Investigation of Medicinal Plants for Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Properties

Abstract

The herbal medicines are the major remedy in traditional medicinal system and are being used in medicinal practice for thousands of years. These have made a great contribution in maintaining human health. The practice continues even today because of the biomedical benefits in many parts of the world. There is phenomenal increase in the demand for the herbal medicines especially for those, which have been scientifically validated. The alarming rapid rate of species extinction, which we are currently witnessing, due in part to habitat destruction, lends certain urgency to the quest for plant derived drugs. Natural product research continues to be an important part of the drug discovery process. Hence, in the present study, several plants selected based on the ethnomedical uses were evaluated for medicinal properties and to isolate their active constituents. E. axillare is traditionally used as anti-inflammatory, liver tonic, hepatopathy, glycosuria, leprosy etc. Its hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant and many other activities have been reported. Swertiamarin, phenolic acids, flavonoids etc were isolated. Except these studies, so far, no other biological and phytochemical investigations were carried out. A. cymosa stem bark is being used in the treatment of jaundice in north Karnataka. So far, no phytoconstituents were isolated and no biological properties were carried out. Hence, in the present study, a detailed phytochemical and biological investigation for antioxidant properties was carried out. The potent plant extract was screened in vivo for hepatoprotective properties. In conclusion, in the present study, Henicosan-1-ol from the petroleum ether extract and a biflavonoid ether from the ethyl acetate extract of E. axillare were isolated for the first time from FE. avxillare. B-sitosterol, B-stigmasterol and 9,10-cycloprapano-17-(1-(4-methylcyclohexyl) propan-2-yl)-15B-androstanol were isolated from the petroleum ether extract for the first time from A. cymosa. newline