# Antioxidant and Biological Activities of Mahajanaka Mango Pulp Extract in Murine Models
## 3 Results
### Hepatoprotection of MPE in Chemical-Induced Rats  
With regard to liver enzymes (Table 7), including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the consumption of MPE (1000 mg/kg BW) was found to slightly decrease serum levels of ALT and AST activities but non-significantly when compared with DI water treatment (no induction group). This suggests that the high dose of MPE exhibits no hepatotoxicity in the rats. The injection of CCl\({}_{4}\) (_ip_) increased levels of ALT considerably and that of AST slightly when compared with subjects that had not received the induction with CCl\({}_{4}\) (_ip_). Silymarin, which is a flavonoid extracted from milk thistle seeds, was used as a standardized antioxidant. Accordingly, treatments of silymarin (100 mg/kg BW, _po_) restored an increased level of ALT markedly and that of AST slightly, while the consumption of MPE (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW) restored the increased levels of ALT tentatively in a concentration-dependent manner but did not influence the levels of AST when compared with the DI water control treatment. In addition, the administration of a high dose of paracetamol significantly increased the levels of ALT and AST when compared with DI water treatment (no induction group). Surprisingly, MPE (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW), as well as silymarin (100 mg/kg BW, _po_), restored the increased serum levels of ALT and AST independently of the dosages; however, MPE was found to be more effective than silymarin. Liver wet weights of all rat groups showed no significant differences (Table 8). According to histochemical hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, treatment with the highest dose of MPE (1000 mg/kg BW) did not result in morphological changes in the liver tissue (B) when compared with DI water treatment (A). Obviously, CCl\({}_{4}\) induction (_ip_)/DI water \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Induction**} & **Treatment** & **AST (IU/L)** & **ALT (IU/L)** \\ \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{No} & DI water (5 mL/kg BW) & 87 \(\pm\) 40 & 37 \(\pm\) 33 \\  & MPE (1000 mg/kg BW) & 62 \(\pm\) 15 & 24 \(\pm\) 17 \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{CCl\({}_{4}\) (2 mg/kg BW)} & DI water (5 mL/kg BW) & 99 \(\pm\) 30 & 126 \(\pm\) 122 \\  & Silymarin (100 mg/kg BW) & 87 \(\pm\) 48 & 54 \(\pm\) 31 \\  & MPE (250 mg/kg BW) & 98 \(\pm\) 52 & 62 \(\pm\) 26 \\  & MPE (500 mg/kg BW) & 117 \(\pm\) 84 & 60 \(\pm\) 62 \\  & MPE (1000 mg/kg BW) & 119 \(\pm\) 33 & 30 \(\pm\) 25 \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Paracetamol (2.5 g/kg BW)} & DI water (5 mL/kg BW) & 278 \(\pm\) 118 * & 553 \(\pm\) 219 * \\  & Silymarin (100 mg/kg BW) & 281 \(\pm\) 161 & 417 \(\pm\) 297 \\ \cline{1-1}  & MPE (250 mg/kg BW) & 212 \(\pm\) 91 & 200 \(\pm\) 110 * \\ \cline{1-1}  & MPE (500 mg/kg BW) & 266 \(\pm\) 95 & 374 \(\pm\) 188 \\ \cline{1-1}  & MPE (1000 mg/kg BW) & 234 \(\pm\) 138 & 247 \(\pm\) 222 \\ \hline \end{tabular} Abbreviations: CCl\({}_{4}\) = carbon tetrachloride, DI = deionized, MPE = Mahajanaka mango pulp extract.  
\end{table} 
Table 7: Serum levels of AST and ALT activity in CCl\({}_{4}\)- or paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Data are expressed as mean \(\pm\) SD values (n = 8). Accordingly, * \(p\) < 0.05 when compared without the induction; * \(p\) < 0.05 when compared with the hepatotoxicity induction. treatment (_po_) caused hepatotoxicity, which was indicated by a severe degree of fatty changes and fatty cysts in the liver tissue (C), whereas pretreatments of silymarin (100 mg/kg BW, _po_) effectively decreased the degree of fatty changes and fatty cysts in the liver when compared with the CCl4/DI water group. Indeed, MPE (250 and 1000 mg/kg BW, _po_) lowered the degree of lipid accumulation in the liver; inversely, MPE (500 mg/kg BW, _po_) exhibited a severe degree of lipid accumulation. Apparently, taking paracetamol (2 g/kg BW) induced a severe degree of hepatic necrosis when compared with rats that had not received the treatment.