Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)

Evaluation of cardioprotective phytochemicals from Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L. using in vitro, in vivo and in silico approach

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.10366
Submitted
30 June 2025
Published
12-05-2026 — Updated on 19-05-2026
Versions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the cardioprotective potential of Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L. Quantitative phytochemical analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of solvent extracts were performed. Standard antioxidant assays were used to determine the free-radical scavenging activity of the leaf extract. An in vivo experiment using isoproterenol (ISO)-treated rats was conducted to assess the effect of the plant extract on cardioprotective biomarkers. A significant dose-dependent increase in total antioxidant activity of the extract was observed. At 50 µg, 19–24 % scavenging activity was recorded, whereas at 400 µg, 79–84 % scavenging activity was observed. Rats receiving the extract showed a reduction in heart weight and an increase in body weight. The mean serum concentration of cardiac troponin (cTn) T/I in rats treated with the standard drug was effectively reduced (1.13 ± 0.07/0.64 ± 0.05 ng mL-1), whereas it was comparably reduced by the extract (1.25 ± 0.19/0.72 ± 0.08 ng mL-1). Creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) of the standard was significant at 78.33 ± 6.26 IU and the extract was 83.35 ± 7.51 IU. The data showed increased values among the standard and extract compared to the control group but were found to be significantly (p <0.001) decreased among the treated groups. Compared to negative control animals (healthy rats), ISO-treated rats exhibited significantly increased levels of aspartate myocardial cell damage. After 5 weeks of treatment, in comparison to those in the positive control (PC), extract-treated rats had significantly (p <0.05) elevated levels of serum AST, alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Recovery from ISO-induced electrophysiological abnormalities was confirmed by decreased serum cardioprotective markers, mainly troponin and CK-MB. Histopathological damage to cardiac tissues was significantly reduced, with values approaching those of the control and standard drug-treated groups, particularly at a dose of 200 mg kg-1 body weight (bwt). The findings confirm that the cardioprotective effects are primarily attributable to the presence of antioxidant constituents present in the extract of P. maderaspatensis.

References

  1. 1. Sabeena Farvin KH, Anandan R, Kumar SH, Shiny KS, Sankar TV, Thankappan TK. Effect of squalene on tissue defense system in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Pharmacol Res. 2004;50(3):231-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2004.03.004
  2. 2. Russomanno G, Corbi G, Manzo V, Ferrara N, Rengo G, Puca AA, et al. The anti-ageing molecule SIRT1 mediates beneficial effects of cardiac rehabilitation. Immun Ageing. 2017;14:7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-017-0088-1
  3. 3. Conti V, Forte M, Corbi G, Russomanno G, Formisano L, Landolfi A, et al. Sirtuins: Possible clinical implications in cardio and cerebrovascular diseases. Curr Drug Targets. 2017;18(4):473-84. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389450116666151019095903
  4. 4. Kasote DM, Katyare SS, Hegde MV, Bae H. Significance of antioxidant potential of plants and its relevance to therapeutic applications. Int J Biol Sci. 2015;11:982-91. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.12096
  5. 5. Zulfkar Q, Balasubramanian R, Kavimani S. Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Callicarpa linata leaf. Pharmacologyonline. 2014;3(5):121-5.
  6. 6. El Toumy S, El Sharabasy F, Ghanem H, El Kady M, Kassem A. Chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Zilla spinosa. Planta Med. 2011;77:51. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1282809
  7. 7. Vukajlovic DD, Guettler N, Miric M, Pitschner HF. Effects of atropine and pirenzepine on heart rate turbulence. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2006;11(1):34-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1542-474X.2006.00079.x
  8. 8. Nahar L, Sarker SD, Delazar A. Phytochemistry of the genus Phyllanthus. In: Kuttan R, Harikumar KB, editors. Phyllanthus species: scientific evaluation and medicinal applications. London: CRC Press; 2011. p. 119-38.
  9. 9. Krishnaiah D, Devi T, Bono A, Sarbatly R. Studies on phytochemical constituents of six Malaysian medicinal plants. J Med Plants Res. 2009;3:67-72.
  10. 10. Park YS, Jung ST, Kang SG, Heo BG, Arancibia-Avila P, Toledo F, et al. Antioxidants and proteins in ethylene-treated kiwifruits. Food Chem. 2008;107:640-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.08.070
  11. 11. Medda S, Fadda A, Dessena L, Mulas M. Quantification of total phenols, tannins, anthocyanins content in Myrtus communis L. and antioxidant activity evaluation in function of plant development stages and altitude of origin site. Agronomy. 2021;11(6):1059. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061059
  12. 12. Obadoni BO, Ochuko PO. Phytochemical studies and comparative efficacy of the crude extracts of some homeostatic plants in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. Glob J Pure Appl Sci. 2001;8:203-8.
  13. 13. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjpas.v8i2.16033
  14. 14. Harborne JB. Textbook of phytochemical methods: a guide to modern techniques of plant analysis. 5th ed. London: Chapman and Hall Ltd; 1998. p. 21-72.
  15. 15. Bindu I, Suganya K, Prakash NS, Sundaram R, Arumugam I. Evaluation of phytoconstituents in Phyllanthus maderaspatensis collected from the southern region of Tamil Nadu. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2021;10(6):220-31.
  16. 16. López-Fernández O, Domínguez R, Pateiro M, Munekata PES, Rocchetti G, Lorenzo JM. Determination of polyphenols using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS/MS): A review. Antioxidants. 2020;9(6):479. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9060479
  17. 17. Kumaran A, Joel Karunakaran R. In vitro antioxidant activities of methanol extracts of five Phyllanthus species from India. LWT Food Sci Technol. 2007;40(2):344-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2005.09.011
  18. 18. Asha VV, Sheeba MS, Suresh V, Wills PJ. Hepatoprotection of Phyllanthus maderaspatensis against experimentally induced liver injury in rats. Fitoterapia. 2007;78(2):134-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2006.10.009
  19. 19. Chandrasekar MJN, Bommu P, Nanjan MJ, Bhavana S. Chemoprotective effect of Phyllanthus maderaspatensis in modulating cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity. Pharm Biol. 2006;44:100-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880200600592046
  20. 20. Shaker RA, Abboud SH, Assad HC, Hadi N. Enoxaparin attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats via interfering with oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 2018;19(1):67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40360-017-0184-z
  21. 21. Thiruchelvam M, McCormack A, Richfield EK, Baggs RB, Tank AW, Di Monte DA, et al. Age-related irreversible, progressive nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity in the paraquat and maneb model of the Parkinson's disease phenotype. Eur J Neurosci. 2003;18:589-600. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02781.x
  22. 22. Al-Hussaniy HA, Al-Tameemi Z, Al-Zubaidi B, Oraibi AI, Naji FA, Kilani S. Pharmacological properties of Spirulina species: hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anticancer effects. Farmacia. 2023;71(4):670-8. https://doi.org/10.31925/farmacia.2023.4.2
  23. 23. Shen Z, Geng Q, Huang H, Yao H, Du T, Chen L, et al. Antioxidative and cardioprotective effects of Schisandra chinensis bee pollen extract on isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Molecules. 2019;24(6):1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24061090
  24. 24. Asdaq SM, Challa O, Alamri AS, Alsanie WF, Alhomrani M, Asad M. The potential benefits of using garlic oil and its active constituent, dially disulphide, in combination with carvedilol in ameliorating isoprenaline-induced cardiac damage in rats. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:739758. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.739758

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.