Background and objective 

Antiepileptic drug Depakine^® is often used, although it can cause birth defects in both human and animals. This study’s goal was to assess the Octopus vulgaris extract’s (OE) ability to protect against the hepatotoxicity caused by Depakine in an effort to advance its clinical application.

Patients and methods 

Four groups of adult male Wistar rats (150–180 g b.w.) have been designed at random (10 rats each) as: 1) healthy control group; 2) healthy rats treated orally with OE (50 mg/kg/day); 3) rats administrated orally with Depakine^® (500 mg/kg/day); 4) rats treated with OE in combination with Depakine.

Results and conclusion 

After 6 weeks of treatment, the results demonstrated that OE was effective in lowering Depakine^®-induced hepatotoxicity. This was shown by a significant rise in liver glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) values as well as albumin and total protein levels. Additionally, there was a considerable drop in the serum levels of tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-α), interlukin-1beta (IL-1β), interlukin-4 (IL-4), interlukin-6 (IL-6), and interlukin-10 (IL-10), which exacerbated the structural recovery of the liver’s histological image. Conclusion: OE was highly effective in reducing the oxidative stress caused by Depakine^® and protecting the liver from its toxic effects. OE is a viable supplement candidate for liver protection against the negative effects of that antiepileptic medication.