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Background: Liver injury induced by drugs has become a primary reason for acute liver disease and therefore posed a potential regulatory and clinical challenge over the past few decades and has gained much attention. It also remains the most common cause of failure of drugs during clinical trials. In 50% of all acute liver failure cases, drug-induced hepatoxicity is the primary factor and 5% of all hospital admissions. Methods: The various hepatotoxins used to induce hepatotoxicity in experimental animals include paracetamol, CCl4, isoniazid, thioacetamide, erythromycin, diclofenac, alcohol, etc. Among the various models used to induce hepatotoxicity in rats, every hepatotoxin causes toxicity by different mechanisms. Results: The drug-induced hepatotoxicity caused by paracetamol accounts for 39% of the cases and 13% hepatotoxicity is triggered by other hepatotoxic inducing agents. Conclusion: Research carried out and the published papers revealed that hepatotoxins such as paracetamol and carbon- tetrachloride are widely used for experimental induction of hepatotoxicity in rats.

Background: Prunella vulgaris, family Lamiaceae also known as self-heal, has been traditionally used as an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, and anti-rheumatic. Due to widespread distribution of the plant, Vulgaris is also called ‘vulgar’ in Latin adjective meaning common. Objective: The objective of this review was to describe the relevant aspects of phytochemistry and therapeutic uses of different fractions as well as isolated compounds from Prunella vulgaris. An attempt was also made to enumerate the possible leads e.g. betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, umbelliferone, scopoletin, esculetin, luteolin, homoorientin, Rosmarinic acid and cinaroside for further development. Method: For peer-reviewed research literature, we undertook a structured search of bibliographic databases using a focused review question. Scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were used Results: Phytochemistry of Prunella vulgaris (PV) after a thorough literature survey revealed varied and copious metabolites, such as triterpenoids, phenolic acid, sterols, carbohydrates, coumarins, fatty acids, and volatile oils. Many of these compounds have been found to possess wide range of biological activity per se, including anti-microbial, immunosuppressive, anti-cancer, cardio-protective, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory. Conclusion: Prunella vulgaris is a medicinal plant of immense medicinal importance having a variety of compounds such as such as triterpenoids, phenolic acid, sterols, carbohydrates, coumarins, fatty acids, and volatile oils and diversity in pharmacological spectrum. The plant could be further exploited, to isolate the various biologically active constituents responsible for its activity.

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