₄-induced hepatic oxidative damage in Sprague-Dawley rats. A single oral dose of CCl₄ (1.25 mL/kg) produced significantly increased levels of serum aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. In addition, increased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, reduced glutathione (GSH) content, and decreased catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were observed in the hepatic tissues. However, concomitant administration with PYC (10 or 20 mg/kg) significantly improved CCl₄-induced hepatic injury, as evidenced by the decline of serum AST and ALT activities in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, PYC reduced MDA concentration and increased GSH levels and catalase, SOD and GST activities in hepatic tissues, indicating that concomitant administration with PYC efficiently prevent the CCl₄-induced oxidative damage in rats. The free radical scavenging assay showed that PYC has a dose-dependent scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. These results indicate that PYC has an antioxidant effect against CCl₄-induced hepatic oxidative damage and is useful as a hepatoprotective agent against various liver diseases induced by oxidative stress.