The pharmacological effect of apricot seeds extracts and amygdalin in experimentally induced liver damage and hepatocellular carcinoma (2024)

J Herbmed Pharmacol. 2020;9(4): 400-407.
doi: 10.34172/jhp.2020.50

Abstract View: 8116

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Original Article

Amer Ramadan ¹ , Gehan Kamel ¹ , Nagwa E. Awad ² , Aya A. Shokry ¹^* , Hany M Fayed ³

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
² Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industrial Research Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
³ Pharmacology Department, Medical Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt

*Corresponding Author: Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Introduction: Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) has been widely used for the treatment of several disorders such as liver diseases, but the hepatoprotective and anticancer activities of its seeds were not studied before. In this study, we evaluated the pharmacological effects of apricot seeds extracts and amygdalin on prevention of liver damage and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: Amygdalin contents of apricot seeds in ethanolic extracts were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) then, the ethanolic apricot seeds extract and amygdalin were evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity and anticancer activity against N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Results: The amount of amygdalin was 5.72 g and 10.22 g/100 g extract for 70% and 99.9% ethanolic apricot seeds extracts, respectively. Pretreatment of the rats with 70% and 99.9% ethanolic apricot seeds extracts (100 mg/kg), amygdalin and silymarin (50 mg/kg) prevented elevation in liver function parameters such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) caused by carbon tetrachloride injection with significant increase in albumin, total proteins, and no effect on total direct bilirubin when compared to those in hepatotoxic group. Both extracts also showed anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma via diminishing the elevated serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, total, direct bilirubin, albumin, total proteins, alpha-fetoprotein, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) and elevating the decreased hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) level when compared with NDEA- intoxicated group.

Conclusion: Apricot seeds possess hepatoprotective and anticancer activities that justify its traditional use, and its potential for the treatment of liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract View: 8117

years	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2024	245	420	409	515	486	598	840	748	388
2023	96	119	132	96	70	123	114	89	108	102	112	79
2022	67	93	64	77	56	73	73	64	70	102	82	100
2021	55	52	71	65	60	63	60	90	79	85	88	107
2020							82	63	64	93	60	70

PDF Download: 1851

years	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2024	43	39	40	56	23	84	89	71	21
2023	40	29	42	36	13	36	40	25	24	19	33	28
2022	26	25	22	56	39	50	40	25	27	32	38	39
2021	49	41	24	25	40	64	30	35	31	32	31	23
2020										55	46	75