Phytochemical Analysis and Hepatoprotective Activity of Elytraria acaulis

Introduction: The emerging of new diseases, resistance to contemporary using drugs and inadequate usage of commonly available drugs leading to different side effects and sometimes to mortality. So, there is need to identify efficient drugs from easily available sources. Traditional medicines from medicinal plants have been using since ancient times to treat different diseases, are easily available herbal formulations and there were still many medicinal plants were unexplored about their therapeutic potentiality. So, the current research is aimed to explore phytochemical constituent and hepatoprotective potentiality of Elytraria acaulis on paracetamol-induced liver toxicity.

Methodology: The root parts Elytraria acaulis were used for extraction through maceration procedure using hexane, ethyl acetate and hydro-alcoholic (70% ethanol). The dried extracts used for further for phytochemical analysis using standard procedures and evaluated liver protection on paracetamol-induced liver toxicity by estimating liver bio markable enzymes such as AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), ALP and total bilirubin levels.

Results: Qualitative phytochemical screening of E. acaulis extracts revealed the presence of different phytochemical constituents like steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, tannins, saponins and carbohydrates in them. The hydroalcoholic extract has more flavonoid content i.e., 23.84±0.28 (mg/gm) than other two extracts. The tested three extracts of E. acaulis had showed concentration dependent hepatoprotective activity. Among three extracts hydro-alcoholic extract had more potentially compared to other two extracts. The percentage protection produced by the hydro-alcoholic extract on the enhancement of AST(SGOT), ALT (SGPT), ALP and total bilirubin levels were 21.54%, 21.94%, 21.20%, and 20.52%, 36.27%, 38.26%, 37.55% and 36.14%, 67.76%, 70.04%, 69.83% and 68.61% respectively.

Conclusion: The Elytraria acaulis root extracts had showed significant biological activities and own different phytochemical constituents. The hydroalcoholic extract possess more phenolic, flavonoid contents and the same had showed more potentiality against liver toxicity. The current results offer vital information about the traditional medicinal value of it. The further research is valuable and is under progress in evaluation of different biological activities and isolation of individual bioactive molecules from E. acaulis.