Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activities of LST-02, A Proprietary Herbal Formulation

LST-02 is a proprietary polyherbal formulation prepared by blending 50% standardized hydroethanolic extract of ten well-known herbs, namely Tinospora cordifolia, Phyllanthus amarus, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica, Azadirachta indica, Adhatoda vasica, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Swertia chirata and Boerhaavia diffusa. The formulation was evaluated for hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties. The phenolic content and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging abilities were evaluated to ascertain antioxidant property. In vitro hepatoprotective action was examined in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) challenged isolated rat hepatocytes. Finally, LST-02 pretreatment was examined in D-galactosamine (GalN) induced (200 mg/kg; intraperitoneal) hepatitis in male Wistar rats, with silymarin 25 mg/kg as positive control. In vitro studies confirmed that LST-02 is rich in phenolic compounds. It could inhibited DPPH free radicals and exerted significant (p<0.05) protective activity against CCl4 induced injury in rat hepatocytes. Short-term pre-treatment with LST-02 (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg; oral) exhibited dose dependent protection against GalN induced hepatitis in rats (p<0.05). It significantly reduced GalN induced elevation of liver enzymes in serum and resisted oxidative stress by modulating catalase and reduced glutathione in hepatic parenchyma (p<0.05). The combination of herbal ingredients in LST-02 exerts hepatoprotective activity and a possible mechanism of this action is its antioxidant property.