Muntingia calabura L. is a tropical plant species that belongs to the Elaeocarpaceae family. The present study is aimed at determining the hepatoprotective activity of methanol extract of M. calabura leaves (MEMC) using two models of liver injury in rats. Rats were divided into five groups (n = 6) and received 10% DMSO (negative control), 50 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine (NAC; positive control), or MEMC (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg) orally once daily for 7 days and on the 8th day were subjected to the hepatotoxic induction using paracetamol (PCM). The blood and liver tissues were collected and subjected to biochemical and microscopical analysis. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant study using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-(DPPH) and superoxide anion-radical scavenging assays. At the same time, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and total phenolic content were also determined. From the histological observation, lymphocyte infiltration and marked necrosis were observed in PCM-treated groups (negative control), whereas maintenance of hepatic structure was observed in group pretreated with N-acetylcysteine and MEMC. Hepatotoxic rats pretreated with NAC or MEMC exhibited significant decrease (P < 0.05) in ALT and AST enzymes level. Moreover, the extract also exhibited good antioxidant activity. In conclusion, MEMC exerts potential hepatoprotective activity that could be partly attributed to its antioxidant activity and, thus warrants further investigations.

CEMC and CEMM exert gastroprotective effects in animals with ethanol-induced gastric ulcers via antioxidant and anti-secretory effects.

Methanol extract of Muntingia calabura L. (family Muntingiaceae) leaf has been reported to exert various pharmacological activities including hepatoprotection. The present study was carried out to identify the most effective hepatoprotective partition derived from the extract and to determine the mechanisms of action involved. The extract was partitioned using solvents with different polarity to yield petroleum ether (PEMC), ethyl acetate (EAMC), and aqueous (AQMC) extracts. Each extract, at 250 mg/kg, was subjected to the paracetamol (PCM)-induced hepatotoxic assay and several parameters such as liver weight, liver/body weight ratio, serum liver enzymes' level, and histopathological examinations were determined. Each partition was also tested for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials. The most effective extract (AQMC) was prepared in additional dose of 50 and 500 mg/kg, and then subjected to the same liver toxicity test in addition to the endogenous antioxidant enzymes assay. Moreover, AQMC was also subjected to the phytochemical screening and HPLC analysis. Overall, from the results obtained: AQMC exerted significant (p < 0.05): (i) antioxidant activity when assessed using the DPPH, SOD and ORAC assays with high TPC detected; (ii) anti-inflammatory activity via LOX, but not XO pathway; (iii) hepatoprotective activity indicated by its ability to reverse the effect of PCM on the liver weight and liver/body weight ratio, the level of serum liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP), and activity of several endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT). Phytochemicals analyses demonstrated the presence of several flavonoid-based bioactive compounds such as gallic acid and quercetin, which were reported to possess hepatoprotective activity. In conclusion, AQMC exerts hepatoprotective activity against the PCM-induced toxicity possibly by having a remarkable antioxidant potential and ability to activate the endogenous antioxidant system possibly via the synergistic action of its phytoconstituents.

Methanol extract of Melastoma malabathricum (MEMM) has been traditionally used by the Malay to treat various ailments. In an attempt to develop the plant as an herbal product, MEMM was subjected to the subacute and subchronic toxicity and cytotoxicity studies. On the one hand, the subacute study was performed on three groups of male and three groups of female rats (n = 6), which were orally administered with 8% Tween 80 (vehicle control group) or MEMM (500 and 1000 mg/kg) daily for 28 days, respectively. On the other hand, the subchronic study was performed on four groups of rats (n = 6), which were orally administered with 8% Tween 80 (vehicle control group) or MEMM (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg) daily for 90 days, respectively. In the in vitro study, the cytotoxic effect of MEMM against the HT29 colon cancer cell line was assessed using the MTT assay. MEMM was also subjected to the UHPLC-ESI-HRMS analysis. The results demonstrated that MEMM administration did not cause any mortality, irregularity of behaviour, modification in body weight, as well as food and water intake following the subacute and subchronic oral treatment. There were no significant differences observed in haematological parameters between treatment and control groups in both studies, respectively. The in vitro study demonstrated that MEMM exerts a cytotoxic effect against the HT29 colon cancer cell line when observed under the inverted and phase-contrast microscope and confirmed by the acridine orange/propidium iodide (AOPI) staining. The UHPLC-ESI-HRMS analysis of MEMM demonstrated the occurrence of several compounds including quercetin, p-coumaric acid, procyanidin A, and epigallocatechin. In conclusion, M. malabathricum leaves are safe for oral consumption either at the subacute or subchronic levels and possess cytotoxic action against the HT29 colon cancer cells possibly due to the synergistic action of several flavonoid-based compounds.

This study aimed to determine the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of semi-purified aqueous partition obtained from the methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis (AQDL) leaves against paracetamol (PCM)-induced liver intoxication in rats. The test solutions, AQDL (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg), were administered orally to rats (n = 6) once daily for seven consecutive days followed by the hepatotoxicity induction using 3 g/kg PCM (p.o.). Blood was collected for serum biochemical parameters analysis while the liver was collected for histopathological examination and endogenous antioxidant enzymes analysis. AQDL was also subjected to antioxidant determination and phytochemical analysis. Results obtained show that AQDL possessed high total phenolic content (TPC) value and remarkable radical scavenging activities. AQDL also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the liver weight/body weight (LW/BW) ratio or serum level of ALT, AST, and total bilirubin while significantly (p < 0.05) increase the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) without affecting the malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver indicating its hepatoprotective effect. Phytoconstituents analyses showed only the presence of saponins and triterpenes, but lack of flavonoids. In conclusion, AQDL exerts hepatoprotective activity via its high antioxidant potential and ability to modulate the endogenous enzymatic antioxidant defense system possibly via the synergistic action of saponins and triterpenes.