Screening of selected Medicinal Plants for their Hepatoprotective activity

Abstract

The first chapter has been studied under different parts. The first part deals with the usefulness of plants to mankind, a brief introduction to herbal drugs where plants and phytoconstituents have been suggested as good alternatives to synthetic drugs. The next part deals with liver and its functions, liver disorders, reasons for liver disorders and finally the experimental models for the evaluation of antihepatotoxic activity The second chapter of the thesis explains the scope and objective of the present investigation in detail with the name of the plants selected to evaluate for their hepatoprotective activity. The plan of work in brief has also been explained. The next chapter deals with the plant profile, ethnomedical/tribal literature information, chemical and pharmacological reviews of the selected two plants of my study. newlineThe subsequent experimental or materials and methods chapter of the thesis has been broadly divided into three sections. newlinea) Pharmacognostical studies, b) Chemical studies, c) Pharmacological studies. The first section deals with collection, authentication, drying and powdering of the plant Cuscuta reflexa and Cassytha filiformis. newlineThe materials and methods deals with the isolation of phytoconstituents from the plant extracts using column chromatography by gradient elution method with solvents like n-hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The results and discussion pertaining to the present study have been elaborated separately under corresponding sections of the previous chapter such as 5a, 5b and 5c supported by tables and figures. newlineHence in our study the significant hepatoprotective activity and in vitro antioxidant activity of the various extracts may be attributed to the presence of flavanoid like quercetin. From the study carried out, it is evident that both the plants are endowed with significant hepatoprotective activity against d-galactosamine induced hepatic injury, thereby justifying its use for their hepatoprotective activity in the traditional system of medicine.