Antihyperlipidemic effect of carvacrol on D-galactosamine-induced hepatotoxic rats.

Carvacrol (2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)-phenol) is a predominant monoterpenic phenol occuring in many essential oils of the family Labiatae including, Origanum, Satureja, Thymbra, Thymus, and Corydothymus species. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of carvacrol on D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. D-GalN-hepatotoxic rats exhibited elevation in the serum bilirubin level and the activities of the hepatic marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase. In the plasma, increased levels of very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol were observed. Further, an increase in the levels of total cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides, and free fatty acids in the plasma and tissues of liver and kidney were observed in hepatotoxic rats. The administration of carvacrol for 21 days prevented and improved these parameters toward normalcy. The results suggest that carvacrol affords a significant hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic effect against D-GalN-induced-rats.