Investigation of the Hepatoprotective Effects of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Toxicity Nureddin Cengiz • Servet Kavak • Ali Gu ¨zel • Hanefi O ¨ zbek • Hava Bektas ¸ • Aydın Him • Ender Erdog ˘an • Ragıb Balahorog ˘lu Received: 16 June 2012 / Accepted: 28 July 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Abstract More than 600 chemicals can cause damage in liver, one of which is carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ). Hepa- toprotective agents could prevent tissue damage and reduce morbidity and mortality rates; such agents may include alternative or folkloric treatments. We investigated sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) for its hepatoprotective effect in CCl 4 -induced experimental liver damage. To this end, 0.8 mg/kg of sesame fixed oil was provided intraperitone- ally to rats whose livers were damaged by CCl 4 . Tissue and blood samples were taken at the end of the experiments and evaluated histologically and biochemically. Ballooning degenerations and an increase in lipid droplets in liver parenchyma and increases in serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and bilirubin were found in the CCl 4 group. Biochemical and histopathological findings in the sesame fixed oil treated group were not significantly different from the CCl 4 group. Sesame did not show a hepatoprotective effect in CCl 4 -induced liver toxicity. Keywords Carbon tetrachloride Á Histology Á Liver Á Rat Á Sesame Á Sesamum indicum L. Á ALT Á AST Á ALP The flowering plant Sesamum indicum L., known as ses- ame, is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. The sesame seed is used as a diuretic, emollient, galactogogue, and lenitive (Duke and Ayensu 1985) and as a tonic for the liver and kidneys (Bown 1995). It is taken for the treatment of premature hair loss and graying, con- valescence, chronic dry constipation, dental caries, osteo- porosis, Tiff joint, and dry cough. The seed contains flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthocyanins, saponins, and reducing sugars (Awobajo et al. 2009). The liver is the key organ of metabolism, secretion, and excretion. It is con- tinuously and variedly exposed to xenobiotics, environ- mental pollutants, and chemotherapeutic agents as a result of its strategic location in the body. Liver diseases are worldwide problems. Some com- pounds produce metabolites that cause liver injury in a uniform, dose-dependent fashion (Klein et al. 1989). Injury to hepatic tissue results either directly from the disruption of intracellular function or membrane integrity, or from damage affecting endothelial or bile duct cells, as seen in cholestasis or indirectly from immune-mediated membrane damage (Bharali and Dutta 2009). Factors promoting the accumulation of hepatocyte toxins include genetic N. Cengiz (&) Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Yu ¨zu ¨ncu ¨Yıl University, Van, Turkey e-mail: nurettincengiz@hotmail.com S. Kavak Á H. Bektas ¸ Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Yu ¨zu ¨ncu ¨Yıl University, Van, Turkey A. Gu ¨zel State Hospital, Bitlis, Turkey H. O ¨ zbek Department of Drug and Pharmacy, Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey A. Him Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey E. Erdog ˘an Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey R. Balahorog ˘lu Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey 123 J Membrane Biol DOI 10.1007/s00232-012-9494-7