Aruna Kanase

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induces lipid peroxidation in liver and other tissues. Abhrak  bhasma, an Ayurvedic drug known for its hepatoprotective potency and is derived from silicate/silicon ore. Its preparation involves heating and it is assumed by many that it is SiO2. Thus to compare their hepatoprotective potency, both the drugs were tested against the single dose of CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rat. Graded single doses viz. 10mg, 20mg, 30mg and 40mg of abhrak bhasma and SiO2/ kg body wt were used simultaneously. The hepatoprotective potency was evaluated by studying malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of liver and kidney in experimental rats. The results show that abhrak bhasma has counteracted CCl4 induced MDA levels to bring them to normal levels. Though SiO2 has influenced free radical scavenging positively. None of the doses used did not counteracted fully to normalize the MDA levels in CCl4 induced lipid peroxidation in male albino rats. In kidney, CCl4 induced levels of MDA were low which were protected by all the doses of abhrak bhasma and high doses of SiO2 (30 and 40 mg/kg body wt). Thus, present results help to use abhrak bhasma as a potential drug which is capable of protecting liver and it can potentially be used for possible prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress. However, further study need to be assessed for doses optimization in human.