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Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

In vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo hepatoprotective activity of aqueous

extract of Allium cepa bulb in ethanol induced liver damage in Wistar rats
K. Eswar Kumar , K.N. Harsha, V. Sudheer, Nelli Giri babu
Pharmacology Division, A.U. College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530003, Andhra Pradesh, India
Received 4 April 2013; received in revised form 18 September 2013; accepted 16 October 2013

Abstract
The in vitro antioxidant and in vivo hepatoprotective effects of aqueous extract of Allium cepa (A. cepa) bulb were evaluated in male rats against
ethanol induced liver damage in preventive and curative models. The antioxidant activity of A. cepa was assayed and activities were compared
to standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid. The results revealed that the IC50 values of A. cepa bulb extract for DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide radical
scavenging activities were 195.2 0.2, 374.7 0.4 and 182.5 1.7 g/mL, respectively. Liver injury was induced by 40% ethanol administration
(3.76 g/kg bw, orally) for 25 days. In two different sets of experiments, the A. cepa extracts (100, 300 and 600 mg/kg bw) and silymarin (100 mg/kg
bw) were administered orally in preventive and curative models. Ethanol administration caused severe hepatic damage in rats as evidenced by
elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin levels. The A.
cepa and silymarin administration prevented the toxic effect of ethanol on the above serum parameters in both preventive and curative models.
The present study concludes that aqueous extract of A. cepa bulb has significant antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity against ethanol induced
hepatotoxicity.
2013 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Allium cepa; Antioxidant; Ethanol; Hepatoprotective; Rat

1. Introduction
Liver is the largest glandular organ of the body which plays
a vital role in metabolizing carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and
detoxifying xenobiotics and drugs. Thus the liver is proned to
injury due to the chronic exposure to drugs, environmental toxicants and other xenobiotics [1]. Today, alcohol abuse is one of
the major health problems worldwide. There is a close relationship between ethanol intake and alcoholic liver disease (ALD)
as the 80% of ingested alcohol is metabolized in the liver [2]. In

Corresponding author at: Pharmacology Division, A.U. College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530003, Andhra Pradesh,
India. Tel.: +91 0891 270 2728/09440632728; fax: +91 0891 2525611.
E-mail address: ekilari@rediffmail.com (K. Eswar Kumar).
Peer review under responsibility of Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.

2213-4530 2013 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Production and

hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2013.10.001

addition, ethanol is a main ingredient in most of the syrups,

tinctures, and other medicines. In small doses it has a great
medicinal value. But some people tend to have ethanol abuse
[3]. In excess doses, it causes severe hepatic damage in humans
and experimental animals. Chronic administration of ethanol is
known to have a profound effect on the metabolism of lipids and
lipoproteins. Moreover, ethanol is metabolized into cytotoxic
acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme and acetaldehyde is oxidized to acetate by aldehyde oxidase or xanthine
oxidase in the liver, giving rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS)
via cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP 2E1) [4,5]. This leads to oxidative stress in the hepatic cells which is the most striking initial
manifestation of alcohol-induced liver injury [6,7]. When there
is damage to the liver cell membrane, the cytosolic enzymes are
leaked into the blood stream [8]. Therefore, the elevation of these
cytosolic enzymes in the blood stream serves as a quantitative
marker of hepatic damage.
In recent days, the use of herbal natural products has enhanced
world-wide attentions. Many herbal supplements are claimed
to assist in healthy lifestyle. Medicinally, herbal drugs have
made a significant contribution to the treatment of hepatotoxicity [9]. Allium cepa, commonly known as garden onion, is
the main representative genus of the Liliaceae family. A. cepa

K. Eswar Kumar et al. / Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

is a bulbous plant widely cultivated with mass production in

China, India and United States. It is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, sodium, potassium and phosphorus. Traditionally
onion has been used to treat intestinal infections, eye infections, ear ache, urinary tract burning, headaches associated with
drowsiness, ulcers on heels and cough resulted from inspiration of cold air. Many reports revealed that onion was found to
have antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, antifungal, antihypertensive, anti-hypoglycemic, antithrombotic, antihyperlipidemic,
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities [10]. In recent
decades, the extracts of various parts of the A. cepa have
been extensively studied for their anti-diabetic [11], anti-tumor
[12], hepatoprotective [13], and anti-nephrotoxicity [14] activities. However, protective roles of aqueous extract of A. cepa
bulb, widely known as a culinary agent, in ethanol-induced
hepatotoxicity have not been studied. Keeping these folkloric claims and reports in view, the present study attempted
to evaluate the possible hepatoprotective effects of aqueous
extract of A. cepa bulb in ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in
rats.

