Antioxidant and hepatoprotective actions of the medicinal herb artemisia campestris from the Okinawa Islands

The antioxidant action of Artemisia campestris was examined in vitro and in vivo. A water extract of A. campestris showed a strong scavenging action of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. When the extract was given intraperitoneally to mice prior to carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) treatment, CCl₄-induced liver toxicity, as seen by an elevation of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, was significantly reduced. Depression of the elevation of serum enzyme levels after CCl₄-treatment was also observed by oral administration of the extract. In that case, CCl₄-derived lipid peroxidation in the liver was decreased by the extract treatment. These results suggest that the extract of A. campestris scavenges radicals formed by CCl₄ treatment resulting in protection against CCl₄-induced liver toxicity.