Hepato-protective Effect of Clove Bud Polyphenols (Syzygium aromaticum L.) (Clovinol®) by Modulating Alcohol Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

The pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases progresses from fatty liver to hepatic inflammation and necrosis to fibrosis. Clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum L.) are one of the richest sources of dietary polyphenols with many traditional medicinal uses. Hence, the present work attempted to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of a standardized polyphenol-rich extract of clove buds (Clovinol). The experiment was conducted on Wistar rats designated into three groups. First group was vehicle control and hepatotoxicity was induced to the second group by the administration of ethanol at the fixed dose of 12.5 g/kg body wt., orally for 30 days. Clovinol (100 mg/kg body wt.) was co-administered with ethanol in the third group. The liver toxicity was assessed by the estimation of liver marker enzymes in addition to which, assays of antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory markers, and liver histopathology studies were also conducted. Ethanol treatment significantly increased (p<0.05) liver function markers (SGOT and SGPT) and reduced (p<0.05) the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and GSH. It also increased the WBC count, inflammatory markers (nitrite, CRP, COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-α) and lipid peroxidation, significantly (p<0.05). Supplementation of Clovinol showed significant (p<0.05) reversal of all these biochemical and molecular variables indicating the efficacy of Clovinol in the downregulation of alcohol-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory changes, bringing about a significant reduction in the associated liver pathology. To summarize, we found that Clovinol could be a potential functional ingredient for liver health.