CHROMATOGRAPHIC ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF PETROSELINUM CRISPUM LEAVES AND EVALUATING AS HEPATOPROTECTIVE AGENTS

Petroselinum crispum Mill. (family Apiaceae) is widely used as an essential spice due to its health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the constituents of P . crispum aerial parts and evaluate its hepatoprotective activity. Ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of P. crispum subjected to different chromatographic separation techniques. The compounds were identified on the basis of spectral data and compared with previously reported data. Also, the methanolic extract and n-butanol fraction were evaluated for in-vivo hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) induced hepatotoxicity in mice (10 groups; 8 mice/group). All groups intraperitonially injected by CCl 4 (0.5mg/kg b.w., i.p.) in single dose at 11th day, the treated groups received (100, 200, 300, 400 mg/kg b.w.) of MeOH extract and BuOH fraction separately for 14 days. The results revealed that seven compounds were isolated from EtOAc and n-BuOH fractions which were identified as β-sitosterol (1), quercetin (2), isorhmentin (3), apigenin (4), apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (cosmosiin) (5), diosmetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), apigenin 7-O-β- D- apiofuranosyl (1→2)-β- D glucopyranoside (apiin) (7). On other hand, CCl 4 – induced hepatotoxicity cleared in severe liver damage, showed elevation of liver enzymes. The MeOH extract and n-BuOH fraction exhibited significant hepatoprotection in improvement liver enzymes, with a propensity to return to near-normal levels. So, P. crispum extracts are promising in-vivo hepatoprotective activity.