ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL In vivo STUDIES ON Juniperus phoenicea: EVALUATION OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE ROLE AND THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTION

In vivo hepatoprotective activities of the crude (80% ethanol) and successive extracts of Junipeus phoenicea L. (J. phoenicea) leaves and berries on normal liver and on CCL4- induced liver cirrhosis in male albino rats were investigated. The results revealed that, at doses 100 mg\kg. b.w., all extracts had no hepatotoxic effects on normal rats’ livers after 30 days administration. The highest hepatoprotective activities in liver damaged rats were exhibited by the crude extracts, ethyl acetate and ethanol fractions of leaves and berries relative to Silymarin drug. On the other hand, the relative potencies of the same extracts, crude and successive, on relieving Carrageenan induced rat hind paw oedema were investigated. Significant anti-inflammatory effects were exhibited by all extracts of at doses 100 mg\kg. b.w. The crude extract of leaves as well as its ethyl acetate fraction had the highest activities followed by leaves ethanol fraction where the potencies were 90.5, 90.4 and 87.6%, respectively, while the potency of the crude extract of berries was (80.2%) then its ethyl acetate one (72.1%) compared to Indomethacin drug. Furthermore, in vitro antioxidant activity of all extracts of leaves and berries by ESR technique was also investigated. The crude extract of leaves and its ethyl acetate and methanol fractions had the highest activities as free radical scavenger, where the crude extract of berries had no antioxidant activity. Spectrophotometric quantitative estimation of the total flavonoid contents of the crude extracts of leaves and berries, calculated as isoscutellarien, was found to be 3.6 and 0.25 %, respectively.