Vernacular names Arabic: Quasabhuva, Assamese: Kalmegh, Azerbaijani: Ac-lar -ah, Ac-lar Xan (khan) Bengali: Kalmegh, Chinese: Chuan Xin Lian, English: The Creat, King of Bitters, French: Chirette verte, Hindi: Kirayat, Kalpanath, Japanese: Senshinren.
Phytochemical constituents A review of the literature reveals that the presence of various chemical constituents in the aerial parts of the Andrographis paniculata are andrographolide, which is diterpene lactone, colourless, crystalline, bitter in taste [4]. Other compounds include 14-deoxy-11-oxoandrographolide, didehydro andrographolide/ andrographlide D, 14deoxyandrographolide, non-bitter compound is neo andrographolide, homoandrographolide, andrographosterin, andrograpanin, αsitosterol, stigmasterol. Apigenin-7, 4-dio-methyl ether, 5- hydroxy 7,8,2, 3-tetramethoxy flavones, monohydroxy trimethyl flavones, andrographin, dihydroxy di-methoxy flavoue, panicolin, andrographoneo, andrographoside, andropani-culoside A(3,7,8) andrograpanin, Isoandrographolide and skollcaflavone (912). Six entlabdane diterpenoids i.e. 3-o-beta-Dglucopyranosyl-14, 19- dideoxyandrographolide, 14-deox, 17- hydroxyandrographolide, 19-o-[beta-D-apiofuranosy 1-2betaD-glucopyranoyl]-3, 14-dideoxyandiographolide, 3-obeta-Dglucopyranosyl-andro-grapholide, 12S-hydroxy andrographolide and andrographatoside. These compounds showed inhibitor activity against several fungal and bacterial strains. Dua et al. reported four xanthones 1,8-dihydroxy3,7- dimethoxy xanthone, 4,8-di-hydroxy-2, 7- dimethoxyxanthones, 1,2-dihydroxy-6, 8-dimethoxyxanthone and 3,7,8-trimethoxy-1-hydroxyxanthone from the roots.
Hepatoprotective activity Very few studies on the effects of crude extracts of A. paniculata on liver function are available. Most studies for hepatic effects have been conducted on either andrographolide or other purportedly active principles. Shukla et al reported significant choleretic effects of andrographolide in conscious rats and anesthetized guinea pigs. The protection of andrographolide against acetaminophen-induced reduction in volume and contents of bile was better than that produced by silymarin [6]. Multiple-dose pretreatment with arabinogalactan proteins and andrographolide was protective against ethanol induced hepatotoxicity in mice and was deemed comparable to the efficacy of silymarin. Choudhury and Poddar reported that oral pre- and post-treatment of adult rats with an extract of A. paniculata was protective against ethanolinduced increase in serum transaminases. Administration of the extract to normal adult rats in single and multiple doses for seven and 15 consecutive days did not significantly effect serum transaminases. A comparative study on the effect of leaf extract or andrographolide on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation revealed a protective effect of a single oral dose of the extract and of andrographolide. However, high concentration CCl4- induced microsomal lipid peroxidation in vitro was completely protected by the extract but not by andrographolide, indicating that the hepatoprotective effect is not solely due to the presence of andrographolide. Hepatoprotective effects of the crude alcohol extract of leaves against CCl4-induced liver damage have also been reported by Rana and Avadhoot. A. Handa and Sharma compared andrographolide, methanol extract of the whole plant containing equivalent amounts of andrographolide, and an andrographolide-free methanol extract against CCl4-induced liver damage in rats. The CCl4- induced increases in serum transaminases, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum bilirubin, and hepatic triglycerides were inhibited by 48.6-, 32- and 15 percent, for andrographolide, methanol extract, and andrographolide-free methanol extract, respectively. Since all three treatments resulted in improvement in liver histology, a hepatoprotective role of A. paniculata constituents other than andrographolide is suggested and corroborates the observation made by Choudhury and Poddar [9]. The CCl4-induced increase in pentobarbitone induced sleep time in mice is also completely normalized by andrographolide. The effects of intraperitoneal (i.p.) pretreatment for three consecutive days with andrographolide on CCl4- or tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced hepatotoxicity in mice were compared with two other diterpenes – andrographiside and neoandrographolide. Both compounds showed a greater protective effect than andrographolide. The protection by andrographiside and neoandrographolide was comparable to silymarin, and neoandrographolide normalized glutathione levels. Trivedi et al observed protection by both the crude extract of A. paniculata and andrographolide against reduced activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), depletion of hepatic glutathione, and increased activities of hepatic γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, glutathione-S-transferase, and lipid peroxidase caused by hexachlorocyclohexane in mice. Oral or i.p. pretreatment with andrographolide was also protective against galactosamine-induced liver damage in rats and prevented changes in biochemical parameters and liver histology. Similar protection was observed when rats were treated with andrographolide post-acetaminophen challenge, and on an ex vivo preparation of isolated rat hepatocytes. Various extracts and constituents of A. paniculata were used in the experiments mentioned in this subsection. All showed hepatoprotective effects. A. paniculata also showed benefits against liver damage caused by agents with different hepatotoxic mechanisms, suggesting A. paniculata and its constituents are not agent-specific and might have broadspectrum hepatoprotective effects. More research is needed to establish the identity of the most effective component(s) for hepatoprotection. Large, multicenter, clinical studies are warranted to determine whether A. paniculata is efficacious in patients with liver diseases of various origins.