Malik et al. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci, Vol 12, Issue 4, 26-31 26 Original Article ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF QUERCUS ILEX LEAVES EXTRACT IN ETHANOL INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE IN WISTAR RATS RENU MALIK 1* , K. G. SINGHAL 2 1 Lord Shiva College of Pharmacy, Sirsa, Haryana, India, 2 ASBASJSM College of Pharmacy, Bela, Ropar, Punjab, India Email: renumalik2912@gmail.com Received: 22 Dec 2019, Revised and Accepted: 06 Feb 2020 ABSTRACT Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of Quercus ilex leaves extract (QILE) on ethanol- induced toxicity in Wistar rats. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by administering ethanol (40%) at a dose of 7.9 gm/kg/day; p. o. (1:1 of ethanol in olive oil) for 28 d. Silymarin 100 mg/kg/day; p. o. was used as a standard drug. The whole study was divided into a prophylactic and curative study. In the prophylactic study, the Silymarin and QILE (test drug) 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg Body Weight(BW) given orally one hour before administration of 40% ethanol administration for 28 d. In the curative study, 7 d of treatment of Silymarin and QILE 200 and 400 mg/kg BW was given orally after 28 d of ethanol administration to different groups. Results: Hepatoprotectivity was confirmed by the highly significantly (p<0.001) restoration of elevated biochemical parameters like SGPT, SGOT, ALP, TB, and highly significantly (p<0.001) depleted Albumin and Total protein levels by 200 mg/kg BW QILE in comparison to the positive control group. QILE 200 mg/kg highly significantly (p<0.001) raised the antioxidants by draining the elevated oxidative stress markers in comparison of positive control group. At dose levels QILE 200 mg/kg, significant (p<0.05) protection from loss in body weight and in liver weight was found when the comparison was done with the positive control group. Histopathology revealed that QILE 200 mg/kg reduced the markers of cell necrosis. Conclusion: Present study revealed that Quercus ilex leaves have antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity due to its chemical constituents. Keywords: Hepatotoxicity, Ethanol, Silymarin, Quercus ilex, Antioxidant © 2020 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2020v12i4.36689. Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijpps INTRODUCTION “The preservation of health is easier than the cure of disease,” the famous words of BJ Palmer, Developer of Chiropractic. Health preservation is done by including lots of useful herbs in our meal. The presence of a huge variety of herbs in nature shifted the focus of scientist to herbal therapeutic interventions instead of chemical components which are prone toward hazardous effects. Hepatic diseases have become one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality due to alcohol abuse over the counter drugs other toxicants. All these make the liver vulnerable to a variety of disorders such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and jaundice [1]. In India, Quercus ilex (Family: Fagaceae, Common name-Holly oak, Holm oak) is distributed in inner arid tracts of Himalayas from Satluj valley westward and in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, Manipal, at the attitude of 900-2600 meters [2] and along the Balkan Peninsula, North Spain and West France [3]. Quercus ilex is one of the most commonly used plants in Morocco to treat gastrointestinal disorders and skin infections [4]. The bark of Quercus ilex is used in decoction or as a powder, alone or mixed with Punicagranatum and Ceratonia silica to treat stomachache [5]. It is also used to treat throat infection, hemorrhages, and dysentery. It is reported that the Ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous extracts [6] and methanol extracts of Quercus ilex leaves from Turkey [7] possess antibacterial activity. Quercus ilex leaves are a rich source of polyacylated flavonoids [8]. It is traditionally used as Anti-inflammatory,, Cirrhosis, Conjunctivitis, Enterocolitis, Gastroenterosis, Gout, Hepatosis, Immunodepression, Psoriasis, Rheumatism, Splenosis, Uterosis, Tonsilosis, Nephrosis, Enterosis, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Intestine Cancer, Liver cancer, Kidney Stone, Cold cough, Dysentery, Vaginosis [9]. With the presence of chemical constituents and traditional background, the present study was carried out to investigate antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of ethanol extract of Quercus ilex leaves by assaying various antioxidant enzymes and serum marker enzymes in ethanol intoxicated female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material and extract preparation The leaves of Quercus ilex were collected from the Kinnor district of Himachal Pradesh in India and authenticated by Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Conifer Campus, Panthaghati, Shimla (authentication No. DD27014) dated 16/8/12 by Dr. Vaneet Jishtu. The leaves of Quercus ilex dried in the shade and coarsely powdered. The defatting of leaves was done by a Soxhlet apparatus with petroleum ether. Then extraction of defatted powdered leaves was done by using 95% ethanol. The extract was drying in Rota Evaporator at 45 °C. The dried extract stored in the Vaccum desiccator during the study. Drug and chemicals Silymarin received as a gift from Ranbaxy Laboratories, Delhi, India. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), 5, 5’-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid)– (DTNB), DPPH purchased from Himedia Laboratories, Mumbai, India. Malondialdehyde (MDA) obtained from Sigma Chemicals Company, St Louis, MO, USA. All other chemicals and reagents were purchased commercially by local vendors and were of analytical grade. Preparation of test and standard drug Ethanol (7.9 g/kg/day) was diluted up to 40%, making a solution of 1:1 of ethanol in olive oil [10]. The test drug dissolved in lukewarm water. Silymarin 100 mg/kg/day; p. o. was administered as a suspension in a 1% aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose. Acute oral toxicity study Acute toxicity is involved in the estimation of LD50 (the dose which has proved to be lethal to 50% of the tested group of animals). International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Print ISSN: 2656-0097 | Online ISSN: 0975-1491 Vol 12, Issue 4, 2020