𝐸𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑢𝑚𝑎 𝑠𝑝. as Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant on Paracetamol-Induced Hepatotoxicity: An Alternate Standpoint

For many years, paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity (PIH) has raised significant concerns and search for comprehensive hepatoprotective strategies. Eucheuma sp. extracts have been around lately, promising an alternative hepatoprotective and antioxidant adjunction to the existing strategies. This study aimed to investigate the potential hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties of Eucheuma sp. extracts in PIH. Fifty-four male Wistar rats were observed in a true experimental study and divided into six groups: negative control, positive control receiving high-dose paracetamol, and four treatment groups receiving different doses of Eucheuma cottonii (EC) and Eucheuma spinosum (ES) extracts. We analyzed the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) through enzymatic colorimetric method and malondialdehyde (MDA) through Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) assay. We then used Kruskal-Wallis and one-way ANOVA for statistical analysis. Significant differences were found in ALT (p=۰.۰۱۵) and MDA (p=۰.۰۰۰) levels, but not AST (p=۰.۱۱۰). For all ۳ markers, the negative control had a lower mean value than any other group, the positive control had increased levels compared to the negative control, and the extract groups had even higher marker serum levels compared to both the negative and positive control group. The elevations in the extract groups were gradually parallel to the dose of the extract given. The administration of Eucheuma sp. extracts did not ameliorate markers' disturbances following high-dose paracetamol toxicity, contrary to the initial hypothesis. Assumptions regarding the inconclusive findings include the prooxidant properties of the extracts, endogenous antioxidant mechanisms interference, inadequate dosage, duration of treatment, and sample size, the presence of pre-existing oxidative stressors, the severity of liver injury induced, the extracts and paracetamol metabolism interactions, markers preferences, species-specific bioactive compound variability, subjects' variations, and quality of the extracts used.