Evaluation of antioxidant and liver protective activity of ethanolic extract of Vitex peduncularis wall (Lamiaceae) stem bark against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver damage using in –vitro, in- vivo and in-silico approaches

Various components of Vitex peduncularis Wall are traditionally employed for treating jaundice (bark), urethritis (bark), heavy menstrual bleeding (root), diabetes, and malaria (leaves, bark) in Rangamati, Bangladesh. To validate the therapeutic claim of this plant, current work has conducted various phytochemical and pharmacological investigations to assess the liver protective and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract from the stem bark of Vitex peduncularis. In carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) induced hepatic damage test using Sprague-Dawley rats, the extracts at a dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg were administered orally once daily. The markedly increased serum enzyme levels were significantly returned to near-normal levels by the extracts. The level of protection was assessed by quantifying biochemical indicators such as serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), and alanine phosphatase (ALP). Silymarin served as a standard reference and demonstrated considerable hepatoprotective efficacy against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The findings of this study clearly demonstrate that Vitex peduncularis stem bark possesses significant liver protective effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats, with statistically significant results (P<0.001). When doing the DPPH scavenging experiment, it was revealed that the extract had an IC₅₀ value of 289.170 µg/ml. When the dried plant material was examined, it was discovered that the phenolic content, flavonoid content and tanin contents were 78.408 mg GAE/g, 89.983 mg QE/g and 84.983 mg GAE/g respectively. The SC₅₀ of the extract was determined to be 185.092 mg/l when it was subjected to the H₂O₂ scavenging assay. Luteolin, Ursolic acid, Friedelinol, and Epifriedelinol are the compounds that have been identified as being responsible for the antioxidant and in vivo liver protective potential of Vitex peduncularis bark extract. This is indicated by the presence of a number of notable phytochemicals and the in-silico docking study that was performed using these compounds. The potential for free radical scavenging capacity that is brought about by the presence of flavonoids in the extracts is one of the possible mechanisms that could be responsible for this therapeutically potential action. It is necessary to conduct additional research in order to investigate the precise mechanism of action and phytoconstituents that are responsible for the pharmacological response.