Abstract
BackgroundThe liver plays an essential role in the body by regulating several important metabolic functions. Liver injury is associated with the distortion of these functions causing many health problems. Pharmaceutical drugs treat liver disorders but cause further damage to it. Hence, herbal drugs are used worldwide and are becoming increasingly popular.MethodsThe hepatoprotective activity of Phyllanthus niruri (PN) was evaluated against liver cirrhosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA) in male Sprague Dawley rats. Rats received intraperitoneal injections of thioacetamide (TAA, 200 mg/kg, b.w. three times weekly) for eight weeks. Daily treatments with plant extract (200 mg/kg) were administered orally for eight weeks. At the end of the study, hepatic damage was evaluated by monitoring transforming growth factor (TGFβ), collagen α1 (Collα1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP1) gene expression by real-time PCR. Moreover, different chromatographic techniques including column chromatography, thin layer chromatography, and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) with Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) were used to isolate the active constituents of the plant.ResultsThe results revealed that treatment with PN significantly reduced the effect of thioacetamide toxicity and exhibited effective hepatoprotective activity. The mechanism of the hepatoprotective effect of PN is proposed to be by normalizing ROSs. Additionally, PN treatment regulated the expression of TGFβ, Collα1, MMP2, and TIMP1 genes. In the active fraction of P. niruri, the isolated chemical constituents were 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid and quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside.ConclusionsThe results of the present study indicate that PN ethanol extracts possess hepatoprotective activity that is most likely because of the isolated chemical constituents.
Highlights
The liver plays an essential role in the body by regulating several important metabolic functions
We proved that P. niruri possesses hepatoprotective activity against thioacetamideinduced liver cirrhosis
The objective of this study was to determine the roles of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ1), metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), collagen αI (Collα1) and tissue inhibitor of
Summary
The liver plays an essential role in the body by regulating several important metabolic functions. Liver injury is associated with the distortion of these functions causing many health problems. Pharmaceutical drugs treat liver disorders but cause further damage to it. Phyllanthus niruri has been used in folk medicine as an antipyretic, analgesic, or anti-inflammatory treatment, and treatment of other symptoms suggests antihistamine effects. Previous studies have revealed the therapeutic potential of Phyllanthus niruri to treat genitourinary infections, venereal diseases, and kidney or bladder stones. P. niruri is reported to act as a urinary inhibitor of calcium oxalate crystallization and an effective treatment for urolithiasis by interfering in the growth and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystals [2,3,4]. The reported antihyperuricemic action might be because of its uricosuric activity through an xanthine oxidase inhibitory effect [5]
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