Hepatoprotective effect of methanolic extract of Iris florentina L. on paracetamol-induced liver toxicity in rats.

Despite of plethora of research on hepatoprotective potential of medicinal plants, there is still need to discover potential plants with hepatoprotective activity. Iris florentina L. is a medicinal plant with traditional claims but ignored investigation regarding its hepatoprotective effects. The current study is aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective potential of I. florentina L. methanolic extract on paracetamol (PCM)-induced liver injury. The phytochemical and HPLC screening was done which showed the presence of potential constituents including flavonoids and phenols. For investigating the hepatoprotective effect of I. florentina L. methanolic extract, rats were given five different treatments for seven consecutive days. The normal control (group 1) was administered with normal saline, group 2 (Diseased) received paracetamol and group 3 (Standard) was given silymarin as reference drug. In group 4 and 5 (Treated), I. florentina L. methanolic extract (250 and 500mg/kg) were administered. Different serum biomarkers and histopathological studies were performed to assess the recovery caused by PCM in comparison to diseased group. The treatment of I. florentina methanolic extract significantly improve the serum biomarkers and restored the hepatic injury towards normal, indicating the hepatoprotective potential. Thus, we can conclude that I. florentina have significantly reversed the damage caused by paracetamol in hepatotoxic rat model due to their potential phytochemical constituents.

Hyperglycemia-associated Alzheimer's-like symptoms and other behavioral effects attenuated by Plumeria obtusa L. Extract in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic complaint with numerous short- and long-term complications that harm a person's physical and psychological health. Plumeria obtusa L. is a traditional medicine used in the treatment of diabetes to reduce complications related to behavior. Plumeria is a genus with antipsychotic activities. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a methanolic extract of Plumeria obtusa L. in the attenuation of diabetes, on symptoms of Alzheimer disease, and on other associated behavioral aspects. A single dose of alloxan was administered to an experimental group of rats to induce development of diabetes (150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) and the rats were then administered selected doses of methanolic extract of Plumeria obtusa L. (Po.Cr) or glibenclamide (0.6 mg/kg) for 45 consecutive days. Behavioral effects were evaluated using three validated assays of anxiety-related behavior: the open field test, the light and dark test, and the elevated plus maze. Anti-depressant effects of Plumeria obtusa L. were evaluated using the forced swim test (FST) and memory and learning were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) task. Po.Cr was also evaluated for phytochemicals using total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and high-performance liquid chromatography assays, and antioxidant capability was assessed through assays of DPPH radical scavenging, total oxidation capacity, and total reducing capacity. In the alloxan-induced model of diabetes, the administration of Po.Cr and glibenclamide for 45 days produced a marked decrease (p < 0.001) in hyperglycemia compared to control animals. Po.Cr treatment also resulted in improvement in indicators, such as body weight and lipid profile (p < 0.05), as well as restoration of normal levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) (p < 0.001), a biomarker of liver function. Diabetic rats presented more Alzheimer-like symptoms, with greater impairment of memory and learning, and increased anxiety and depression compared to non-diabetic normal rats, whereas treated diabetic rats showed significant improvements in memory and behavioral outcomes. These results demonstrate that Po.Cr reversed alloxan-induced hyperglycemia and ameliorated Alzheimer-related behavioral changes, which supports additional study and assessment of conventional use of the plant to treat diabetes and associated behavioral complications.