Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Potential of Hedyotis diffusa: A Sabah Native Plant
Keywords:
Hedyotis diffusa, Antioxidant, Hepatoprotective, Polyphenol, AST, ALT, MDA, GSHAbstract
Hedyotis diffusa is a medicinal plant recognized for its potential as an alternative natural drug due to its rich polyphenol content. These compounds are known to possess antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities, which may be beneficial in treating liver diseases—a major cause of human mortality worldwide. This research was conducted to determine the phenolic compounds and their scavenging activity in Hedyotis diffusa. Additionally, in vivo experiments using Sprague-Dawley rats were performed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects through serum and liver analysis based on CCl₄-induced model, a hepatotoxic agent (mimic free radical). The Hedyotis diffusa aqueous extract exhibited a phenolic content (90.22 ± 0.10 mg GAE/g) and scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 1540 μg/mL). In the animal study using Sprague-Dawley rats, treatment with Hedyotis diffusa at 150 mg/kg (HD150) and 300 mg/kg (HD300) significantly reduced AST (HD150 = 31.8%; HD300 = 49.4%), ALT (HD150 = 35.8%; HD300 = 48.6%), and MDA (HD150 = 10.6%; HD300 = 26.6%) levels, while increasing GSH levels (HD150 = 18.8%; HD300 = 36.4%) against CCl₄-induced oxidative stress. These findings demonstrate that Hedyotis diffusa possesses significant hepatoprotective effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity.
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