Hepatoprotective and pancreatoprotective effects of Arctium lappa root extract in valproic acid-induced toxicity: biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analysis.

Authors

Mukul Shyam, Sabina Evan Prince

Published in

Frontiers in pharmacology. Volume 17. Pages 1883451. Epub Oct 16, 2026.

Abstract

Valproic acid (VPA) is a widely used antiepileptic drug; however, its clinical use is limited by hepatotoxicity and pancreatitis, primarily mediated through oxidative stress and inflammation. Arctium lappa root extract (ALRE) has been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties that may confer protection against VPA-induced organ toxicity.
Phytochemical profiling of ALRE was performed using GC-MS and HPLC. In vitro cytotoxic effects were assessed in Hep3B and PANC-1 cancer cell lines, while safety was assessed in THLE-2 normal hepatic epithelial cells and H6C7 normal pancreatic ductal epithelial cells using the MTT assay. The hepatoprotective and pancreatoprotective effects were investigated in VPA-induced toxicity in male Wistar albino rats through biochemical, oxidative stress, and histopathological analyses.
ALRE exhibited low cytotoxicity towards THLE-2 and H6C7 cells, with IC50 values of 1,084.92 and 1,174.62 μg/mL, respectively. VPA administration markedly increased serum levels of ALT (127.67 ± 4.34 U/L), AST (153.67 ± 4.91 U/L), ALP (178.67 ± 5.21 U/L), GGT (7.67 ± 0.09 U/L), amylase (47.33 ± 2.91 U/L), and lipase (49.00 ± 3.79 U/L) compared with the control group (p < 0.05). These enzyme levels were considerably lowered by ALRE administration, especially at 500 mg/kg. Furthermore, ALRE restored antioxidant defences (SOD, CAT, and GSH), malondialdehyde levels were decreased, and the histological architecture of the liver and pancreas was improved.
ALRE effectively attenuated VPA-induced hepatic and pancreatic injury through antioxidant and cytoprotective mechanisms while exhibiting minimal toxicity towards normal hepatic and pancreatic cells. These findings support the potential therapeutic application of A. lappa as a natural protective against VPA-associated hepatotoxicity and pancreatitis. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and pharmacokinetic interactions underlying the protective effects of ALRE.

PMID:
42964099
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 31 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.