Estimation of Antioxidant Potential, Phytochemical Profiling, and In Silico Characterization of Hepatoprotective Biomarkers of Phyllanthus fraternus GL Webster Leaves

The present study reports a comparative analysis of the antioxidant potential of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Phyllanthus fraternus leaves. The reducing power and total polyphenolic content of the extracts were also measured. A significant correlation (0.99) was found between total antioxidant activity and the polyphenolic content of the extract. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) analysis resulted in the identification of twenty bioactive compounds from the aqueous extract of leaves. These compounds have been identified for the first time in the P. fraternus extract. The hepatoprotective activity of the compounds was assessed through in silico docking analysis against two important liver enzymes, alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransaminase (AST). Seven hepatoprotective compounds- hinokitiol, daidzein, gamma-tocopherol, luteolin, hesperitin, scoulerin, and 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin have been identified that could be used in hepatoprotective drug formulations after clinical trials.