A Comparative Study of the Efficacy of<i>Pavetta indica</i>and<i>Osbeckia octandra</i>in the Treatment of Liver Dysfunction

A comparison of the beneficial roles of Pavetta indica and Osbeckia octandra against CCl4-induced liver damage has been studied in albino rats by assessing their ability to protect the liver against CCl4-mediated alterations in the liver histopathology and the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), alanine aminotransferase (GPT) and alkaline phosphatase. Treatment with either Pavetta or Osbeckia leaf extract (before or after CCl4 administration) markedly decreased the CCl4-mediated alterations in the liver histopathology as well as the serum enzyme levels. However, on comparison of the two plant extracts, Osbeckia appears to be a better hepatotonic than Pavetta. Thus, in livers of rats pre-treated with Osbeckia for 7 days, CCl4 had hardly any effect on the serum enzymes or the liver cell architecture, while even after pre-treatment with Pavetta for the same length of time, CCl4 was still able to produce a 32%, 16%, and 26% increase in the activities of GPT, GOT, and alkaline phosphatase, respectively. Post-treatment with Osbeckia also resulted in a faster recovery of the livers in comparison with those from animals post-treated with Pavetta.