ABSTRACT:
Paracetamol is widely used analgesic and antipyretic which can lead to liver damage. Excessive and inappropriate use of paracetamol can lead to liver injury. Hepatotoxicity occurs due to drugs, steroids, vaccines, antiviral and other drugs. The hepatotoxic reactions by drugs are due to elevated ROS generation, oxidative stress and suppressed immune responses. The increase in the number of patients with liver dysfunction due to the overwhelming use of alcohol and drugs has paved the path for researchers and scientists to search for potential sources of new therapeutic agents for the prevention of drug -induced hepatotoxicity. Herbal drugs play a role in the management of various liver disorders most of them speed up the natural healing process of the liver. Many antioxidant agents have been studied in experimental and clinical studies to reduce or prevent acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. An alternate view is that oxidative stress has a major role in hepatotoxicity. Antioxidants are agents that are capable of scavenging the free radicals by inhibiting oxidation, indirectly through iron chelation and quenching of triplet oxygen. The protective potential of medicinal plants could also be attributed to their phytoconstituent's ability to enhance the endogenous antioxidants. Hence there has been a great deal of interest recently in investigating the medicinal plants containing phenolic compounds that hold antioxidants.