SYNERGISTIC HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) AND BEETROOT (BETA VULGARIS) PHYTOCHEMICAL EXTRACTS AGAINST CARBON TETRACHLORIDE-INDUCED LIVER INJURY IN WISTAR RATS

Abstract

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and chemical-induced hepatotoxicity remain major clinical and public-health challenges, and there is sustained interest in dietary phytochemicals as safe, accessible hepatoprotective agents. This study evaluated the protective effect of ethanolic extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) and beetroot (Beta vulgaris), individually and in combination, against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury in a Wistar rat model. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomized into six groups (n = 6): normal control, toxic control (CCl₄ only), beetroot extract (200 mg/kg), garlic extract (200 mg/kg), combined extract (garlic + beetroot, 200 + 200 mg/kg) and silymarin (100 mg/kg) as the standard hepatoprotective drug. Hepatotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal CCl₄ (1 mL/kg, 1:1 in olive oil) twice weekly for four weeks, with concurrent daily oral treatments for 28 days. Body weight, relative liver weight, serum ALT, AST and ALP, and histopathological scores for necrosis, steatosis, inflammation and congestion were assessed. CCl₄ exposure produced a five-fold rise in ALT (186.7 ± 12.5 U/L), 2.7-fold rises in AST (234.8 ± 15.3 U/L) and ALP (298.5 ± 18.6 U/L), hepatomegaly (relative liver weight 4.92 ± 0.23%) and severe centrilobular necrosis with steatosis (total histopathological score 10.33 ± 1.03). Individual extracts significantly attenuated these changes, with garlic outperforming beetroot. The combined extract produced a synergistic response: ALT 58.6 ± 5.3 U/L (68.6% reduction), AST 108.3 ± 8.5 U/L (53.9% reduction), ALP 138.6 ± 11.5 U/L (53.6% reduction), relative liver weight 3.26 ± 0.13% and total histopathological score 2.33 ± 1.03 (77.4% reduction), statistically comparable to silymarin (p > 0.05 for all parameters). Serum ALT correlated strongly with histopathological score (r = 0.945, p < 0.001). The combination of garlic and beetroot extracts therefore exerts potent, synergistic hepatoprotection against CCl₄-induced liver injury, normalizing biochemical and histological indices to a degree equivalent to silymarin, and represents a promising dietary strategy for adjunctive management of hepatotoxic injury