Indian Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 47, July 2009, pp. 584-590 Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of Ocimum basilicum Linn. and Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn. against H 2 O 2 and CCl 4 induced hepatotoxicity in goat liver R Meera* 1 , P Devi 2 , B Kameswari 3 , B Madhumitha 4 & N J Merlin 5 Department of 1 Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2 Pharmacognosy, 3 Biochemistry, 4 Pharmaceutics, K.M.College of Pharmacy, Uthangudi, Madurai-625 107, India 5 Department of Pharmacology, Annamalai University, Department of Pharmacy, Annamalai nagar, Chidambaram, India Received 11 November 2009; revised 2 March 2009 Significant hepatoprotective effects were obtained by ethanolic extract of leaves of O.basilicum and T. foenum- graecum against liver damage induced by H 2 O 2 and CCl 4 as evidenced by decreased levels of antioxidant enzymes (enzymatic and non enzymatic). The extract also showed significant anti lipid peroxidation effects in vitro, besides exhibiting significant activity in superoxide radical and nitric oxide radical scavenging, indicating their potent antioxidant effects. Keywords: Hepatoprotection, Lipid peroxidation, Nitric oxide scavenging, Ocimum basilicum, Superoxide scavenging, Trigonella foenum-graecum Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are ubiquitous and occur naturally in all aerobic organisms, arising from both endogenous and exogenous sources 1 . They are normally produced as a by product of cellular metabolism. They are capable of damaging biomolecules, provoking immune response, activating oncogenes and enchancing aging process 2 . ROS metabolites can be generated by stepwise reduction of oxygen leading to the production of a series of oxidant molecules such as superoxide (O . 2 ) and other reactive nitrogen species like nitric oxide (NO) 3 . Compounds with antioxidant activity are categorized into three groups namely, excellent, good and moderate. Excellent ones are those that perfectly quench the excited state and ground state radicals. Good antioxidants strongly inhibit the peroxide formation but are less effective in quenching excited states. Moderate antioxidants fail to excel in both reactivites 4 . Antioxidants from plant products may fall under any of these three catagories. The antioxidant activity may also depend on the type and polarity of the solvent. The plant is extracted in ethanol. Lipid peroxidation alters the membrane permeability and causes tissue damage. Since, the liver is involved in various biochemical reactions, it is prone to be attacked by free radicals, resulting in and cell necrosis. However, inbuilt antioxidant systems like superoxide dismutase (SOD), tissue glutathione (GSH) etc. protect the tissues from free radical attack. The present study has been planned to further probe the antioxidant property of the leaves of Ocimum basilicum Linn. and Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn. In the present study, the extracts of the leaves were administered to different in vitro models of oxidative stress and the antioxidant status analysed in in vitro systems in goat liver slices exposed to oxidative stress from H 2 O 2 and CCl 4 . The antioxidant potential of the leaf extracts of O.basilicum and T. foenum-graecum was studied by co-incubation with the free radical generators. Ocimum basilicum and Trigonella foenum- graecum are found growing abundantly in and around Madurai. Ocimum basilicum (Lamiaceae) Sweet Basil, Thiruneetruppachchai in Tamil grows to a height of 50-80 cm, leaves are oval and slightly toothed and flowers are white in colour. The leaves and their oils have insecticidal, nematicidal, fungistatic and antimicrobial activites 5 . (Fabaceae) Vendayam in Tamil. The seeds and leaves of Trigonella foenum-graecum fenugreek, are ______________ * Correspodent author Telephone: 09894353277 E-mail : meeraharsa@yahoo.com.