hydroalcoholic extract of <i>fumaria parviflora</i> l. can potentially detoxificate hepg2 cell line following carbon tetrachloride exposure

Background:fumaria parviflora l. (fp) is a well-known herb in iranian traditional medicine, widely used for gastrointestinal diseases. additionally, the detrimental effects of carbon tetrachloride (ct) on the liver and kidneys have been scientifically established.objectives: this study was designed to assess the therapeutic effects of fp on hepg2 cells exposed to ct toxicity. methods: after treatment with hydroalcoholic extract of the fp plant and/or ct, cell viability (using the mtt technique and lactate dehydrogenase assay) and apoptosis (using the diphenylamine assay and annexin v/pi staining) were investigated. the ratio of bcl2/bax mrna expression levels was measured using real-time pcr. data were analyzed using spss software. results: a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in cell viability was observed at doses of 100 and 200 µg/ml of fp in hepg2 cells. the decreased survival rate following ct exposure was concentration-dependent and significant (p < 0.05). the ic50 of ct was determined to be 1.05 μg/ml for 24 hours. effective detoxification associated with ct was found at 6.25 µg/ml in both the pre-treatment and simultaneous treatment groups. cell apoptosis was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased following fp administration in ct-treated cells, with an increase in the ratio of bcl2/bax mrna expression levels. conclusions: the hydroalcoholic extract of fp demonstrated hepatoprotective effects on ct-treated hepg2 cells.