Plants hepatoprotective effect

HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF PLANT COMPONENTS INHIBITION OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-a-DEPENDENT INFLAMMATORY LIVER... 

Russian investigators have reported a hepatoprotective effect of a plant product Galstena in a rat model and have extended their observations to a clinical trial, with favorable results however, few data were given in this report (30). 

Scutellaria rivulis Benth is a folk medicine in Taiwan, used for the treatment of tumors, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, jaundice. The chloroform extract of the plant demonstrated the most hepatoprotective effect of five other extracts. Consequently, three major components baicalein (55), baicalin (56) and wogonin (53) of this extract were further investigated for their hepatoprotective activity. This was done in vivo using three liver damage models, induced by APAP, CCI4 and D-GaIN in rats. The... 

Several investigations have also demonstrated the hepatoprotective activity of some naturally-occurring anthraquinones. For example, aloe-emodin, Fig. (2) one of the active constituents contained in medicinal plants such as Aloe spp., appears to have some protective effect on acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride [294], Other studies reported the hepatoprotective effect of the anthraquinone emodin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. The emodin-treated rats showed improved liver functions and reduced degrees of fibrosis [295],... 

Numerous iridoids are involved in plant-animal interactions e.g. the defensive function of this type of compounds in ants. From the pharmacological standpoint, the applications of this class of compounds are rather limited. Some iridoids have anti-inflammatory activity, which is weak by the oral route and stronger by topical application e.g. 1 mg of aucubin, verbenalin, or loganin have an activity almost similar to that of 0.5 mg of indomethacin on the TPA-induced mouse ear edema. Some are ingredients in various forms of allopathic medications (valerian), others are typically, phytotherapeutic products (devil s claw, olive tree). Others receive attention for their non-pharmaceutical applications (yellow gentian). The hepatoprotective effects of picrosides I and II from kutkin, the crude active fraction in Picrorhiza kurroa is well known and documented. 

Kringstein, P., and A.l. Cederbaum. 1995. Boldine prevents human Uver microsomal lipid peroxidation and inactivation of cytochrome P4502E1. Free Radical Biol. Med. 18(3) 559-563. Lanhers, M.C., M. Joyeux, R. Soulimani, et al. 1991. Hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of a traditional medicinal plant of Chile, Peumus boldus. Planta Med. 57(2) 110-115. 

Documented effects In experiment on animals (mice and rats), the preparation Dipsacozide (total plant saponins) was nontoxic and caused short-term decrease in arterial pressure. It noticeably raised the animals tolerance to hypoxia, as found in foothill and high mountain conditions. In lipid metabolism Dipsacozide caused results similar to the known preparation Polysponin, and it also had hepatoprotective abilities (Alimbaeva et al. 1986). 

Documented effects Preparations of this plant have been approved as a medicinal remedy. An infusion or liquid extract as a component of a tea mixture is used as a very strong diuretic for patients with kidney or heart diseases, to treat inflammation of the bladder and urinary tract, to stop stomach, intestinal, hemorrhoidal, and uterine bleeding, and as a treatment for pleurisy and some types of tuberculosis (Khalmatov et al. 1984). The compounds onitin-9-O-glucoside and luteolin, isolated from the plant, exhibited hepatoprotective activity in vitro, as well as strong superoxide scavenging effects (Oh et al. 2004). 

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