Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod. 2016 August; 11(3):e33392. Published online 2016 August 28. doi: 10.17795/jjnpp.33392. Research Article Hepatoprotective Effects of Arbutin against Liver Damage Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Rats Sajedeh Mirshahvalad, 1,2 Farideh Feizi, 3 Aghdas Barkhordar, 1 Mohammad Bahadoram, 4,5 Gholamreza Houshmand, 5 and Mahdi Pouramir 1,2,* 1 Department of Biochemistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, IR Iran 2 Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center (CMBRC), Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, IR Iran 3 Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, IR Iran 4 Medical Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran 5 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Herbal Research Center, Pharmacy School, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran * Corresponding author: Mahdi Pouramir, Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center (CMBRC), Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, IR Iran. Tel: +98-1113236591, Fax: +98-1112224152, E-mail: pouramir@yahoo.com Received 2015 September 24; Revised 2016 April 16; Accepted 2016 April 26. Abstract Background: The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of arbutin protect against a number of diseases. Objectives: The present study evaluated the protective effect of arbutin against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Methods: Sixty-three Wistar rats were divided into nine groups. Groups I and II were the normal control groups. Group III, the hepatotoxic group, was given CCl4. Groups IV, VI, and VIII received different dosages of arbutin along with CCl4. Groups V, VII, and IX were administered different dosages of arbutin. The albumin content, total protein, and bilirubin were assayed to determine their serum and antioxidant levels; lipid peroxidation was assessed in the serum and liver tissue. Histological studies were carried out to confirm the biochemical results. Results: Treatment with CCl4 for 28 d decreased the levels of total protein and albumin and increased the level of bilirubin and lipid peroxidation. Arbutin treatment raised the level of albumin and lowered the lipid peroxidation to normal levels. Necrosis and fibrosis were observed in the liver tissue of CCl4-injected rats, and the administration of arbutin had a protective effect on the liver tissue. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that arbutin may protect the liver against CCl4-induced oxidative damage in rats. This hepatoprotective effect might be correlated with the antioxidant and free radical scavenger effects of arbutin. Keywords: Antioxidants, Arbutin, Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning, Hepatoprotective 1. Background It is well known that the liver is intimately involved in biochemical activities in the human body (1). This or- gan plays a pivotal role in the metabolism and detoxifica- tion of constituents that enter the body (2). The liver regu- lates hemostasis (3) and appears to have the physiological function of protecting the body from harmful drugs and chemicals (3). Considering the high prevalence of liver dis- ease globally (2), the pathogenesis of this disease is an im- portant public health problem (4). Despite significant sci- entific advancements in the field of hepatology in recent years, the incidence of liver disease is still increasing (3). Cell damage caused by free radicals is the leading mecha- nism of hepatotoxicity (5). Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) is a common toxin used to induce liver injury (6) in experimental studies. Hepatic responses in rats to chronic CCl 4 stimulation are superfi- cially similar to human cirrhosis (7). The mechanism initi- ates lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation, which leads to liver damage (8). In vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that select herbs protect against oxidative damage by in- hibiting or quenching free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (9). Pyrusbiossieriana is a species of pear that is native to Iran. Its leaves contain high levels of ar- butin, a glycosylated hydroquinone that inhibits tyrosi- nase. This plant has a variety of pharmacological and ther- apeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and antioxidant activity (10). It has been shown to scavenge free radicals (11), be gastroprotective (12), and exhibit alpha-glycosidase and alpha-amylase inhibitory activity (13). Previous studies Copyright © 2016, School of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.