Protective effect of peppermint and parsley leaves oils against hepatotoxicity on experimental rats

In the present study, the protective effect of peppermint (Mentha piperita) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) leaves oils against hepatotoxicity is induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in experimental rats. GC/MS results indicated that the main components in peppermint oil were menthol (35.9%) and menthone (25.6%), while in parsley oil were α-Pinene (26.6%) and Myristicin (20.3%). Hepatotoxicity by CCl4 resulted in significant elevation of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C) and decreasing in serum high density lipoprotein (HDL-C). Moreover, kidney function tests for serum urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid were found to be increased. Administration of 0.5 ml of each peppermint, parsley and their mixture oils attenuated the adverse effects and biochemical alterations caused by CCl4 especially, at 0.5 ml of peppermint oil. CCl4 caused significant increase in liver lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA) and significant decrease in liver antioxidant enzymes activity as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH). Peppermint, parsley and their mixture oils have strong radical scavenging activity and antioxidant activity specially, at 0.5 ml of peppermint oil that reversed these negative changes by significant increase in the activity of SOD, GSH and decreasing in MDA. Therefore, the results of this study show that peppermint, parsley and their mixture oils led to the protective effect against CCl4 hepatotoxicity specially, peppermint oil. The results also revealed that the hepatoprotective effect of peppermint and parsley oil may be attributed to its antioxidant content and free radical scavenger effects.