Distilled water was used as the control. The scavenging activity

of DPPH radicals in samples was calculated according to the
following equation:
DPPH radical scavenging activity (%)
=

1 absorbance of sample
100.
absorbance of control

2.4.2. Hydroxyl radical scavenging assay

Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was measured according to the method of Winterbourn and Sutton [17]. The reaction
mixture contained 1 mL of 0.15 mol/L phosphate buffer saline
(pH 7.4), 1 mL of 40 g/mL safranin, 1 mL of 0.945 mmol/L
EDTAFe (II), 1 mL of 3% (V/V) H2 O2 , and 0.5 mL of the
A. cepa extract (50300 g/mL). After incubating at 37 C for
30 min, the absorbance of samples was measured at 560 nm. The
IC50 value of A. cepa is the effective concentration at which the
hydroxyl radicals were scavenged by 50%.
The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was expressed as:

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Chemicals and drugs
2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was purchased from
Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline
phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin estimated kits were purchased from Span Diagnostics, Surat, India. All other chemicals
and reagents were of analytical grade.
2.2. Extract preparation
The fresh bulbs of A. cepa were washed and chopped into
small pieces. 10 ml boiled distilled water was added to 5 g of
coarsely powdered bulbs in a beaker. The mixture was kept in
water bath with occasional stirring for 4 h. The dark brown aqueous extract was then filtered and rewashed with small volume of
boiled distilled water, which was then added to the filtrate. The
extract was then adjusted to 5 mL and used immediately.
2.3. Phytochemical analysis
Phytochemical screening of bulb extracts was carried out
qualitatively for the presence of steroids, tannins, flavonoids,
saponins, alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, fats and
oils [15].
2.4. In vitro antioxidant activities
2.4.1. DPPH scavenging assay
The DPPH radical scavenging activity was measured according to the method of Yang et al. [16]. The reaction mixture
contained 2 mL of 95% ethanol, 0.1 mol/L DPPH and 2 mL of the
A. cepa extract (50300 g/mL). The mixture was incubated at
25 C for 15 min, and the absorbance was determined at 517 nm.

133

Scavenging rate (%) =

[A0 A1 ]
100,
A0

where A0 was absorbance of blank and A1 was the absorbance

of A. cepa extract.
2.4.3. Superoxide radical scavenging assay
Superoxide anion radical scavenging activity was determined according to the method of Stewart and Bewley [18].
The reaction mixture (3 mL) contained 13 mmol/L methionine, 10 mmol/L riboflavin, 75 mol/L nitroblue tetrazolium,
100 mmol/L EDTA, 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 7.8), and
A. cepa extract (50300 g/ml). After illuminating the reaction mixture with a fluorescent lamp at 25 C for 30 min, the
absorbance of samples was measured at 560 nm. The scavenging
rate was calculated using the following formula:
Scavenging rate (%) =

[A0 A]
100,
A0

where A0 was absorbance of the blank and A was the absorbance

of samples.
2.5. Animals study
Adult male albino Wistar rats (180 20 g) were obtained
from the Mahaveer Enterprizes, Hyderabad, India. They were
kept under temperature of (23 2) C, humidity of 50% and
light and dark cycles of 12 h:12 h. They were fed with commercial pellet diet (Rayons Biotechnology Pvt. Ltd., India)
and water was provided ad libitum. The protocol was approved
by Institutional Animal Ethics Committee and the lab was
approved by CPCSEA, Government of India (Regd. No.
516/01/A/CPCSEA).

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K. Eswar Kumar et al. / Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

2.6. In vivo hepatoprotective study

Table 1
Phytochemical analysis of aqueous extract of Allium cepa bulb.

