Abstract

NATURAL PRODUCTS AS A SOURCE OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE AGENTS

Mohd. Adil Tahseen*, Afreen Bano and Farhan Ali

ABSTRACT

The liver performs a vital role in metabolism, secretion, storage, and detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances. Oxidative stress and free radicals enhance the severity of hepatic damage, which can be overcome by the antioxidant mechanism. Plant extracts are the best source of such antioxidants and they mediate hepatoprotective activity. Herbal remedies are being focused to evolve a safe and effective route for treating liver related disorders. Herbal medicines such as Andrographis paniculata, Azadirachta indica, Foeniculum vulgare, Rubia cordifolia, Solanum nigrum, Terminalia catappa, Vitis vinifera, Opuntia ficus-indica, Matricaria chamomilla, Moringa oleifera, Boerhaavia diffusa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Piper nigrum, Limonia elephantum, Ginkgo biloba, Tylophora indica, Ficus religiosa, Morinda citrifolia, Myrtus communis, Aegle marmelos, Aloe vera, Cassia fistula, Capparis spinosa, Fumaria indica, Daucus carota, etc have been evaluated for hepatoprotective activity. Also, phytochemicals such as Andrographolide, Azadirachtin-A, Eugenol, Naringenin, Gallic acid, Ellagic acid, Bacoside A, Ginsenoside Rg1, Glycyrrhizin, Amygdalin, Rutin, Hesperidin, Ginkgolide A, etc are also reported as source of hepatoprotective agents. Therefore, present review is aimed at compiling comprehensive data on promising Phytochemicals from medicinal plants that have been tested in hepatotoxicity models using modern techniques.

Keywords: Hepatotoxicity, Hepatotoxins, Phytochemicals.