الفهرس 
1. INTRODUCTION
Hepatoprotective activityOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The demand for nature-based bioactive molecules predominantly those derived from plants for the control of human, animal and plant diseases is rising steadily over the world. This is because of increased public awareness for the environmental and health risk problems concerning to the use of synthetic chemicals in Agricultural and Medical fields. Plants have been a rich source of pesticides and medicine because they produce wide array of biologically active secondary metabolites, most of which probably evolved as chemicals defense against predation or infection.
This study was aimed at determining the potential of Punica granatum L. var. nana leaves as a source of botanical nematicides, fungicides antioxidants and hepatoprotective agents alongside the isolation and structure elucidation of the biologically active metabolites responsible for the antioxidative activity.
The results obtained in this work could be summarized as follows:-
(1) The methanolic extract of P. granatum L. var. nana leaves exhibited free radical scavenging activity against DPPH radicals (IC50= 25.97 µg.ml-1). Activity-guided separation of the active methanolic extract resulted in the isolation of three chromatographically pure compounds designated as A, B and C. The three compounds A, B and C exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging with IC50 values of 5.2, 4.1 and 5.5 µg.ml-1 respectively. Among the three isolated free radical scavengers, compound B possessed strong scavenging action which was more potent than those of BHA (IC50 = 5.6 µg.ml-1). The effectiveness as free radical scavengers followed the sequence: Compound B > A > C > BHA > ascorbic acid > methanolic extract.
(2) The levels of the serum parameters such as ALT, AST, ALP, MDA, Creatinin, Urea, Cholesterol, LDL and TG were significantly increased accompanied by a significant decreased in HDL and Albumin in CCl4 treated rats when compared with the control group. Methanolic extract given after or before CCl4 administration (Post and Pre-treatment groups) at dose 60, 120, 240 mg/Kg. caused dose dependent reduction of raised ALT, AST, ALP, MDA, Creatinin, Urea, Cholesterol, LDL and TG levels accompanied by a significant increase in HDL and Albumin levels. This reduction was more pronounced in a dose-dependent in rats receiving methanolic extract before CCl4 administration (Pre-treatment group). Slight differences in serum parameters levels were observed between the control group and groups treated with methanolic extract only at dose 60, 120, 240 mg/Kg. The in vivo study showed that the methanolic extract exhibited hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and that the effects were both preventive and curative. Histopathological studies of the liver and kidney of different groups also support the protective effects exhibited by the methanolic extract of P. granatum L. var. nana leaves by restoring the normal liver and kidney architecture.
(3) The methanolic extract exhibited fungicidal activity against the three well-known phytopathogenic fungi; F. oxysporum, R. solani and S. rolfsii at concentration ranging from 25 to 1600 µg.ml-1. The efficacy of the extract was increased with increasing concentration and this extract was more effecitive against R. solani than the other tested fungi.
(4) The methanolic extract exhibited Larvicidal and ovicidal activities against the hatchability of eggs and juveniles of the three root-knot nematodes species M. incognita, R. reniformis and P. penetrans at concentration ranging from 400 to 1600 µg.ml-1. The efficacy of this extract was increased with increasing concentration and this extract was more efficient against the juveniles than eggs. The results also indicated that this extract was more effective against P. penetrans than the other nematodes species.
(5) The chromatographic separation, guided by antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract of P. granatum L. var. nana leaves led to the isolation of three pure compounds for the first time from this plant. Their structure were established by spectroscopic analysis (1H, 13C-NMR, UV and MS methods) as well as chemicals detection tests and acidic hydrolysis to be as follows
A→ Cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside.
B→ Galloyl glucoside.
C→2-methyl-pyran-4-one-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside.