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An extensive floristic survey was done to annotate Phyllanthus of southwestern Bangladesh from 2015 to 2018. In total, 2189 individuals of Phyllanthus were counted and identified as eight different species (five herbs, two trees and a shrub). All species were examined following both morphological and anatomical methods, based on taxonomic notes. The listed species werePhyllanthus acidus, Phyllanthus amarus, Phyllanthus debilis, Phyllanthus emblica, Phyllanthus niruri, Phyllanthus urinaria, Phyllanthus reticulatusandPhyllanthus virgatus. Among them,Phyllanthus amarusandPhyllanthus debiliswere listed for the first time from Bangladesh during this study period.

In this study, the methanolic extract of Phyllanthus virgatus was evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. The results of this study indicated that Phyllanthus virgatus exhibited moderate protective effect at a dose of 100-200 mg/kg by lowering serum level of liver enzymes such as alanine amino transferees (ALT), glutamate pyruvate transaminases (SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (SGOT), and total protein to a significant extent. Further, no significant effects were seen on blood serum level at a dose of 100-200 mg/kg body weight. The highest activity was observed at a dose of 200 mg/kg with a reduction of serum concentration of ALT, AST, total bilirubin and total protein. The methanolic extract of P. virgatus showed significant decrease in the levels of liver enzymes, indicating the protection of hepatic cells thereby protecting against CCl4 induced hepatocellular injury.

Since, we previously demonstrated that sequentially extracted methanolic fraction showed marked antioxidant and antidiabetic property in vitro, the present study was design to evaluate the beneficial effects of Phyllanthus virgatus methanolic extract and its partially purified fraction on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. The plant extract was subjected to repeated thin layer chromatographic fractionation followed by GC-MS analysis of active fraction. TLC data illustrated the presence of six prominent bands and the prelimnary screening of these bands against α-amylase inhibitory activity showed that the band with Rf value 0.514 has marked inhibitory property (IC50, 48 µg/ml). The diabetic rats were treated for four weeks with methanolic extract of P. virgatus (50 and 10 mg/rat/day), partially isolated active fraction (0.5 and 0.1 mg/rat/day) and glibenclamide (0.1 mg/rat/day). The level of fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin were significantly alleviated in plant extract and partially purified fraction treated group after 28 days of administration. Moreover, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were also markedly ameliorated in the entire treatment group, with a maximum restoration observed in group treated with partially purified fraction (0.5 mg/rat/day). The results demonstrate a strong antidiabetic and hypolipidemic impact of plant extract and its partially purified fraction coupled with their potent antioxidative property, which can provide additional benefits in the inhibition of oxidative stress and hence in the prevention and treatment of diabetes as well as diabetes linked hyperlipidemia.

Investigation of the constituents of Phyllanthus virgatus has led to the isolation of five new compounds, including a norlignan, 2-(3, 4-methylenedioxybenzyl)-4-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3-butyne-1, 2-diol named virgatyne (1); a hydrolyzable tannin, virganin (2); and three flavonoid sulfonates, galangin-8-sulfonate (4), galangin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside-8-sulfonate (5), and kaempferol-8-sulfonate (6). Their structures were established by spectral and chemical methods.

Since, we previously demonstrated that sequentially extracted methanolic fraction showed marked antioxidant and antidiabetic property in vitro, the present study was design to evaluate the beneficial effects of Phyllanthus virgatus methanolic extract and its partially purified fraction on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. The plant extract was subjected to repeated thin layer chromatographic fractionation followed by GC-MS analysis of active fraction. TLC data illustrated the presence of six prominent bands and the prelimnary screening of these bands against α-amylase inhibitory activity showed that the band with Rf value 0.514 has marked inhibitory property (IC50, 48 μg/ml). The diabetic rats were treated for four weeks with methanolic extract of P. virgatus (50 and 10mg/rat/day), partially isolated active fraction (0.5 and 0.1 mg/rat/day) and glibenclamide (0.1 mg/rat/day). The level of fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin were significantly alleviated in plant extract and partially purified fraction treated group after 28 days of administration. Moreover, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were also markedly ameliorated in the entire treatment group, with a maximum restoration observed in group treated with partially purified fraction (0.5 mg/rat/day). The results demonstrate a strong anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic impact of plant extract and its partially purified fraction coupled with their potent antioxidative property, which can provide additional benefits in the inhibition of oxidative stress and hence in the prevention and treatment of diabetes as well as diabetes linked hyperlipidemia., EXCLI Journal ; Vol. 13, 2014