2.6.1. Preventive study

The rats were divided into six groups, with 6 in each group.
The feeding scheme was as follows:

Phytoconstituents

Aqueous extract of Allium cepa bulb

Carbohydrates
Flavanoids
Proteins
Glycosides
Saponin
Fats and Oils
Alkaloids
Steroids
Tannins

+ve
+ve
ve
ve
+ve
ve
ve
ve
+ve

Group 1: Normal control rats which received 2% gum acacia

(0.1 g/200 g bw) for 25 days.
Group 2: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) for a period
of 25 days.
Group 3: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) and
100 mg/kg bw of A. cepa extract simultaneously for 25 days.
Group 4: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) and
300 mg/kg bw of A. cepa extract simultaneously for 25 days.
Group 5: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) and
600 mg/kg bw of A. cepa extract simultaneously for 25 days.
Group 6: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) and
100 mg/kg bw of silymarin simultaneously for 25 days.
2.6.2. Curative study
Group 1: Normal control rats which received 2% gum acacia
(0.1 g/200 g bw) for 50 days.
Group 2: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) for a period
of 50 days.
Group 3: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) daily for a
period of 25 days and then received 100 mg/kg bw of A. cepa
extract for next 25 days.
Group 4: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) daily for a
period of 25 days and then received 300 mg/kg bw of A. cepa
extract for next 25days.
Group 5: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) daily for a
period of 25 days and then received 600 mg/kg bw of A. cepa
extract for next 25days.
Group 6: Received 3.76 g/kg bw of ethanol (40%) for 25 days
and then silymarin 100 mg/kg orally for the next 25 days.
Oral administration was applied in the study. Silymarin was
used as reference hepatoprotective agent. In the preventive study,
blood samples were collected on the 0 and 26th days and in
the curative study, blood samples were collected on the 0, 26th
and 51st days from retro-orbital plexus of rats. Blood samples
were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 30 min. The serum obtained
was analyzed for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) [19], alanine
aminotransferase (ALT) [19], alkaline phosphatase (ALP) [20]
and total bilirubin [21] using semi-auto analyzer (Screen master3000) and commercial diagnostic kits (Span Diagnostics, Surat,
India).

3. Results
3.1. The phytochemical screening of aqueous extract of A.
cepa bulb
The phytochemical tests revealed that the bulbs of the
plant contains carbohydrates, flavanoids, tannins and saponins
(Table 1).
3.2. Effect of A. cepa extract against DPPH radicals
The free radical scavenging activity of A. cepa extract
against DPPH radicals was shown in Fig. 1A. A. cepa extract
and ascorbic acid standard showed antioxidant activity in a
dose-dependent manner in the range of 50600 g/mL. The
IC50 values for A. cepa and ascorbic acid were 195.2 and
159.7 g/mL, respectively.
3.3. Effect of A. cepa extract against the hydroxyl radicals
The free radical scavenging activity of A. cepa extract against
hydroxyl radicals was shown in Fig. 1B. A. cepa extract and
ascorbic acid standard showed antioxidant activity in a dosedependent manner in the range of 50600 g/mL. The IC50
values for A. cepa extract and ascorbic acid were 374.7 and
244.3 g/mL, respectively.
3.4. Effect of A. cepa extract on the superoxide scavenging
activity
The free radical scavenging activity of A. cepa extract against
superoxide radical was shown in Fig. 1C. A. cepa extract and
ascorbic acid standard showed antioxidant activity in a dosedependent manner in the range of 50600 g/mL. The IC50
values for A. cepa and ascorbic acid were 182.5 and 97.2 g/mL,
respectively.

2.7. Data and statistical analysis

3.5. Determination of serum biochemical parameters

All analyses were performed using statistical package for

social sciences (SPSS) 13.0 for Windows (SPSS, USA). Data
was expressed as mean with S.D. The significance was determined using Students paired t test. A P-value of less than 0.05
was considered statistically significant.

Results presented in Tables 25 indicated that levels of serum

enzymes, namely AST, ALT, ALP and total bilirubin, were
significantly (P < 0.01) increased in ethanol treated rats compared with normal rats. However, levels of serum enzymes, like
AST, ALT, ALP and total bilirubin, were significantly (P < 0.01)

K. Eswar Kumar et al. / Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

135

Fig. 1. DPPH, hydroxyl, super oxide radical scavenging activities of A. cepa extract and ascorbic acid.

