Andrographolide: A Renoprotective Diterpene from Andrographis Paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees

Andrographis paniculata Nees, a well-known plant of Indian and Chinese traditional system of medicines, has drawn attention of researchers in recent times. An attempt was made to isolate the active principle from the plant using chromatographic methods. Andrographolide isolated from Andrographis paniculata (burm. f.) Nees (Acanthaceae) ameliorated the diabetes induced renal failure when treated for 28 days. The results demonstrated that andrographolide showed alleviation in terms of serum creatinine (54.73 %), serum urea (63.92 %), urinary proteins (32.35 %) at a dose of 90 μg/ml. The structure of the isolated compound was confirmed by various spectroscopic methods.