Phytochemical screening and pharamacological evaluation of selected ethnomedical herbs

Abstract

viii newlineABSTRACT newlineMentha Arvensis (Lamiaceae) commonly cultivated in India for its therapeutic value. newlineThe goal of current study was to evaluate the phytochemical constituents and to newlineexplore the in vitro antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts of leaves M. newlineArvensis. Preliminary phytochemical evaluations revealed the presence of steroids, newlinetannins, glycosides, phenols, flavonoids and saponinsin the Leaves ethanolic extracts. newlineDeterminations of their in vitro antioxidant activity were carried out by using 2,2- newlinediphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl in an assay based on the method of Oyaizu. Hydroxyl newlineradical scavenging activity was also measured in the same extracts. Experiments were newlinedesigned to establish the hepatoprotective activity of Mentha Arvensis (EMAL) newlineethanolic Leaves extracts at different doses (100 and 200 mg/kg bw) against newlinethioacetamide-induced liver damage in albino Wistar rats. Hepatotoxicity was newlineassessed by evaluating the activity of liver-function marker enzymes such as aspartate newlinetransaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase newlineas well as antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione newlinereductase, glutathione-S-transferase and reduced glutathione. Lipid peroxidation was newlinemeasured as malonaldehyde, a thiobarbituric acid reactive substance. Liver newlinehistopathological changes were also evaluated. EMAL administration was found to newlinemarkedly prevent the elevation of serum liver enzymes and conjugated dienes, and newlinesignificantly increase hepatic levels of antioxidant markers. Histological findings also newlineconfirmed the EMAL protective effects on thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity. newlineExperimentally CRC was induced by 1,2 dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in male wistar newlinerats. The entire experimental setup was divided into five groups, viz, Group I served newlineas control and GroupII servedas EMAL alone (100 mg/ kg b.wp.o/ daily), Group III newlinereceived DMH (20 mg/kgb.wt)subcutaneously once a week, for thefirst 15weeks, newlineix newlineGroups IV and V received DMH along with EMAL (100 and 200mg/ kg b.w/p.o/ newlined