Citation: Ahmad, B.; Muhammad
Yousafzai, A.; Maria, H.; Khan, A.A.;
Aziz, T.; Alharbi, M.; Alsahammari,
A.; Alasmari, A.F. Curative Effects of
Dianthus orientalis against
Paracetamol Triggered Oxidative
Stress, Hepatic and Renal Injuries in
Rabbit as an Experimental Model.
Separations 2023, 10, 182.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
separations10030182
Academic Editors: Essam
Abdel-Sattar, Meselhy Ragab
Meselhy, Ali El-Halawany
and Riham Adel Tawfik
Received: 12 February 2023
Revised: 2 March 2023
Accepted: 3 March 2023
Published: 7 March 2023
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
separations
Article
Curative Effects of Dianthus orientalis against Paracetamol
Triggered Oxidative Stress, Hepatic and Renal Injuries in
Rabbit as an Experimental Model
Bashir Ahmad
1
, Ali Muhammad Yousafzai
2
, Hafsa Maria
3
, Ayaz Ali Khan
4
, Tariq Aziz
5,
* , Metab Alharbi
6
,
Abdulrahman Alsahammari
6
and Abdullah F. Alasmari
6
1
Department of Zoology, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18800, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
2
Department of Zoology, Islamia College Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
3
Department of Botany, Islamia College Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
4
Department of Biotechnology, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18800, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
5
Laboratory of Animal Health, Food Hygiene and Quality, Department of Agriculture, University of Ioannina,
47132 Arta, Greece
6
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University,
P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
* Correspondence: iwockd@gmail.com
Abstract: The aim of the present study investigates the hepatoprotective, nephroprotective and
hematopoietic and antioxidant effects of Dianthus orientalis leaves aqueous extract (DO.AQ) in rabbits
intoxicated with paracetamol. Different experimental groups were formed, i.e., group N, group T,
group ELD, group EMD, group EHD and group SM. The groups with leaves aqueous extract of
Dianthus orientalis of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, i.e., group EMD and group EHD, showed
remedial effects; however, a high dose extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the elevated serum
levels of alanine transaminase ALT, aspartate transaminase AST and alkaline phosphatase ALP and
renal related indices such as serum creatinine, urea and uric acid, and serum electrolytes such as Ca,
Mg, P, Na and K, as well as the total count of RBC, WBC, platelets and hemoglobin Hb concentra-
tion, mean corpuscular hemoglobin MCH concentration and hematocrit HCT values. Additionally,
the extract showed positive effects on the lipid profile, i.e., decreasing levels of cholesterol, triglyc-
erides and LDL and increasing levels of HDL. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances
TBARS, glutathione GSH and radical scavenging activity were also evaluated in liver and kidney
homogenates. Paracetamol fed animals had high levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances
and low levels of glutathione GSH and radical scavenging activity (RSA). Extract ingestion caused
a significant increase in glutathione and radical scavenging activity RSA levels, while reducing the
(TBARS) levels, showing that the extracts have antioxidant potentials. The antioxidant capacity of the
Dianthus orientalis leaves aqueous extract at various dosages demonstrated an increased inhibition
of DPPH, i.e., 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylehydrazyle free radical. The histological study of the liver
and kidney supports the protective activity of Dianthus orientalis leaves aqueous extract against
paracetamol intoxication with optimistic effects regarding oxidative stress condition and serum
electrolytes balance.
Keywords: paracetamol; aqueous extract; alkaline phosphatase; creatinine; hepatoprotective;
nephroprotective; oxidative stress
1. Introduction
The liver is an essential organ in the body, playing a significant role in controlling
a number of biological activities such as metabolism, secretion, and storage. Therefore,
it protects the body from toxic substances through detoxification and the elimination of
xenobiotics from the body [1,2]. This exposes the liver to a variety of endogenous and
external harmful substances that can cause hepatotoxicity [3].
Separations 2023, 10, 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/separations10030182 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/separations