Pharmacological evaluation of some potential hepatoprotective plants

Abstract

Liver is the main organ responsible for the major metabolic and secretory functions in the body. The occurrence of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is due to indiscriminate consumption of NSAIDS, alcohol, antitubercular, anticancer and anticonvulsant drugs. It results clinically as jaundice, cirrhosis, hepatitis, steatosis, fibrosis, liver cancer and ultimately to hepatic failure. The treatments available for the liver diseases are Modern and Traditional medications. The modern medications include anti-inflammatory, immunemodulatory, antiviral drugs, corticosteroids, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, _-lipoic acid and dipeptide caspase inhibitor. The modern therapeutic strategies are not efficient enough for complete removal of liver hazard, without provoking adverse effects. The traditional medications include antioxidant therapy, use of several plant drugs like Silymarin alone and in-combination as multi-ingredients herbal formulations. Indian System of Medicine (ISM) has recommended more than eighty seven hepatoprotective plants and many of them are used clinically. Recently, the use of herbal natural product has gained interest among the world population. But, these are however, not backed by well documented scientific data. Tecomella undulate Seem is reported to be useful for liver and spleen disorders. It is constituted into various herbal hepatoprotective formulations: Livoplus, Exol, Liv-52, Herboliv, Amylcure etc. Ziziphus jujube Lam. fruits are reported to have antioxidant potential against liver injury. The species belonging to Ziziphus are reported to inhibit cyclooxygenase-induced prostaglandin synthesis. Plumbago zeylanica Linn. roots are reported as hepatoprotective against paracetamol-induced acute liver injury activities. Zingiber officinale Rosc rhizome is reported to act as hepatoprotective agent. Moreover, it is reported to inhibit NO, peroxynitrite, cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenases, production of cytokines.