Protective Effects of Latex of Ficus carica L. against Lead Acetate-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Ficus carica L. latex is used traditionally for many therapeutic purposes. Oxidative stress may be the main reason behind most histological and cellular effects of lead. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible hepatoprotective role of Ficus carica L .latex against lead acetate-induced oxidative stress in rats. In the present investigation, lead acetate (500 mg Pb/L) was given orally to male rats for 28 days to induce hepatotoxicity. The Ficus latex was found to contain high total phenols and flavonoids. The levels of hepatic markers such as alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were significantly (P 0.05) increased in blood serum following lead acetate administration. Lead-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue was indicated by a significant (P 0.05) increase in the level of liver Malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased levels of liver reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Histologically and ultrastructurally, the liver showed several histological alterations such as degeneration of hepatocytes by necrosis and apoptosis, fatty changes and inflammatory cells infiltration. Ficus latex (1mL of 1:50 diluted latex/kg b.wt) markedly attenuated the previous lead-induced biochemical alterations in serum and liver tissues (P 0.05) as well as the histological and cellular changes. From this study, it can be concluded that the Ficus latex showed effective hepatoprotective and antioxidative action against lead acetate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats