A comparison of hepatoprotective activity of Bacoside to Silymarin treatment against a combined Isoniazid and Rifampin-induced hepatotoxicity in female Wistar rats

The liver is an important organ that plays a vital role in homeostasis maintenance and regulation. Any liver damage or injury caused by drugs or chemicals is called hepatotoxicity. Isoniazid and rifampin are drugs used separately to treat tuberculosis but have unique side effects and potential hepatotoxicity. The metabolism of isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) takes place in liver hence hepatotoxicity is the main cause of their continuous use. Bacoside was obtained from the plant Bacopa monnieri, a dammarene type triterpenoid saponin, found distributed throughout India. Bacoside has been used as a nerve tonic, a free radical scavenger, and antioxidant. It is known that the combined INH-RIF induced hepatotoxicity can be antagonized by maintaining hepatocyte membrane integrity in rats. Silymarin, an herbal drug, and its component silybin were reported to work as lipid peroxidation inhibitors and antioxidants which scavenge free radicals. Due to minimal toxicity and no adverse drug interactions, Silymarin is used to treat various medically confirmed hepatic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of Bacoside against INH- and RIF-induced toxicity in livers of Wistar albino rats. Four experimental groups of rats were used to study four parameters; bodyweight, liver enzyme markers, liver antioxidant, and liver histopathology. INH- and RIF-treated rats showed abnormalities in liver markers which were normalized by Bacoside and that seems similar to the normal control and Silymarin-treated groups. Thus, the current study demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of Bacoside against INH- and RIF-induced toxicity in Wistar albino rats.