Hepatoprotective activity of Psidium guajava extract and its phospholipid complex in paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats

Psidium guajava is a well known traditional medicinal plant and is used in various indigenous systems of medicine. The present research work aims at evaluating hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of P. guajava and the phospholipid complex of the extract with phosphatidylcholine against paracetamol induced hepatic damage in albino rats. The hepatoprotective effect was studied on rat liver damage induced by paracetamol by monitoring serum parameters SGOT, SGPT, ALP, Total protein, Albumin, Globulin, Bilirubin and histopathological alterations. Significant hepatoprotective effects were observed against liver damage induced by paracetamol overdose as evident from decreased serum levels of SGOT, SGPT, ALP and bilirubin in the extract treated groups (200, 400 mg/kg) and phospholipid complex (100mg/kg) compared to the intoxicated controls. The hepatoprotective effect was further verified by histopathology of the liver. The phospholipid complex showed better activity than the plain extracts which was almost comparable to standard silymarin. The aqueous extracts of P. guajava and the phospholipid complex exhibited protective effect against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity with the complex showing activity better than the plain extract. These results supported the use of this plant for the treatment of hepatitis in oriental traditional medicine. Keywords: Phospholipid complex, Quercetin, Hepatoprotective, Paracetamol, Psidium guajava