Antihepatotoxic activity of debelalactone, a new oxirano-furanocoumarin from Phyllanthus debilis.

The whole plant of Phyllanthus debilis (Euphorbiacae) afforded a new oxirano-furanocoumarin, characterized as 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-furanocoumarin-9(14)-cyclohex-12(13)-oxirano-11-one (1), named as debelalactone. Debelalactone exhibited a significant antihepatotoxic activity by reducing the elevated levels of serum enzymes such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) by 59.14%, serum glutamate pyruvate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGPT) by 61.84%, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by 85.93%; while the total protein (TP) levels were increased by 110.35%, when compared with standard drug silymarin that have decreased SGOT by 77.03%, SGPT by 69.67%, ALP by 93.18%, and increased TP levels by 100.48%, respectively, against CCl(4)-induced toxicity in Wistar rats. These biochemical observations were also supplemented by histopathological examinations of the liver sections.