Protective effects of different parts of Cassia fistula L. against ethanol-induced oxidative damage in rat liver and kidney

The present study investigated the total phenolic contents (TPC), in vitro antioxidant activity and ameliorative effects of ethanolic extracts of leaf, bark, flower and fruit pulp of Cassia fistula L. against ethanol-induced oxidative injury in the liver and kidney of wistar rats.Fourty-two male wistar rats received 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (0.5 ml/day), 50% ethanol (0.5 ml/day), 50% ethanol (0.5 ml/day) plus ethanolic extracts of C. fistula leaf, bark, flower and fruit pulp (100 mg/kg bw/day) and 50% ethanol (0.5 ml/day) plus silymarin (50 mg/kg bw/day) with 6 animals per group for two weeks.In vitro studies revealed that bark extract contained the highest TPC (43.10 ± 1.68 mg of gallic acid equivalent /g of extract).Bark extract also showed strongest ABTS scavenging activity (IC 50 = 90.94µg/ml /ml), DPPH scavenging activity (IC 50 = 177.55µg /ml) and superoxide radical scavenging activity (IC 50 = 241.03µg/ml) as compared to other parts.C. fistula extracts especially bark and leaf significantly improved the liver function enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), decreased erythrocyte MDA levels and raised plasma SOD and CAT activities.The reduced microscopic changes further confirmed the protective action of C. fistula extracts on liver and kidney tissues in rats.