Phytochemical investigation and pharmacological evaluation of ehretia microphylla dipteracanthus patulus and hydnocarpus lorifolia

Abstract

Liver is a vital organ involved in metabolism of foreign compounds entering into the newlinebody and regulates the internal chemical environment. Human exposure to toxic newlinesubstances causes liver toxicity inflicted by hepatotoxic agents. According to WHO, liver newlinedisease rates have been progressively growing over the years. Conventional drugs used newlineto cure liver toxicity are inefficient, and there is an imperative need to find drugs that newlinepossess not only improved liver protection but also significant antioxidant property. newlineEhretia microphylla (EM), Dipteracanthus patulus (DP) and Hydnocarpus lorifolia (HL) newlinehave been used to treat various liver diseases by folk medicinal practitioners in the newlineWayanad hills of Western Ghats of India, but there is no strong scientific evidence to newlineprove their medicinal claims. The present study was proposed to evaluate the antioxidant newlineand hepatoprotective activities of various extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl newlineacetate and methanol) of selected medicinal plants. In vitro antioxidant studies confirmed newlinethe antioxidant potential of the plant extracts and these extracts were also studied for their newlinehepatoprotective activity against paracetamol-induced liver toxicity in rat model. The newlineparacetamol-induced rats showed elevated levels of hepatic enzymes SGOT, SGPT, ALP newlineand billurubin and decreased level of antioxidant parameters such as SOD, CAT, GPx newlineand GSH. These altered parameters were significantly normalized by different extracts newlineof EM, DP and HL. The histopathological studies also confirmed the hepatoprotective newlinenature of the plant extracts. When compared all extracts, chloroform extract of EM newline(CEM) showed potent antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity. Further isolation and newlinecharacterisation studies revealed CEM posses a novel triterpenoid 11-oxo amyrin newline(C30H48O2), along with bauerenol (C30H50O) and and#946;-sitosterol (C29H50O). The cytotoxicity