decreased in rats treated with A. cepa and silymarin compared

to ethanol treated rats in both preventive and curative studies.
4. Discussion
Liver participates in a variety of enzymatic metabolic activities. Administration of ethanol causes elevation of serum ASP,
ALT, ALP and total bilirubin levels in rats, indicating that ethanol
may induce hepatocellular damages which in turn alters the
structure and function of liver cells [22,23]. Our study on the
ethanol induced hepatic damage are in accordance with previous

reports [24]. Silymarin is a standardized extract of the milk

thistle (Silybum marianum) chiefly contains flavonoid, includings silybin, silybinin, silydianin and silychristin [25]. Silymarin
offers good protection in various toxic models of experimental
liver diseases in laboratory animals. It functions through mechanisms of antioxidative, anti-lipid peroxidative, antifibrotic,
anti-inflammatory, membrane stabilizing, immunomodulatory
and liver regenerating [26]. Silymarin has been applied in
alcoholic liver diseases, liver cirrhosis, Amanita mushroom poisoning, viral hepatitis, toxic and drug induced liver diseases and
in diabetic patients in clinical settings. Silymarin may also be a

Table 2
Effect of aqueous extract of A. cepa bulb and silymarin on AST and ALT in Wistar rats (preventive study).
Groups

AST

ALT

0 day
Normal rats
ETH control (3.76 g/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (100 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (300 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (600 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + silymarin (100 mg/kg bw)
Values are expressed as Mean SD of 6 rats.
ns = not significant; ETH = ethanol; A.C = A. cepa extract.
# P < 0.01, compared with normal control.
* P < 0.01, compared with ETH control.

28.5ns
29.3ns
28.8ns
24.8ns
27.5ns
22.7ns

26th day
2.35
2.54
3.57
3.41
5.24
4.32

29.5ns
195.3#
140.8*
93.5*
80.4*
65.2*

0 day
3.57
8.26
5.84
4.25
3.68
5.51

29.5ns
31.8ns
30.6ns
28.6ns
32.7ns
30.6ns

26th day
4.87
3.61
4.62
2.84
3.42
4.12

30.6ns
150.8#
110.5*
83.6*
60.8*
53.8*

4.62
9.54
7.86
9.58
5.81
8.25

136

K. Eswar Kumar et al. / Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

Table 3
Effect of aqueous extract of A. cepa bulb and silymarin on ALP and total bilirubin in Wistar rats (preventive study).
Groups

ALP

Total bilirubin

0 day
40.2ns

Normal rats
ETH control (3.76 g/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (100 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (300 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (600 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + silymarin (100 mg/kg bw)

38.2ns
41.2ns
42.6ns
40.2ns
41.7ns

26th day
41.3ns

3.12
4.62
3.57
4.91
3.52
7.51

229.6#
195.4*
154.6*
129.5*
96.5*

0 day
0.61ns

4.25
5.34
6.57
7.54
5.35
7.32

0.72ns
0.73ns
0.73ns
0.62ns
0.65ns

26th day
0.62ns 0.02
3.12# 0.08
2.93* 0.06
2.25* 0.04
1.58* 0.05
1.19* 0.06

0.01
0.02
0.03
0.02
0.04
0.03

Values are expressed as mean SD of 6 rats.

ns = not significant; ETH = ethanol; A.C = A. cepa extract.
# P < 0.01, compared with normal control.
* P < 0.01, compared with ETH control.
Table 4
Effect of aqueous extract of A. cepa bulb and silymarin on AST and ALT in Wistar rats (curative study).
Groups

AST

ALT

0 day
Normal rats
ETH control (3.76 g/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (100 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (300 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (600 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + silymarin (100 mg/kg bw)

29.6ns
30.3ns
27.8ns
28.4ns
30.8ns
30.6ns

26th day

2.5
3.7
2.8
3.4
4.5
5.6

35.5ns
254.6#
195.8*
183.7*
170.5*
157.3*

51st day
4.7
9.2
7.3
6.8
6.2
8.4

32.6ns
210.7#
100.8*
85.6*
50.8*
45.8*

0 day

3.36
10.5
4.25
4.87
6.32
6.54

33.8ns
35.7ns
24.1ns
21.6ns
25.4ns
23.7ns

26th day

3.2
3.9
1.5
2.8
2.4
4.5

40.8ns
135.7#
99.3*
97.1*
91.2*
85.6*

51st day
5.4
6.9
3.7
2.3
1.4
3.2

45.8ns 2.7
310.5# 4.3
150.8* 6.5
129.4* 5.3
84.6* 4.2
52.7* 6.3

Values are expressed as Mean SD of 6 rats.

ns = not significant; ETH = ethanol; A.C = A. cepa extract.
# P < 0.01, compared with normal control.
* P < 0.01, compared with ETH control.

