LAUSR

Background Terminalia arjuna, an indigenous plant used in ayurvedic medicine in India, primarily as a cardiotonic is also used in treating diabetes, anemia, tumors and hypertension. Oxidants have been shown to be involved in the alcohol-induced liver injury. Arjunolic acid (AA) is an oleanane triterpenoid found mainly in the heartwood of Terminalia arjuna. This study was designed to determine whether Terminalia arjuna bark (TAB) extract, composed mostly of ellagitannins oligomers, protects against early alcohol-induced liver injury in rats. Methods Total fifty-eight male Wistar rats were fed high-fat liquid diets with or without ethanol (10–14 g/kg per day) and TAB extract (300 mg/kg per day) continuously for 4 weeks using an enteral feeding protocol. Results Mean body weight gains (approximately 4 g/day) were not significantly different between treatment groups. TAB extract did not affect average daily urine ethanol concentrations (approximately 200 mg/dL). After 4 weeks, serum alanine amino transferase levels of the ethanol group were increased nearly fourfold (110±16 IU/L) compared to control values (35±3 IU/L); this effect of ethanol was blocked by TAB extract (60±6 IU/L). Additionally, enteral ethanol caused severe fat accumulation, mild inflammation, and necrosis in the liver; TAB extract significantly blunted these changes. Increases in liver TNFalpha protein levels caused by ethanol were completely blocked by TAB extract. Further, ethanol significantly increased the accumulation of protein adducts of 4-hydroxynonenal, a product of lipid peroxidation serving as an index of oxidative stress; again this was counteracted by the addition of TAB extract. Conclusions The result indicates that the TAB extracts exhibit the antioxidant activity through correction of oxidative stress and validates the traditional use of Terminalia arjuna to prevents early alcohol-induced liver injury.