Evaluation of Potassium Dichromate (K2Cr2O7)-Induced Liver Oxidative Stress and Ameliorative Effect of Picrorhiza kurroa Extract in Wistar Albino Rats.

The aim of the study was to assess the protective effect of Picrorhiza kurroa hydroalcoholic extract (PCK), a glycoside-rich extract, against potassium dichromate (PDC)-induced liver oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into six groups: the control group (which received distilled water), the SIL group (which received 60 mg/kg silymarin), the PDC group (which received 30 mg/kg K2Cr2O7), and the treatment groups (which received 25, 50, 100 mg/kg PCK). Administration of PDC resulted in increased levels of liver enzymes such as alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP); up-regulated peroxidation biomarkers, i.e., thiobarbutric acid-reactive species (TBARS) and protein carbonyls in serum; and decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) significantly in the liver tissue. Gene expression studies of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), growth arrest, and DNA damage-inducible protein (GADD45) revealed that there was a liver damage at the molecular level, and histopathological studies further confirmed the morphological changes by PDC administration. However, PCKs at 50 and 100 mg/kg promoted significant restoration of liver enzyme levels and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were kept close to the values of the control and SIL groups. Our current study confirms that the active compounds present in the PCK might have conferred a strong protection against potassium dichromate-induced oxidative stress.