1. Exp Toxicol Pathol. 2010 May;62(3):289-99. Epub 2009 Jun 3.

Evaluation of the hepatotoxic and hepatoprotective effect of Rwandese herbal
drugs on in vivo (guinea pigs barbiturate-induced sleeping time) and in vitro
(rat precision-cut liver slices, PCLS) models.

Mukazayire MJ, Allaeys V, Buc Calderon P, Stévigny C, Bigendako MJ, Duez P.

Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, de Bromatologie et de Nutrition Humaine, Institut 
de Pharmacie, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Campus de la Plaine-CP 205/9, 
Bd du Triomphe, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgique. mmukazay@ulb.ac.be
<mmukazay@ulb.ac.be>

Precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) preserve the tissular organization of the organ
and represent an in vitro model closer to in vivo conditions than hepatocytes
cultures. As this may be an interesting tool not only for the investigation of
hepatotoxic and protective effects but also for bioguided fractionations schemes,
the usefulness of PCLS was compared with an in vivo test of liver function. Crude
extracts derived from five herbs used in Rwanda for hepatoprotective activity
were tested on CCl(4)-treated guinea pigs by the method of barbiturate-induced
sleep modification. Aqueous extracts of Ocimum lamiifolium, Crassocephalum
vitellinum, Guizotia scabra and Vernonia lasiopus leaves allowed animals to
recover barbiturate sleep duration in proportions of 88%, 78%, 61% and 34%,
respectively and Microglossa pyrifolia was found inactive. Dried methanolic
extracts of the 5 plants were then tested in vitro on rat PCLS for protection
against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. In this model, G. scabra, M.
pyrifolia and V. lasiopus were found hepatotoxic by themselves and unable to
prevent acetaminophen toxicity. The most active extract, obtained from O.
lamiifolium, was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation by chromatography on 
Si-C(18) to yield two quite active fractions. From a single animal, at least 50
PCLS explants can be prepared, which allows testing large amounts of samples,
strengthening ethnopharmacological data on hepatoprotective medicinal plants and 
investigating hepatotoxic effects.


PMID: 19493662 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]