useful hepatoprotection drug for hepatobiliary diseases and hepatotoxicity induced by drugs. Moreover, it is used as a standard
drug and exhibited potent hepatoprotective activity within the
dose range of 25 to 200 mg/kg [27,28].
This study demonstrated that A. cepa aqueous bulb extract
had reduced levels of AST, ALT and ALP which were elevated
by ethanol administration. The results were in accordance with
the findings of other investigators [13]. Moreover, it was reported
that A. cepa leaf extract also can significantly restored the elevated AST, ALT and ALP enzyme levels to the normal levels
[24]. Recently, Riyaz Shaik et al. [29] demonstrated that A. cepa
leaves protected hepatocytes by preventing the release of these

3 enzymes. The study of Ogunlade et al. [30] demonstrated that

administration of A. cepa by rabbits with alcohol abuse remarkably reduced serum levels of liver biomarker enzymes. Our
results are consistent with earlier studies, which strongly suggest
that A. cepa may protect the structural integrity of hepatocytes
and prevent the release of cytosolic enzymes into bloodstream.
Phytochemical screening of aqueous extract of A. cepa
bulb showed that it contains abundant carbohydrates, tannins,
saponins, and flavanoids, a group of polyphenolic compounds
[31]. Approximately 20 types of flavonols were detected ub
in onion species, with the two quercetin conjugates:quercetin3, 40-O-diglucoside (QDG) and quercetin-40-O-monoglucoside

Table 5
Effect of aqueous extract of A. cepa bulb and silymarin on ALP and total bilirubin in wistar rats (curative study).
Groups

ALP

Total bilirubin

0 day
Normal rats
ETH control (3.76 g/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (100 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (300 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + A.C (600 mg/kg bw)
ETH (3.76 g/kg bw) + silymarin (100 mg/kg bw)
Values are expressed as mean SD of 6 rats.
ns = not significant; ETH = ethanol; A.C = A. cepa.
# P < 0.01, compared with normal control.
* P < 0.01, compared with ETH control.

42.6ns
40.8ns
38.5ns
38.7ns
40.4ns
44.1ns

26th day
4.8
3.2
4.7
5.8
3.7
5.8

42.8ns
350.5#
275.6*
251.8*
235.7*
222.6*

51st day
3.6
11.5
14.5
11.6
12.2
14.6

45.3ns
310.8#
150.5*
129.6*
84.8*
52.7*

0 day
4.2
12.5
5.03
3.9
6.4
7.6

0.3ns
0.6ns
0.2ns
0.3ns
0.2ns
0.5ns

26th day
0.04
0.03
0.01
0.03
0.02
0.05

0.3ns
5.2#
3.9*
3.8*
2.7*
2.5*

0.04
0.06
0.03
0.06
0.05
0.03

51st day
0.3ns
5.1#
2.2*
2.4*
2.1*
1.8*

0.05
0.03
0.05
0.04
0.02
0.03

K. Eswar Kumar et al. / Food Science and Human Wellness 2 (2013) 132138

(QMG) being the main flavonols representing up to 8085% of

the total flavonoid content [32]. The antioxidant activity in A.
cepa bulb is mainly due to the presence of flavonoids [33]. The
earlier studies have shown that the presence of organosulphur
compounds like dipropyl disulphide, methyl-1-propenyl trisulphide and propyl-1-propenyl trisulphide in the A. cepa bulb [34].
In addition, phenolics, selenium, vitamin C and amino acids
were also found to be responsible for antioxidant activity of
two Egyptian onion varieties [35]. In the present study, A. cepa
showed effective scavenging activities for DPPH, hydroxyl, and
super oxide radical, suggesting that it could scavenge the free
radicals generated during ethanol metabolism. This finding is
consistent with previous studies that the antioxidant activity of
A. cepa extract comes from rich sources of bioactive compounds,
such as flavanoids [3638], which quench ROS and regenerate
membrane-bound antioxidants at both preventive and curative
doses.
5. Conclusions
The present study demonstrated that the aqueous extract of
A. cepa bulb protective against ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity
which might be due to its antioxidant potential against DPPH,
hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. The hepatoprotective role of
A. cepa extract (600 mg/kg bw) was found to be comparable
with Silymarin which might be due to the presence of flavonoid.
Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to the Principal, A.U. College of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam,
India for providing necessary facilities to carry out the work.
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