Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber, commonly known as Dandelion, has been widely used as a folkloric medicine for the treatment of liver and kidney disorders and some women diseases such as breast and
uterus cancers. The main objective of the present study was to assess the efficiency of T. officinale leaf extract (TOE) in treating
sodium dichromate hazards; it is a major
environmental pollutant known for its wide toxic manifestations witch induced liver injury. TOE at a dose of 500 mg/kg b.w was orally administered once per day for 30 days consecutively, followed by 10 mg/kg b.w
sodium dichromate was injected (intraperitoneal) for 10 days. Our results using Wistar rats showed that
sodium dichromate significantly increased serum biochemical parameters. In the liver, it was found to induce an oxidative stress, evidenced from increase in lipid peroxidation and changes in antioxidative activities. In addition, histopathological observation revealed that
sodium dichromate causes acute liver damage,
necrosis of hepatocytes, as well as DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, animals that were pretreated with TOE, prior to
sodium dichromate administration, showed a significant hepatoprotection, revealed by a significant reduction of
sodium dichromate-induced oxidative damage for all tested markers. These finding powerfully supports that TOE was effective in the protection against
sodium dichromate-induced hepatotoxicity and genotoxicity and, therefore, suggest a potential
therapeutic use of this plant as an
alternative medicine for patients with acute
liver diseases.