Amelioration of oxidative stress by trans- Anethole via modulating phase I and phase II enzymes against hepatic damage induced by CCl 4 in male Wistar rats

The current study was designed to assess the in vivo hepatoprotective properties of trans -Anethole, which is a principal aromatic component of star anise. The hepatoprotective effects of trans -Anethole were evaluated at three doses [40, 80, and 160 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.)] against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced hepatic damage in male Wistar rats for 4 weeks. Forty-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into seven groups; the control (group I) received only distilled water. Rats of group II received CCl 4 (1 ml/kg b.wt.) in a 1:1 ratio of CCl 4 and olive oil via intraperitoneal doses, while rats of group III received silymarin (50 mg/kg b.wt.), followed by CCl 4 intraperitoneal doses, 3 days in a week. Rats of group IV received trans -anethole (160 mg/kg b.wt.) for 28 days as a negative control. Trans -anethole at the doses of 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg b.wt. was administered to groups V, VI, and VII, respectively, for 28 days, followed by CCl 4 (i.p). Results showed that CCl 4 treatment (group II) elevated the levels of different serum markers like aspartate aminotransferase (AST) by 4.74 fold, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) by 3.47 fold, aspartate alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by 3.55 fold, direct bilirubin by 3.48 fold, and total bilirubin by 2.38 fold in contrast to control. Furthermore, it was found that the decreased levels of liver antioxidant enzymes viz . catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) were significantly modulated by the pre-administration of rats with different doses (40, 80, and 160 mg/kg b.wt.) of trans -anethole. Furthermore, pre-treatment of trans -anethole reduced the level of phase I enzymes and elevated the level of phase II detoxifying enzymes. Histopathological investigations showed that the treatment with trans -anethole was effective in ameliorating CCl 4 -induced liver injury and restored the normal hepatic architecture. Moreover, trans -anethole restored p53 and cyclin D levels in liver tissue relative to group II. Western blot analysis revealed that the trans -anethole treatment downregulated the expression of Bax and caspase-3 while upregulated the expression of Bcl-xL. Collectively, the findings of the study showed the strong efficacy of trans -anethole in ameliorating the hepatic damage caused by CCl 4 through the modulation of antioxidants and xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes. Graphical abstract