HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF AGED GARLIC AND ETHANOLIC GINGER EXTRACTS IN MICE.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic drug. .At large doses, it produces a fatal hepatic necrosis that accounts for acute liver failure. The present study investigates the potential protective effect of prior administration of ethanolic ginger and aged garlic extracts against acetaminophen- induced hepatic injury. Liver glutathione (GSH) and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and bilirubin were measured from groups of mice given APAP alone, orally as a suspension in distilled water in a dose of 500mg/kg, after prior pretreatment with oral 250 and 500?gof ginger extract/d in 1.1% alcohol and after prior intraperitoneal administration of aged garlic extract in dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg. The present study showed that significant improvement (p< 0.05) of both hepatic glutathione levels and serum levels of ALT and bilirubin in mice after prior administration of either ethanolic ginger extract or aged garlic extract each alone or in combination with each other compared with mice given APAP alone (in which hepatic GSH was significantly decreased and serum ALT and bilirubin were significantly increased, p< 0.05). The present work suggests that both ethanolic ginger extract and aged garlic possess hepatoprotective effects against acetaminophen-induced hepatic injury in mice.