Hepatoprotective activity of three vegetable peel extracts: an <i>in vitro</i> study

Abstract

The potential of peel extracts from three vegetables such as Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jack fruit), Colocasia esculenta (Taro) and Cucurbita pepo (Pumpkin) was evaluated for in-vitro inhibition of ferric chloride (FeCl3) induced hepatic lipidperoxidation (LPO).Results were compared with that of the known antioxidant, Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) .While incubation with FeCl3 increased the LPO; simultaneous addition of the test peel extracts in the medium could decrease the same, suggesting their potential to inhibit the lipidperoxidation. However, the inhibition was dose specific for all three test peels. The Jackfruit peel showed the maximum inhibition at its lowest concentration (0.25 mg/ml), other two peel extracts were also found to be effective at one or the other doses. Following an evaluation of their chemical components, it appears that the hepatoprotective potential of the test peels could be the result of their polyphenol and flavonoid contents.

Key words: Ferric chloride; liver homogenate; lipid peroxidation; vegetable peels; antioxidants; nutraceuticals.