Antihepatotoxic zeaxanthins from the fruits ofLycium chinense

A CHCl(3): MeOH extract of the fruit ofLycium chinense Mill. (Solanaceae) was found to afford significant protection against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Subsequent activity-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin dipalmitate as antihepatotoxic components. Incubation of injured hepatocytes with zeaxanthin dipalmitate reduced the levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) released from damaged cells to 60.5% and 76.3% of those released from untreated controls, respectively. Zeaxanthin also reduced the levels of GPT and SDH to 68.5% and 61.3% of the levels of those released from the untreated control. The results confirm the hepatoprotective activities of zeaxanthins. Antihepatotoxic activities of zeaxanthins are comparable to that of silybin.