Marikunte V. Venkataranganna

The liver is a major parenchymal organ involved in many functional activities in the body. Hepatic encephalopathy is a syndrome characterized by increased blood ammonia level and is one of the major complications of cirrhosis. In the present study the protective effect of HD‐03, a poly‐herbal formulation, was evaluated against CCl₄‐induced hepatic encephalopathy in rats. Hepatic encephalopathy was induced in Wistar rats by administration of CCl₄ at a dose of 1 mL/kg orally in liquid paraffin (1:1) twice a week for 90 days. The liver enzymes (SGPT and SGOT) and blood ammonia levels were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the CCl₄‐intoxicated group compared with the untreated control group. Administration of HD‐03 at a dose of 750 mg/kg orally as an aqueous suspension significantly prevented the elevation of SGPT, SGOT and blood ammonia levels. Histomorphometric evaluation of liver and brain showed a protective effect of the HD‐03 treatment, thus correlating with the changes in biochemical profiles. The protective effect of HD‐03 against CCl₄‐induced encephalopathy may be due to the improved hepatocellular function, which in turn helps in regulating the metabolism of ammonia. However, further studies are required to measure the activity of enzymes involved in the urea cycle and brain aromatic amino acids in order to elucidate the exact mechanism of action of HD‐03. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.