Objective: Crocin, the carotenoid isolated from saffron, has numerous medicinal properties which include anticancer and antioxidant activities. Some antioxidants, such as carotenoids, can act as pro-oxidants at higher dosages and therefore induce tissue damage. In this situation antioxidant defense systems in the liver activate to prevent tissue damage. This study investigates the possible toxic effects of crocin on the liver of normal rats.Methods: Normal rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1 was treated with normal saline as the control and groups 2 to 4 were treated different doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg crocin intraperitoneally once a week for four weeks. Animals were killed one week after the last injection. Serum profile of the rats that included ALT, AST, ALP, urea, uric acid and creatinine, as well as the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and GPx), GSH content, and lipid and protein oxidation by measurement of MDA and protein carbonyl levels were assessed in the liver. In addition, we conducted histopathological examinations of the liver specimens.Results: We studied different crocin concentrations that have been used to treat various diseases. There were no significant changes in serum parameters, GSH, MDA, protein carbonyls and activities of CAT and SOD at the different crocin concentrations.Histopathological examination did not show any changes in the liver. Only the higher dose (200 mg/kg) decreased GPx activity which might be reversible over the long-term.Conclusion: Crocin, at the studied doses showed no toxic effects on the rat liver.

Background: The use and application of medicinal plants or herbal medicine in therapy is well known. In this investigation aim was to determine the hepato protective effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Vitis Vinifera as a crude extract in hepatotoxicity induced by toxic dose of acetaminophen in mice. Materials and Methods: In this study doses of 160, 180,200,220, 240, and 260 mg/kg were administered to mice orally (test groups). The positive group received toxic dose of acetaminophen (500 mg/kg) and the negative control group received normal saline.Results: Then sleeping time, enzyme activities such as SGOT and SGPT and histo-pathological examinations were measured. The results obtained in this study showed a significant protection as compared with the control group because the level of SGOT and SGPT as well as sleeping time and histo-pathological findings were mostly similar to the results of control group.Conclusion: From these observations it seems that this crude extract may be a good candidate in liver toxicity after purification and separation of active ingredient.

Objective: The liver is the key organ of the metabolic, secreatory and excretory functions in the body and, accordingly, its disorders are numerous and varied. In folk remedies the plant Fumaria parviflora Lam is used for liver diseases. In this study, protective effect of hydroalcoholic; extract of Fumaria parviflora L was determined on isolated rat hepatocytes to develop new remedies with liver protective effects. Material and Methods: After isolating hepatocytes by collagenase, several concentrations of ethanolic extracts were added to the suspension of freshly isolated rat hepatocytes incubated in Krebs-Henscleit buffer under a flow of 95% O2 and 5% CO2, 20-minutes before the addition of 10 mM of CCl4. Then the percentage of cell death was investigated after 0.5, 1, 2, 3 hours by Trypan Blue Exclusion test. Results: The extract with concentrations of 0.7 to 4.2 mg/ml protected the cells against CCl4-induced cytotoxicity, but concentrations of 7 mg/ml and higher increased the CCl4-induced cytotoxicity. Conclusion: The results of the present study support the traditional beliefs on hepatoprotective effects of Fumaria parviflora, however; high concentrations were hepatotoxic.    

Background and Objective: Multiwall carbon nanotubes nowadays have multiple uses in the field of drug and gene delivery and other biological fields, and it is necessary to study their potential toxicity on organisms due to unique properties of these nanostructures. This study was conducted to determine the toxicity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic groups on the function and structure of the rats liver tissue. Methods: In this experimental study, 50 mature female Wistar Rats were randomly allocated into five groups including the control group of normal saline and Tween and treatment groups 2. 5, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg/bw concentrations of multi-wall carbon nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic group with diameter less than 8 nm and length 30 micrometers that was received in 8 steps, intraperitoneally. Blood sampling was performed in two steps (The first stage was one day after the last injection and the second stage was 20 days after the last injection). The level of activity of the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes and the amount of malondialdehyde were measured in serum. By preparing the tissue sections of the liver, a number of rats in each group (after 20 days from the last injection) with hematoxylin-eosin staining, the tissue structure of the liver was examined by optical microscopy. Animals were weighed before and after treatment. Results: In the first stage, only the mean of AST activity at 5 mg/kg/bw concentration was significantly increased (P<0. 05). In the second stage, ALP activity was significantly reduced (P<0. 05) in all doses higher than 2. 5 mg/kg/bw and the activity of AST and ALT in doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg/bw was significantly reduced (P<0. 05) and in the dose of 2. 5 mg/kg/bw was significantly increased (P<0. 05). Histologic studies revealed disturbances such as degeneration of the vein wall of the lobular center, degeneration of the nucleus and hepatocyte lysis with severe atrophy, irregularity and dilatation of the sinusoids and accumulation of inflammatory cells in the treatment groups in dose-dependent manner. Based on the above findings the most disturbances were related to the 20 mg/kg/bw concentration. Conclusion: It seems that multi-wall carbon nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic group, even in small amounts (2. 5 and 5 mg/kg/bw) after 20 days, are toxic on the liver and cause liver tissue and function impairment.

Introduction: Certain herbal medicines are being marketed without standard toxicological study. Although people believe that herbal medicine don’t have toxic effects, there are some reports indicating the toxicity of herbal medicine. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate hepatic and renal toxicity of percolated extract of Capparis Spinosa that has an analgesic effect and is traditionally used for treatment of rheumatism, gout and also used for its analgesic and anti inflammatory activities. Methods: In this study, the doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of methanolic extract of C. Spinosa were administrated by oral gavages for 7 days in rats. Normal saline, 5ml/kg was given to the control group. Each group contained 6 male rats. On the 8th day, serum and urine samples were collected for liver function tests (ALT, AST, ALP) and renal function tests (BUN, Cr, urine ALP and ALP). The livers and kidneys were isolated for histopathological studies. Results: There were no significant differences in ALT and AST levels of the control and extract treated groups, but there was a significant increase in ALP levels only at doses of 200 mg/kg (p<0.05). The histopathological studies of livers showed no evidence of hepatotoxicity at dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg. Renal function tests including BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and Creatinine were significantly increased after oral administration of 400 and 800 mg/kg (p<0.05). The histopathologic studies of kidneys showed evidence of renal toxicity at doses of 400 and 800 mg/kg. Conclusion: The results suggest that methanolic extract of C. Spinosa has no liver toxicity, but it seems that it results in renal toxicity, especially in high dosage.

Inadequacy of foods for human societies has led to an irregular increment of pesticides usage in agriculture. In this study, the teratogenic effects of Carboxin, a broad spectrum fungicide in agriculture, was evaluated on chicken embryo. Carboxin was dissolved in acetone and injected into yolk sac in concentrations range of 20- 400 mg/egg. The compound could cause death and a number of abnormalities in the embryos. Skeletal staining showed the caudal vertebrates were not calcified and the long bones were significantly shortened and distorted. In concentrations of 200 and 400 mg/egg, the main external abnormality was clubfoot. Treatment of the liver cell culture with carboxin showed a significant antiproliferative activity. In the concentrations of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 µg/ml, the cell viabilities were 80, 76, 65, 60 and 52%, respectively, showing the IC50 of 102 µg/ml for the compound.