Curcuma longa L. (CLL) extract has previously been reported to alleviate liver damage. The current study examined the antioxidant activity of CLL by which the extract protects the liver against bleomycin (BLM)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The hypothesis was that CLL extract would protect the liver by reducing oxidative stress (induced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity), inhibiting lipid peroxidation, lowering biochemical parameters, and decreasing ROS production. Hepatic toxicity was induced by intraperitoneal injection of mice once daily with BLM (0.069 U/mL; 0.29 U/kg bw.) for a period of 4 weeks. The CLL was administered once a day for 4 weeks, 2 h prior at dose (40 mg/mL; 0.187 mg/kg/day). CLL extract significantly protected the liver, it decreased plasma bilirubin (BL) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and it reduced lipid peroxidation levels. BLM intoxication produced oxidative stress, in which the antioxidant system functioned incorrectly and ROS production significantly increased. The CLL extract provided significant hepatic protection against BLM toxicity by improving SOD, CAT (p < 0.05), and MDA levels and decreasing ROS in the group receiving BLM (p < 0.05), leading to reduced membrane lipid peroxidation. Throughout this study, the CLL extract facilitated recovery from BLM-induced hepatic injury by suppressing oxidative stress. Therefore, the CLL extract has the potential to serve as an antioxidant compound to treat chronic hepatotoxicity.
Keywords: Curcuma longa L.; MDA; ROS; bleomycin; hepatic protection; oxidative stress; plasmatic protection.