In vitro hepatoprotective activity of Siddha medicinal plant Indigofera tinctoria

Liver plays a major role in detoxification. Any injury to it or impairment of its function may lead to many implications on one’s health. Management of liver diseases is still a challenge to modern medicine. The allopathic medicine has little to offer for the alleviation of hepatic ailments whereas the most important representatives are of phytoconstituents. The work presented in this paper is on plant mentioned as Kayakarpam plants in published as well as unpublished palm leaf literatures. The study was aimed to evaluation of the hepatoprotective activity of the whole plant Indigofera tinctoria on the Chang cell line (normal human liver cells). The ethanolic extract was tested for its inhibitory effect on chang cell Line. The percentage viability of the cell line was carried out. The cytotoxicity of Indigofera tinctoria on normal human liver cell was evaluated by the SRB asasy [Sulphorhodamine B asssay] and MTT assay [(3-(4,5 dimethylthiazole –2 yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay]. The principle involved is the cleavage of tetrazolium salt MTT into a blue coloured derivative by living cells which contains mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase However, the information available on the pharmacological activity of the plant is very limited. Hence, it was proposed to carry out a preliminary in vitro analysis of the hepato protective activity of the plant, which gave promising results.