Medicinal herbs and their metabolites with biological potential to protect and combat liver toxicity and its disorders: A review

The liver is an essential organ that helps the body with immunity, metabolism, and detoxification, among other functions. Worldwide, liver illnesses are a leading cause of mortality and disability. There are few effective treatment choices, but they frequently have unfavorable side effects. Investigating the potential of medicinal plants and their bioactive phytoconstituents in the prevention and treatment of liver disorders has gained more attention in recent years. An assessment of the hepatoprotective potential of medicinal plants and their bioactive secondary metabolites is the goal of this thorough review paper. To determine their hepatoprotective activity, these plants were tested against liver toxicity artificially induced in rats, mice and rabbits by chemical agents such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), paracetamol (PCM), thioacetamide (TAA), N-nitrosodiethylamine, d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide, antitubercular medicines (rifampin, isoniazid) and alcohol. To find pertinent research publications published between 1989 and 2022, a comprehensive search of electronic bibliographic databases (including Web of Science, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and others) was carried out. The investigation comprised 203 plant species from 81 families in total. A thorough discussion was mentioned regarding the hepatoprotective qualities of plants belonging to several families, such as Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Euphorbiaceae. The plant groups Asteraceae and Fabaceae were the most frequently shown to have hepatoprotective properties. The phytochemical constituents namely flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids exhibited the highest frequency of hepatoprotective action. Also, some possible mechanism of action of some active constituents from medicinal plants was discussed in brief which were found in some studies. In summary, the information on medicinal plants and their potentially hepatoprotective bioactive phytoconstituents has been consolidated in this review which emphasizes the importance of further research to explore the efficacy and safety of these natural remedies for various liver ailments.

Identifying Freshness of Spinach Leaves Stored at Different Temperatures Using Hyperspectral Imaging

Spinach is prone to spoilage in the course of preservation. Spinach leaves stored at different temperatures for different durations will have varying degrees of freshness. In order to monitor the freshness of spinach leaves during storage, a rapid and non-destructive method—hyperspectral imaging technology—was applied in this study. Visible near-infrared reflectance (Vis-NIR) (380–1030 nm) and near-infrared reflectance (NIR) (874–1734 nm) hyperspectral imaging systems were used. Spinach leaves preserved at different temperatures with different durations (0, 3, 6, 9 days at 4 °C and 0, 1, 2 days at 20 °C) were studied. Principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted as a qualitative analysis method. The second-order derivative spectra were utilized to select effective wavelengths. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), support vector machine (SVM), and extreme learning machine (ELM) were used to build models based on full spectra and effective wavelengths. All three models achieved good results, with accuracies above 92% for both Vis-NIR spectra and NIR spectra. ELM obtained the best results, with all accuracies reaching 100%. The overall results indicate the possibility of the freshness identification of spinach preserved at different temperatures for different durations using two kinds of hyperspectral imaging systems.

Dried and free flowing granules of Spinacia oleracea accelerate bone regeneration and alleviate postmenopausal osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of extract derived from Spinacia oleracea extract (SOE) in reversing bone loss induced by ovariectomy and bone healing properties in a drill-hole fracture model in rats.

METHODS

SOE was administered orally for 12 weeks in adult ovariectomized Sprague Dawley rats after inducing osteopenic condition. Bone micro-architecture, expressions of osteogenic and resorptive gene markers, biomechanical strength, new bone formation, and bone turnover markers were studied. Uterine histomorphometry was used to assess estrogenicity. Bone regeneration potential of SOE was assessed in a drill-hole fracture model. Fracture healing was assessed by calcein intensity and micro-CT analysis of callus at fracture region.

RESULTS

SOE prevented ovariectomy-induced bone loss as evident from 122% increase in bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) and 29% decline in Tb.Sp in femoral trabecular micro-architecture. This was corroborated by the more than twofold stimulation in the expression of osteogenic genes runt-related transcription factor 2, osterix, osteocalcin, bone morphogenetic protein 2, collagen-1. Furthermore in the fracture healing model, we observed a 25% increase in BV/TV and enhancement in calcein intensity at the fractured site. The extract when converted into dried deliverable Spinaceae oleracea granule (SOG) form accelerated bone regeneration at fracture site, which was more efficient as evident by a 39% increase in BV/TV. Transforming SOE into dried granules facilitated prolonged systemic availability, thus providing enhanced activity for a period of 14 days.

CONCLUSIONS

SOE treatment effectively prevents ovariectomy-induced bone loss and stimulated fracture healing in adult rats. The dried granular form of the extract of Spinaceae oleracea was effective in fracture healing at the same dose.

Protective role of a methanolic extract of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) against Pb toxicity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings: beneficial effects for a plant of a nutraceutical used with animals

Spinach extracts contain powerful natural antioxidants and have been used to improve the response of animal cells to various stress factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of a methanolic extract of spinach (SE) used at two concentrations (21.7 and 217 ppm) on the growth, certain enzymes and antioxidant systems in wheat seedlings under lead stress. When wheat seedlings were grown for 7 days in a solution containing Pb(NO3)2 (3 mM), germination and growth were impaired, while signs of oxidative stress were observed. SE (217 ppm) pretreatment was able to protect seedlings from Pb toxicity by both reducing Pb uptake and Pb-induced oxidative stress. As a consequence, almost normal germination, elongation, biomass and α-amylase activity were restored by SE (217 ppm) pretreatment of wheat seedlings, in spite of the presence of Pb. Our results support the protective role and the antioxidant effect of SE against Pb. These results show an amazing similarity to the effects of SE in animals, which suggests that providing "nutraceuticals" to plants could improve their "health" status.

In Vitroandin VivoAntioxidant Activity of Alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) on Carbon Tetrachloride Intoxicated Rats

The present study was conducted to determine whether lyophilized aqueous extract of alfalfa, or Medicago sativa L. could exert antioxidant activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats. The hepatoprotective activity of alfalfa extract was determined by assessing the levels of serum transaminases, ALP, bilirubin and lipid profile. Further, the effect of the test substance on malondialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid peroxidation; antioxidant liver enzyme non-protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH); and total protein (TP) were also studied. Serum transaminase, ALP, bilirubin level, lipid profile and liver MDA were significantly elevated and the antioxidant status in liver NP-SH and TP contents were declined in animals treated with CCl4alone. Pretreatment with alfalfa and silymarin for three weeks prior to the administration of CCl4significantly prevented the increase in the serum levels of hepatic marker, LDL, VLDL levels enzymes and reduced oxidative stress indicated by elevated NP-SH and TP concentration. The histopathological examination of the livers also showed that the alfalfa extract reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl4. The in vitro antioxidant assessment of alfalfa extract on DPPH and carotene-linoleic assays demonstrated a moderate antioxidant potential. Results suggest that the alfalfa extract possesses hepatoprotective and antioxidative stress properties possibly through its antioxidant phytochemical constituents and substantiates its use in various liver disorders as a hepatoprotector.